Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-04-18
California and Japan.

VAUAA SoiiiOLhAU w
pass the SO called alien land law and
President Wilson's resolution not to
officially interfere with the so vereign-
ty Of the state, puzzling interna-
tional problem presents itself and it
will be interesting to note just what
Japan is going to do about it. The
proposed statute prohibits foreigners
who have not declared their intention
of becoming nathralized as American
citizens from owning land or property
In California.
The fiowery kingdom contends this
legislation is and Is intended to be
anti-Japanese. And in this they are
unequiuocally ,correst. That ID ex-
actly what California intends and a
glance at few figures are enough to
show why the feeling against the
yellow man is so strong on the west
ern coast The midget Orientals
have in recent years been crowding
Americans out of the minor occupa-
tions. They live on a small fraction
of what American laborers require
and offer their services at low rate
that prohibits competition. This
the Westerner has stood for but when
he glanceS over the records and finds
the Japanese own over $4,000 acres of.
land in California and are the lessees
of nearly half million more, he be-
gins to get his back up" This ratio
of increase is over 800 per cent. No
wonder the sentiment in the Golden
state Is five to five to one in favor Of
the allen land law The issue must
be met, and now.
And California intends to meet it.
And so determined are the poople Of
the coast that they propose to head
off any possibility Of the law being
declared unconstitutional. With the
idea of being absolutely secure, the
following clauses have been Inserted:
"The provisions Of this act shall not
impair or destroy any right secured
to any alien under the provisions OF
any existing treaty between the
United States and the country Of
which such aliens shall be subject.
"If any section, sentence, clause or
phrase of this act is for any reason
held to be unconstitutional. such de.
cision shall not affect the validity of
the remaining portions Of the act"
With the measure in it's present
form placed on the statute books, it
would seem there is nothing Japan
can do about It, She can buster
around ana have the law carried to
the Supreme Court. But what will
chat gain? Article one OF the treaty
with the Mikado stipulates that citi-
zens of each country, while travel
ing In the other may own factories
and houses and such and lease land,
but nothing is said in regard to own
ing land. So this part of the pact is
not confiicted with by the proposed
law and should the high tribunal
hold that any other part Is, that Sec
| tion would still remain In force. And
that is the one section the Californ-
ians want. And should the Supreme
Court rule the law constitutional, 1t
would take precedence over the treaty
at least as far as California is concern
ed. The doctrine of states rights
here proves supreme.
| But even should the spirit Of the
international convention be violated
by California's law, it is difficult to
see now on any moral grounds, Japan
can seriously remonstrate. Are they
not doing the same thing with Ameri-
cans? The old laws of Japan prohibit
Ing aliens holding land have been alb
rogated, 1t Is true, but the imperial
edict making the new law operative
has not been issued. So American
citizens cannot now own land In ia
4 pan. Why should q commonw ealth
IN this country be ARBITRARILY COM