River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-07-17

capitalists who are assisting in the
material development of the states
vast natural resources. The dis
elimination in the bill originally
proposed was found in the phrase
aliens ineligible to citizenship"
which aroused such strong protest
from President Wilson and the
state department as being offensiv
to friendly nation. This distinc-
tion is the one which the United
| States has itself enacted into its
laws governing who may become
citizens. The right to become a
United States citizen by naturaliza-
ton is limited to aliens, being free
white persons. and to aliens of AT
rican nativity, and to persons of
African descent"
Thus, generally speaking, only
members of the European races
may become citizens of the United
States. The courts do not view the
Jap as a white man. The son of a
German father and a Japanese
mother was recently denied the
right of citizenship. Chinese, Fill
pinos. and members of other of the
yellow or brown races have repeat
eddy been denied citizenship under
the federal law.
When the state says that "aliens
Ineligible for citizenship" may not
own land it takes advantage of the
distinction in the federal law and it
means that members of all but the
white and black races are barred.
Other states than California already
have such measures. The alien
land law of Washington provides
that ANY alien, except such as by
the laws of the United States are
incapable of becoming citizens of
the United States may acquire and
hold land" etc. The state Of Ari-
iona in 1912 enacted that mo per-
son not eligible to become citizen
of the United States shall acquire
title to any land or real property"
etc. Other states restrict all aliens,
generally. The federal constitu-
tion contains a provision which pre-
vents a state from barring the citi-
zens of other states within the Unit
ed States, for that document re-
quires that there be no discrimina-
ton against citizens of other states
within the United States.
The Webb Act, which California
substituted for the measure earlier
proposed, drops the phrase "inelig
IDLE to citizenship" yet preserves
the same distinction and arrives at
the same end in very much the same
way, still relying upon the discrim-
nations made by the federal law of
citizenship. Under it all aliens elig-
IDLE to citizenship may acquire and
hold land in the same manner as
citizens of the United States. All
other aliens may acquire and hold
land lin the manner and to the ex-
tent and for purposes prescribed by
any treaty now existing between
the government of the United
States and the nation or country of
which such alien is citizen or SUBJ
ject."
Fortunately for CALIFORNIA; pur-
pose of barring Orientals from own
ership of land, the existing treaty
with Japan does not extend to Jap
anese the right to own agricultural
land. Under the terms of the treaty
Japanese subjects are permitted to
own "houses and land for residen.
tial purposes, factories, manufact-
cries and shops" Another clause
permits them to lease lands for
residential and commercial pur-
poses" But the treaty does not
extend TO them the rights of &C.
quiring farming land within the
United States and so the state of
California is not required, by law,
to give them any greater powers.
This is how California may pass
a law that affects the relations of
the entire country with a foreign
nation, without the consent of the
whole.
Copyright 1913 by Walter K. Towers)