The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1913-05-02
COMPROMISE BILL
BEING CONSIDERED
CALIFORNIA MAJORITY LEADERS
BELIEVE NEW MEASURE WILL
SOLVE PROBLEM.
JAPS BARRED FROM FARMS
Permitted to Lease Land for Residen-
tial and Commercial Purose
" onIy-Bryan Declines
to Comment

sacramento, CAL, May 1.-The pos
Utility of an amicable adjustment of
the alien land controversy by means of
a new bill drawn in strict conformity
with the treaty. between Japan and
the United States, confronted the third
secret conference of Secretary of
State Bryan with Governor Johnson
and the California legislature.
New Measure Drafted.
Attorney General U. S. Webb drafted
the new measure at the suggestion of
placed Immediately in the hands Of
Secretary Bryan. The term 'ineligi-
BILE to citizenship" which is declared
by Secretary Bryan to be odious to the
Japanese, is not included, and Progress
sive Republican leaders are confident
they have arrived at solution of the
problem that will receive the indorse-
ment of President Wilson.
Secretary Bryan declined to COM
ment upon the new bill, except in the
conference.
The principal features of the bill are
as follows:
ALL aliens eligible to citizenship
may acquire and hold land in the same
manner as citizens of the United
States.
2-All other aliens may acquire and
hold land Sin the manner and to the
extent and for the purposes prescribed
by any treaty now existing between
tho MT Of hn TTnifnI tot
and the nation or country of which
such alien is a citizen or subject.
3-Corporations composed of other
than those who are eligible to citizen.
ship may acquire and hold land only
according to the terms Of existing
treaties.
Present Holdings Respected.
4-Present holdings of aliens, re-
CARELESS of their rights to citizenship,
are protected.
5-The state specifically reserves
it's sovereign right to enact any and
all laws relating to the acquisition or
holding of real property by aliens.
Attorney General Webb worked upon
the theory that there could be no OBJ
lection to writing into the California
statute the specific limitations of the
Japanese treaty of 1911. Under the
terms of this treaty, Japanese subjects
are permitted to own houses and
lands for residential purposes, fac
tories, manufactures and shops" &C
cording to Mr.. Webb. Another clause
permits Japanese subjects to lease
land for residential and commercial
purposes"
These are the only stipulations
torney general that the rights of Jap
anese subjects to land ownership in
the United States stop at this point
Under his construction of the treaty
no land can be owned or leased by a
Japanese for agricultural purposes, ex
cept that which is already owned, OF
for any other purposes except those
set forth in the agreement between
the nations.
Exlaining the wording of the substi.
tute bill, Mr.. Webb said:
"Our theory is that at the time the
treaty was framed, Japan asked for all
the rights as to ownership of land in
California that that nation desired for
her subjects, and that the treaty, as
it now stands, represents all that ia,
pan asked and all that the United
States was willing to grant.
''This act does not draw the line
upon aliens who are ineligible to citi,
zenship. Those words are not used
1t gives not only to Japan, but to every
nation whose subjects are ineligible to
citizenship under the laws of the Unit
ed States, the full rights to ownership
f land in California that the treaties
between the United States and such ma.
tons give"