Norwich bulletin., 1913-04-22
JAPANESE TREATY RIGHTS.
United States Will Take a Hand iu
 Protecting Them.


 Washington, April 21.-News of tha determination of the legislative lead- CTS in Sacramento to frame and pass an alien land owning bill directly dis- crirmnating against the Japanese, un@ officially conveyed today to the White House and state departm ent, was re- ceiVed with grave concern and disap- pointment. Such a development had not been expected in view of the drse favorable comments in California up- on the presidents suggestion that re- gard be had for the preservation Of the friendly relations between this coun- try and the Oriental nations.
 Government Efforts to Continue.
 Without exact knowledge of tho form discrimination will take in the new bill, officials here assume that it will resemble the so-called assembly measure, which proposed to bar from land-hOlding persons ineligible to citi- zenshlp, which covers only the Chinese and Ja panese. The administration is not yet at the end of it's resources and will continue it's efforts to ameliorats the harsh features of the projected legislation, until the measure is be- yond reach of amendment In that di4 rection-
 Must Guard Against EneFoaehmont 2
 While the president has in his n1es- sage to Governor Johnson, transmitted the right of the people of California to leg1slate according to their judgment on the subject of land tenure, he Ia also under the obligation of guarding, against encroachment by state legis- laton upon that part of the field of fnternat tional relations reserved by the constitution of the national gov ernmeut. Therefore. in the event the California legislation takes the form of direct discrimination against the Japanese, in violation of what the ad- ministratiOn itself regards as their treaty rights, the national government ife-GIF frlE state of California before the judicial tribunals of the land.
 U. s. Will Defend Treaty Rights.
 It does not follow that the United States government would take tho initiative in the judicial proceedings the states action. In the ordinary course the initial step would be taken by Japanese individuals or corpora tions in California, whose lands arc sought to be escheated. But it IS fully expected that the department of iuR- tice would come forward as an fin ter-y Vener, throwing the weight of the United States government Into tho scale in defense of the treaty rights oG the Japanese. If the state courts should uphold such statute, the case would be appealed to the United States circuit court, and, almost cer- tainly, by one party or the other, talk en to the United States supreme court, which tribunal has never yet passed upon the claim of the Japanese to tho right of naturalization in the United States
 To Secure Japanese Statistics
 An important development in the situation is the announced purpose Of the opponents of anti-Japanese legis- lation to challenge the correctness of the figures and the statements relative to the extent of the so-caIled Japanese invasion of California, autographed to Washington from Sacramento by the legislative leaders. in answer to Rep Raker'S request.
 For some time past quiet search has beer. made of the United States inn migration bureau and of the California tax offices and other places where data might be found bearing upon the pre- else number of Japanese lan6lorde in California and the extent of theiE holdings, and these figures soon will bG laid before the state department.