The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-04-30
Defeated In His Efforts to Change the
Mind OF calfornians on
the Alien Land
Question.
BILL COMES TOMORROW
Wording Has Been Changed Slightly
and tho Measure 10 to be Passed
at tho Thursday
Session.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.1
SACRAMENTO, Calf. April 30
Practically acknowledging the failure
of his efforts to modify the anti-alien
land-owning bill now pending in the
legislature, Secretary of State Bryan
today Is enroute to San Francisco for
a brief visit.
That the secretary Of state had been
defeated In his effort was evident i'm
mediately after last nights executive
session of the two houses when Bry-
an, in a conversation with knot of
assemblymen, said: The president
has done his duty as he saw It and my
task is practically ended"
The statement came after new
bill, drawn by Attorney General Webb
at the request OF Governor Johnson
had been submitted to Bryan and af-
ter the legislators had practically de-
clared they would debate this meas
ure Thursday and pass 1t. 1t reiter-
ates California's right to exclude any
aliens and has exactly the same In
tent as the former bill, but 1t more
carefully phrased
The former bill provides that "aiiens
ineligible to citizenship cannot ac-
quire land" the new bill merely sub
stitutes the words "aliens eligible To
citizenship can acquire land" This Is
nothing but an inverse statement Of
the same determination.
Final action upon the bill was post
poned until Thursday because of Bry-
ans absence In San Francisco today
but progressive leaders make no sec.
ret Of their determination to pass 1t.
Not only that, but the democratic
members, failing to amend the bill,
will fall into line behind 1t, despite
Bryan's urging.
In this connection, 1t develops that
the democratic members sprung a
sensation on Secretary Bryan at last
nights executive session, when they
announced flatly that they We're just
as determined to exclude Japanese as
republicans were. Assemblyman w.
iC. Wall, who Is secretary of the state
democratic committee, told Bryan
frankly that the democrats are unal-
terably pledged to anti-alien land
owning Legislation" and are determin-
ed to vote for such bill even II our
votes mean that brown feet shall
tramp1e Californias soil to back up
Japan's demands"
The general feeling here is that "it
Is now up to Washington
Secretary Bryan refuses to COM
ment on the new Webb bill and 1t is
not known whether the national adj
ministration will regard 1t as dis
criminatory and violative of existing
treaties with Japan. The temper of
the legislators Is such. however, that
they will probably pass the measure
anyway.
Secretary Bryan VIII return here
from San Francisco tomorrow morn
ing and will remain until the allen
situation is settled
Following last nights long execu-
tive session at which Bryan was pres
ent, the senate adopted the Webb bill
as a substitute for the Birdsall meas
ure. This gives the Webb bill the
same standing so far as readings are
concerned as the Birdsall bill. It
does not come up for final passage
until tomorrow, but the fact that the
senate adopted it by viva voce vote
indicates that It will go through cas-
lily. The assembly must act also be-
fore the Webb substitute becomes a
(Continued on page 2.)