The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-05-02
WONDERS AT ALIEN OUTCRY

WONDERS AT ALIEN OUTCRY
California Doing Only What Other
States Have Done.
Sacramento, Cal. - Governor john
son gave out the following statement
regarding the pending alien land legis-
latlon. This is the first statement the
governor has made on the subject:
'Californians are unable to under
stand why an act admittedly within
the jurisdiction of the California legis-
lature, like the passage of an alien
land bill, creates tumult, confusion
and criticism, and why this local act
Of undoubted right becomes an inter-
national question. Of course, the Cali
fornia legislature would not attempt
to contravene any treaty of the nation,
nor to do more than has been done by
the Federal government itself and
many other states. To say that Cali
fornia must do less or be subjected to
harsh criticism and the charge of dis
rupting friendly relations with foreign
powers, is to deny to California what
has been freely accorded to every 9TH
er state in the Union and what has
never been questioned with any other
state.
Our legislature is now considering
an alien land bill in general language
and not discriminatory. If terms are
used which are claimed to be discrim-
inatory, those very terms long since
were made so by many enactments,
and by the laws of the nation itself.
Broadly speaking, many states have
endeavored to prevent the ownership
of land by those ineligible to citizen
ship. The power to pass such laws is
conceded, but Immediately upon the
exercise Of this power by great SOW
ereign state, remarkable and mex
plicable outcry is heard all over the
land and in other lands as well.
"The United States by statute pro-
vides that no alien or person who is
not citizen of the United States, or
who has not declared his intention to
become a citizen of the United States,
shall acquire title to land, ETC., and in
relation to the District of Columbia
the United States statutes contain the
same inhibition.
ARIZONA, in 1912, passed it's act
that no person other than citizen of
the United States, or who has declared
his intention to become such, shall
hereafter acquire any land, ETC., and
this statute, although passed in 1912,
did not evoke storm of protests from
well-meaning philanthropists in our
own land, or threaten rupture in
diplomatic relations with any foreign
nation.
ssThe state of Washington prevents
the acquisition or holding of lands by
those who are incapable of becoming
citizens of the United States and
neither the right nor the propriety of
this enactment by the state of Wash
ington was denied.
"Illinois has enacted that an alien
may hold title for. the period of six
years and then, if he shall not have
become citizen of the United States
proceedings shall be commenced for the
sale of the land and the proceeds shall
go to the state.
Minnesota provides that no person,
unless he be citizen of the United
States or has declared his intention to
become citizen, shall acquire land.
missouri has similar enactment.
Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas have
laws of like character.
eve, of California, ask, therefore,
should California be singled out for an
attack when it is exercising the same
right that has been exercised by so
many states and by the United States
itself?
Japan, until 1910, had an absolute
law against alien ownership, and in
effect it has it yet. What the United
States government has done, what has
been done by many states of the I'm
ion, what has been done by Japan, all
of which admittedly has been done in
pursuance of unquestioned power and
undoubted right, is now attempted to
be done by the state of California, and
no reason can logically exist for hys-
terra, for severing friendly relations
with any power or for offense and
threats by any nation.
"The character of the present Cali
fornia legislature is the guarantee
that only legislation deemed absolute
ly essential for the preservation of the
state and the protection of its people
Legislation having its precedent in
the enactments of the national govern
ment and the various states will be
passed. And such measures as may
be enacted will be considered thor
oughly, calmly, judicially and without
prejudice or discrimination.
Law Would Curb Brokers.
Washington, D. C.-Senator Ash
urst, of Arizona, introduced bill to
regulate stock exchanges by refusing