The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-18
Amendment Offered

Sacramento. Cal, April 17.-Amendment
% the Birdsall anti-alien land ownership
bill designed to remove the strict provi-
sions of the act including all properties
held by European capital. while still bar
ring the Japanese, were offered today in
the senate by the author Of the meas
ure.
The amendments were drafted at con-
ference between Senators Birdsall and
Thompson and representatives OF foreign
syndicates having large interests In this
state
If adopted by the senate the proposed
changes will make the Birdsall bill more
acceptable to Europeans than is the as
sembly bill and more restrictive upon the
Japanese. The principal amendment Is
the insertion of a clause permitting cor
Iorations, the majority stock of which is
held by aliens eligible to citizenship, to
own land. This provision was in the as
sembly bill, but the Birdsall measure
heretofore porvided that the majority
stock of such corporations should be held
by Citizens of the United States or per-
sons who had declare their intertifn ie
become citizens"
Further concessions to European capi-
tai are contained in the new sections
which protect the loans of foreign banks
and exempt land used in the mining. oil,
most of the foreign capital, except that
of the Japanese is invested
The new sections are as follows:
Sections of Bill
"The prohibitions of this act shall not
extend TO lands which are valuable chiefly
. for mines or minerals or which are being
operated as mines. nor TO lands chiefly
valuable for the production of oil, nor to
timber lands, nor to lands owned or used
as sites for warehouses. wharves, refin-
cries, or factories for the treatment re-
iining, reduction processing, manufactur-
| ing, shipping. storing or otherwise ham
ding or disposing OF any of the products
of such lands. nor TO pipe lines for the
conveyance of oil or other fluid substances
except water and any alien or any alien
corporation may take, hold and dispose of
such lands or any interest therein.
This act shall not apply to the acquisi-
tion by aliens or corporations of lands
which arc now, or may hereafter be-
ccme subject to a deed of trust, mortgage
Il or other lien to secure debt or other OBJ
Il legation to any alien or corporation where
such lands or interest therein are acquired
at sale under such deed of trust. mort
gage or other liens but default of the
debtor, or upon judicial sale upon the
foreclosure of such deed of trust mort
gage o, rother lien.''
capitalists that buy the bonds of or lend
money upon California property.
The amended Birdsall bill is more re-
striotive upon the Japanese than the as
sembly bill. for the reason that ii limits
leases to four years instead of five
A. circular uouting the views of DIR.
David Starr Jordan of Stanford universi-
ty, who is opposed to an anti-alien land
law, has made its appearance at the CAPT
tol and is distributed by Japanese lobby
lists. the first one that ever came to Sac
: ramento.
demand that the Japanese govern
ment resort to arms was Historically
cheered at a mass meeting here tonight
to protest against the alien land bill now
before the California legislature. Twenty
thousand persons assembled and listened
TO addresses by various orators who,
however, are not affiliated with any or
ganization. and younger chauvinists. The
speakers also denounced the submissive
attitude of the government.
The responsible newspapers of Toxic in
commenting editorially on the meeting
dencunce the proceedings as unidentified
and unworthy the nation describing them
MS merely an outburst of the unthinking
extreme element incited by political
demagogues.
A cablegram from Toxic to the Japan
se-American, a daily paper of this city,
states that Japanese converts to Chris
tianity are joining in the protest against
proposed anti-alen legislation in Cali
fornia. They have cabled Bishop William
Ford Nichols of the Episcopal church
here, asking for his Influence against the
bills, the message says and adds that "a
mass meeting of Christian ministers In
Toxic has been called for tomorrow to
discuss the situation.