Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-12
BRYAN s COUSIN
SELLS FLORIDA
LANDS To JAPS
William S. Jennings Pilots Van
guard Of Hundreds Of Nip
ponese from California.
VIEW SECRETARYS TRACTS
AHti-AIien Laws Asked-Race
War With 0rientaIs Leading
the Negroes Feared.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11.-Japanese
driven from California by the alien
land laws are in Florida buying farm
lands owned by former Governor Will
Lam S. Jennings, first cousin of Will
ham Jennings Bryan and a close bust
ness associate of the Secretary of
state.
A vanguard of % of the Orientals,
presenting hundreds of California
Japanese, who are now seeking asy-
lum and unmolested land tenure in
some other State, are spying out the
lands of Florida. They have with
them their own soil expert, their ex-
perienCed Orchardists and their ex-
pert truck farmers, whose reports will
go back to their countrymen in Cali
f1rnia. They are in charge of Gov
ernor Jennings own colonization
agent, who brought them to Florida
from California.
At present they are looking over
Jennings land holdings in Clay and
Duval Counties, about 40 miles south
Of Jacksonville. Jennings sales
agent is plotting them around. Later,
according to a statement made by
Jennings, they expect to look at lands
in the Everglades, where his cousin,
Secretary Of State Bryan, owns large
tracks.
Yellow Peril Scare in State.
Although the advance movement of
Japanese reached Florida only a
week ago the State already is torn by
q yellow peril scare. Some of Flor
ija's foremost citizens are denouncing
The proposed colonization scheme and
ara urging the Governor to call the
legislature in special session to pass
alien land laws similar to those of
california before it is too late to keep
'aa Japanese out of Florida.
The Florida Representative in
Congress have taken notice. They
are issuing statements and threaten
.l 90 ask for a Congressional inves-
ton.
Tin" fear in Florida is mixed with
eminent and uspiciOn-resentme
toward Jennings, who is attempting
CD direct the flow of Japaneses into
i'ur.da; suspicion of the American
secretary of State.
They are wondering if there was
anything more than coincidence be-
tween the recent visit of Secretary
Bryan in California and the present
appearance of a vanguard of CalifOr-
Mia Japanese in Florida to buy lands
owned by Bryan's cousin They are
wondering If this committee of vel
low land buyers will not eventually
look over Bryan's own lands in the
Everglades
Jennings SCOTS Invasion.
Former Governor Jennings, who is
conducting the colonization party,
pretends to discount the possibility of
a general invasion of Florida by Jap
anese driven from California.
There is nothing new in this
hn
two years l have been selling land
10 the Japanese in Clay County,
Florida, and the first arrivals of these
intensive gardeners and orchardists
came last July, and we are now busy
preparing their lands for their first
crops in Florida"
Jennings denies that L. S. Mogi.
Los Angeles Japanese, who recruited
the party of % Orientals and is now
IN charge Of them, is his agent in the
matter.
"Mogi is not my agent. but he is
agent for O. w. A. Stout, who is in
terested with me in several land deals
Florida. (Stout acts as Pacific
Coast agent for a number of Florida
landowners. These Japanese" con-
unued Jennings, ARE looking over
FLORIDA lands. They are prospective
.andowners.) These Japanese" con-
purpose of securing lands for fruit
growing and vegetable raising gener-
ally. But there is nothing new in
this Back in March, 1905, a party
of Japanese planted a colony in Yam
alto, Fla
Many Fear Race War.
Florida people, however, are not
taking Jennings rosy view of the
matter. They see a vast difference
between small detachment of jap
anese establishing a Florida colony
IN 1905 and the 1913 vanguard of host
N yellow men driven out Of one State
and seeking the industrial and agri-
cultural conquest of any other that
may offer hospitality.
The thinking people of the State
Know that Florida already has one
race problem in the negroes. They
40 not want that problem complicated
with another. The fear is frankly
expressed that in case of trouble with
Japan the japanese in Florida should
organize and lead the negroes in a
war Of determination against the
whites.
Farsighted F'loridans also are
pointing out the danger to the whole
.aStern half Of the United States
should the Florida neninsula become
2 japanese stronghold. The peninsula
S the nearest American land to the
Fanama Canal Then the Navy De-