Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-05-15

ing his determination to sign the alien
land bill, recently passed by the Leg
| islature, Gov. Hiram W. Johnson IF
California, today, telegraphed to Sec
| rotary CT state Bryan long explane-
| ton of the action taken by the Legs
lature. The message was in answer
| to the request telegTaphed to the Gov
ernor by. Secretary Bryan at the di
rcction of President Wilson that tha
| bill be vetoed. The Governors mes
sage follows:
Hon. William J. Bryan, Secretary of
state, Washington. d. c.
| Your very courteous telegram re-
iating to the alien land bill, reached
me, late Sunday night / take it from
our conversations and your reques
made to me TO withhold executive &C
| ton until opportunity was accorded
1 for the presentations from the federal
government that your message en-
bodies what 1t was your wish and the
wish of the President to say to US be-
| fore final action.
In this response it is my design
NEST respectfully to present The sit
Hation from our standpoint and the
views that actuated our Legislature in
passing the bill and that impel me t,
| sanction 1t.
For many years n very grave prob
/ lem, little understood in the East, has
| confronted California; problem. thl
| seriousness OF which has been recos
nlzed by states men in our nation an
has been viewed with apprehension by
| the people OF this state When tn
present constitution of California wa
adopted. irere tilan 30 years age i
contained the following declaration:
The presence Of foreigners ineligi
| BE TO become citizens of the Unite
States is declared TO be dangerous Il
| the wcll-be:ng of The state and tn
! Legislature shall discourage their i'm
migration by al means within it
power"
| of late years, the problem from an
other angie has become acute and ag
teton has been continuous in the last
decade in reference TO our agricultural
4 lands until finally affirmative action
: in an attempted solution became I'M
perative. This attempted solution is
/ found in the act of cur Legislature in
the passage of the alien land bill. In
thu phraseelogy Of this bill, il those
whom il effects, in its scope and In
its purposes we believe we are With
in our legal and our moral rights and
that sc are doing only what S impef-
atlNely demanded for the protection
and preservation of our state. 1t this
enactment we have kept ever in mine
our national coed faith, as evidenced
by existing treaties and our desire ane
enxiety have been to act only in suci
fashion as would mmand US 30 oul
sister states and would justify us t
our fellow contrymen.
The objections to our bin are based
first upon the treaty obligations o.
the rllion and secondly. uW II the as
| sertion that our act is offensive aut
discr minatory. The protest to oul
measure as your telegram states
comes from the representative OF Jap
! an The bill that is now before M
provides substantially in its hrst sec
| ton that all aliens eligible to citizen
ship under the laws OF the lnlte'
States may acquire real property Il
the same manner as citizens OF TN
| United States and the second sector
provides that all aliens otner thii
those mentioned in the first section ma.
| acquire real property IN the Hahhe
and to the exent and for the purpos
prescribed by any treaty now EXIST
ing between the government OF III
United States and the nation or couil
try of which such aliens are citizen
subjects and may in addition lease 10
A reriod of three years lands Tor asrl
cultural purposes.
THUS we have made eXlstlnS urea
ties a part of our law ana thus W.
have preserved every right that any
foreign nation by international con
tract has insisted upon preserving
with our national government.
THE treaty of 1911 with Japan, II
reference to the citizens and subject
of other countries, provides that th@N
, shall have Liberty to own or lease
or occupy house, manufacturers ware
houses and shops; to employ agent
: of their choice; to lease land Tor res
idential and commercial purposes am
generally to do anything incident
or necessary for, trade upon the sam
terms as native citizens or supJects
submitting themselves 10 the laws ant
regulations there established.
I'VE assume that the right OF ia
pan to own real property Tor the pur
noses described is absolute in OH
state, and we seek TO deal only VIII
our agricultural lands.
I'VE embody the treaty III our Ia
and we add to it permission to leas
our agricultural lands for the perlo
of three years.
Where such extraordinary care ha
been exercised to preserve honor an
good faith, in the very words OF tn
contract made by the protesting natio
with our own and to do more by au
thorizing leases of agricultural lands
it would seem that we ought not I
be open to any accusation of viola
ton of treaty rights or of desire
entrench upon that which belong
alone to the national government c