Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-02-05
MORE TROUBLE
FOR NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT
LAW SEGREGATING JAPS
IN CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS
Measure Goes Through As
sembBi immediate and Wig
orouSly Protest Comes from
President Roosevelt.


Sacramento, Cal, Feb. with the
defeat in the lower house today Of
| two of the anti-Japanese measures,
| followed by the unexpected passage
| of third bin segregatng Japanese
school children In separate schools
along with Chinese. Koreans and other
Asatics, regarded as the most often
sive measure of all, President Roose-
Welt again has taken a hand In the
| anti-Japanese legislation in the state
| legislature which for the last week
| has drawn international attention to
California. Hardly had the bin been
passed by the assembly before Gov
ernor Gilctt received the following
message from the president:
Washington. Feb 4, 1909.
u n. Gillett, Governor of Califor-
MIA;
Your kind letter just received.
What is the rumor that the Califor-
MIA legislature has passed a blu ex-
cludng the Japanese children from the
public schools? This is the most Of
fensive bill of all, ana in my Judgment
is clearly unconstitutional and we
should at once have 10 test II In the
courts. can II be stopped In the legis-
lature or vetoed?
(Sgned) Theodore Roosevelt.
The governor at once sent n reply
the nature Of which he declined at
this time to make public and request
ed of the president an immediate am
swer. Pending the receipt of an
other telegram from President Roose-
welt. Governor Cillett declined tonight
to discuss the action Of the assembly
today
The bin passed today, which was
one of three anti-Japanese measures
introduced by Assemblyman Grove l..
Johnson. plutss the Japanes@ in the
same classification with other Asia
ties and inserts the word Japanese"
in the present state statute providing
for the segregation In separate schools
Of "Mongulian" children. BY this ac-
tion the lower house OF the California
Legislature has taken the step which
the board Of education Of san Francis
co intended to take two years ago, but
which was abandoned after the board
and Former Mayor Eugent f Schmitz
were called to Washington, and had
several conferences with President
Roosevelt
At that time Is was contended by
the japanese that they were not Mon
golians" and they resented the efforts
to place them in the same class with
the Chinese, Koreans ana other Asia
tie races and the question was also
raised whether under the state stat
ute the segregation of Japanese school
children could be enforced In the alb
sonce of specific mention of the word
japanese" Upon the return from
Washington, the san Francisco school
board at that time, contented itself
with the adoption of a rule limiting
the age OF pupils that would he per-
mitted TO attend the lower grades or
the pubic schools, one of the princi-
pal objections TO the Japanese being
that adults were attending the pri-
mary grades and i'm daily association
with white children of tender years.
Immediately upon learning of the
assembly's action, Governor Gillett
called into consultation Speaker Philip
stanton and the republican leaders of
both houses of the legislatures. The
latter expressed the hope OF still being
able to defeat the measure In the as
hembly upon reconsideration and n
was with this I'm view that Assembly
man Walter Leeds. of Los Angeles,
after roll call, changed his vote from
no TO yes ana gave notice that to-
morrow he would give notice to recon-
slider the vote of As to "a by which
the bill was passed. II VIII require
4l votes to carry Leeds motion. In
the event that il Is adopted, rs freely
predicted tonight that one of the
fiercest battles over waged In the cal
ifornia legislature Will result in the
effort to kin the bill.
The assembly debated all day on
the three anti-Japanese bills. The
first one taken up preventing aliens
from being members of boards Of di-
rectors was beaten easily. the vote
standing "a to i5.
The next providing Tor the segregs-
ton in residential districts Of all un-
desirable aliens. resulted In a tie vote,
81 to 81. the measure being defeated
bv being four votes short OF ma
jority Johnson of Sacramento. its au-
thor. changed his vote from aye to no,
In order that hc might give notice OF
reconsideration.