Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1913-05-15
Reply Of Governor Of Cali
fOrnia to National Admin
istration in Substance
Amounts to an Unequivo-
cal mo-
WILL STAND BY
THE LEGISLATURE
In Washington Conjecture
is Rife as to What Course
the Administration VIII
Now Pursue in Face Of
Protest
ASSOCIATED PRESS pIsPArCHl

ASSOCIATED PRESS pIsPATCHl
SACRAMENTO, May 14.-Governor
Johnson's final answer to the request
of the federal government 10 withhold
his signature from the Webb alien
land bill teIegraphed TO Secretary Bry-
an at Washington this afternoon in
substance amounts TO an unequiVocal
no. The bill will be signed probably
within the next few hours.
After making the statement, signing
and sending the message, the COVER
nor went to a bah game and spent the
afternoon He intimated he did not
expect further word from Washington.
BY the text of his reply. which was
made public here as soon as dispatched,
Johnson feels it his duty to approve
the action of the legislature. The mes
sage to the secretary of state not only
reaffirms the right of the state to enact
a law barring the Asiatics ownership
of land but also defends the public
policy in such a measure, citing the
vote on the Webb bill as proof OF the
demand for such an act in California.
With the sending of the telegram
today the controversy over the bill is
at an end, so far as the California ad-
ministration is concerned. Johnson has
until June Is in which to sign the act
and in the normal course Of events it
will become a law at the expiration of
ninety days from the closing Of the
legislature or on August 10. The only
possible contingency that can arise to
check it is the threatened referendum
petition which Theodore \. Bell,
democratic leader, said he would
soon as signed The administration
/ leaders of the legislature who have re
NAMED over at the capitol are not dis
posed to believe that Bells plan can
be carried out.
AS it stands just now the proposed
referendum petition is purely a polito-
cal matter" said y. w. Thompson TO
night If the people o. the state are
reaIlp opposed to the Webb bill | sup
! pose they win circulate and sign such
a petition, but the vote Of their repre-
sentatives in the Legislature does not
| indicate that they would be against the
act"
! The Webb bill was passed by a vote
Of thirty-five TO two in the senate and
seventy-tWo to three in the assembly.
! 1t would be necessary to obtain 10000
! signatures to d referendum petition in
! order to hold UP the operation of the
| act after August 10. If the signatures
are obtained. the whole matter viii be
held in allegiance pending the next gen
J eral election which does not occur un-
; til November 1914 Under the law
there can be no special election, except
| by an act of the legislature and no
provision for such an election was
made by the fortieth session now ad-
| journed.
When asked whether he would make
! a campai gn for the adoption of the act
| by the peole. roviding the referen-
| dunn was invoked, Johnson replied he
( had not considered the matter and
could not take it up until the question
arose of itself.
| ''Just now l am particularly interest
| ed in having the east understand the
| situation out here he said in closing
! his interview. In my reply to Mr..
Bryan l tried to present California; S
| case in such a way that the people of
the eastern states might understand
| our position.
| There has been such an amount Of
| misrepresentation in the matter by
! some of the eastern newspapers I hope
they viii publish this message to
Bryan"
The governor said .he might sign the
bill tonight or tomorrow and possibly
not for several days. He said he was
in no hurry