Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-05-05

Caf1fot MA Legislature Tor tne past III
years, and for At least eight years
there has been acute biennial agitation
This year probably more excitement
has been stirred UP in the whole world
than ever before. though the actual
bills proposed have been less radical
than in previous sessions. In former
Legislatures, in addition to the alien
land bills, there were always bills de-
prving Japanese children of the right
to attend the public schools, and other
bills intentionally and Extensively dis
criminatory. This year few such bills
have been proposed, and none have
been seriously considered. III former
yesess the alien land bills. becoming a
PARK of the general anti-Japanese leg
islsrfion have usually failed with it.
They have also in other years divided,
as this year, into two classes of bills, |
which succeeded in mutuallyextermi-
mating each other.
Th6r~ arien land bin is one thing and
the anti-Japanese land bill is another
thing. Alien land laws, applying to all
nations alike, are Il part of the COM
mon policy of nations and of states.
The federal government has three sep
arate statutes applying, one Of the
District of Columbia. one of the public
lands, and one to the territories. AT
least eight states have alien land laws,
five of which are practically Identical
with the federal statute and with the
more conso rvative of the bills nitro /
duced ia the California Legislature.
One state. Washington. has law d.
rectly discriminatory against those stlt-l
ems who cannot acquire citizenship. ID
Tne main objection of the Japanese
government S to the discriminatory |
sort of bill 1t is not the sightto hold
land In California which they much
desire, but the dignity of being treated !
on par with all nations. This demand
on the part of the Japanese, reinforced |
by strong representations from WASH /
ington, has in all previous Legislatures
prevented the passage OF a law dis-
eliminating against either japanese or
aliens not eligible to citizenship, and
has caused the Legislature to revert
for a time to the proposal of laws APP
plying to all aliens alike. after the
analogy of the laws of other states
Even these laws would discriminate in
effect. but not in form against Japa-
nese. inasiiuch as any alien of Euro
pean race can, by removing his alien
age. thereby remove it's disability, I
Chinese is by federal statute perma-
nent. In every Legislature, as soon as
the pendulum begins tn swing toward
n general alien land bill, the interests
representing British cVapital invested
in California have been able to prevent
the passage of such a bill also. The /
two sorts of alien land laws have thus
hitherto neutralized each other, ana
each one has made the other impossi-
BILE. This year the agitation IS more
acute Jhan ever before. and the situa-
ton syfllnges so rapidly that no article
writtfh IoIli. days before publication, +
as tits is,scan take any notice Of tile /
immediate situation.
on the general. situation, it may be
asserted Internationally that the men
nee of Japanese land ownership IN tai-1
ifornia is net a present fact, but is +
fear OF the future. We have JUS. mex.
door. in Hawaii, an object lesson u
what general Japanese settlement III
r,aI;fornia would mean and probably |
H.. ,eo,,e of California, with the sin
- aveention of the large land owners |
ami the antiunicn employers, are
nanimous that such a condition must
he prevented in California at no mat
Tor what cost But the intense inter
est aroused in the whole proposal 10
based upon this imaginative picture
If what some day night happen, rath-
er than upon any present faeis OF "aae
has happened. ,,.,,se
The Japanese have INVADED 1aiiioi
MIA indeed and have nracticaits iho-
nopolized one of its princi,ai oce"pa-
tions. They constitute dominant S
ment In the migratory farm 5apoi u
California Practically all ING peri
most of the vegetables more IMAM .ia'i
of the grapes. -one-third OF the ci'' 10
and aecid,,ous fruits of California are
produced by Japanese labor. IL 'neie
no any invasion. this is where II is, but
there seems to be almost no agitation |
against tbs real displacement OF our
o,vn race from an important industry
Of the $1,000 Japanese in California
III ooo have no other occupation than
that If migratory farm 1ahorers Al
,east 900 more work occasionally III
these tasks. Japanese .-Mere. by any
means 10 be excluded from It, Whiei,
apparently atoaDgk RruposcNs h-Twou,a
require tKe umafkiags of sthiseTevoia
ton. -ssxsA..
In the case of land-holding tha ssa-
nation is exactly the revers&f fiefeq NJ |
stead of DONNA ting anythtnst Inc IA
anese are practically negiigiple uudh
tity. In two or three very iih''eu
neighborhoods they have so Tar iiiNao-
ed the country that white men are
moving out. This is a picture III MN
iature of what might happen II tneis
were any wholesale and continued jap
anese immigration into this country
and is sufficient justification tor PR
venting at any cost such result. bu,
these places so far are few ana sniaii' !
and the Japanese authorities offef theii
assistance in securing the dispersion
of the Japanese who tend to conceh-
trate there they do not. in their pres
ent dimensions, constitute anything
Int a local menace. Taking the state
at large, barely over per cent OF
the ,assrWassian is Japanese, and no
county contains over per cent OF Jap
anese The largest number of resident
Jap6nese fsg I'M Les Angeles county
The largest climber of land owners Is
in Fresno county. The largest proper
tiori of japanese is in Yolo and san
Rernardino counties. There We're III