The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-05-17
JOHNSON WILL NOT
VETO ALIEN BILL
GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA MAKES
KNOWN HIS DECISION IN
MESSAGE.
DEFENDS RIGHT OF STATE
No More Discriminatory Than U. ..
Laws, He Deciares-WiN Be.
como Law Within 90
Days.

Sacramento, Cal, May 15.-Express-
ing his determination to sign the alien
land bill recently passed by the legisla-
ture Governor Hiram w johnson of
California has telegraphed to Secre-
tary Of State Bryan lengthy explain
. alton of the stand taken by the legis-
lature in passing the bill.
In Answer to Protest.
The message was in answer to the
request telegraphed to the governor
by Secretary Bryan that the bill be
vetoed.
What have tried to do is to set
forth California's position" he said,
commenting on his message. There
has been most astonishing lot of
misrepresentation INDUCED in by east
ern newspapers and want the public
to know just where we of California
stand"
Message In Part.
The text Of the governors message
follows, in part:
'Hon VIM. ]. Bryan
Secretary of State,
Washington, D. G.
"Your very courteous telegram re-
lating 20 the alien land bill reached
me late Sunday night. take it from
our conversations and your request
made to me to withhold executive ac-
ton until opportunity was accorded
for the presentations from the federal
government, that your message EN-;
bodies what it was your wish, and
the wish of the president to say to
us before final action.
I'm this response it is my design
most respectfully to present the situa,
ton from our standpoint and the views
that actuated our legislature in pass
ing the t.N and that impel me to sane,
ton it.
East Doesn't Understand.
For many years very grave prob
lem little understood in the East, has
confronted California; a problem the
seriousness of which has been recog-
nized by statesmen in our nation and
has been viewed with apprehension by
the people of this state. When the
present constitution Of California was
adopted, more than 80 years ago, it
contained the following declaration:
The presence of foreigners ineli-
gible to become citizens of the United
States is declared to be dangerous to
the wellbeing of the state and the
legislature shall discourage their i'm
migration by all means within it's
power
"Of late years, our problem from
another angle has become acute, and
the agitation has been continuous in
the last decade in reference to our
agricultural lands until final af1irmao
tive action in attempted solution be-
came imperative. This attempted SOL
Sutton is found in the action of our
legislature in the passage of the alien
T. land bill.
''1n the phraseology Of this bill, in
those whom it affects, in its scope and
in its purpose we believe we are with
in our legal and our moral rights and
that we are doing only what is imper-
atively demanded for the protection
and preservation of our state. In this
enactment we have kept ever in mind
by existing treaties, and our desire and
anxiety have been to act only in such
fashion as would commend us to our
sister states and would justify US to
our fellow countrymen.
... Protest from Japan.
1.-The objections to our bill are based,
nrst, upon the treaty obligations of the
nation, and, secondly upon the asser-
ton that our act is offensive and dis
criminatory. The protest to our meas
ure. as your telegram states, comes
from the representative of Japan. The
bill that is now before me provides
substantially in It's first section that
al aliens eligible to citizenship under
the laws Of the United States may &C.
quire real property in the same man.
ner as citizens Of the United States
and the second section provides that
all aliens other than those mentioned
in the first section may acquire real
property in the manner and to the
extent and for the purposes pre-.
scribed by any treaty now existing
between the government of the United
States and the nation or country Of
which such aliens are citizens or sub.
9ects and may. in addition, lease for
. period Of three years. lands for
agricultural purposes.
Existing Treaties Considered.
"Thals we have made existing treat.
seA a mart of our law and thus have