The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1913-05-13
in the opinion of many editors,
nra ina11r facgip,, tbat th1

I pO"-t4|-A - lNs5dl ucu 10 peculiarly atlli-
/ barrassing, because on the one hand
as head of the Federal Government
/ he is responsible for the treaty rights
of Japanese subjects in this country
while, ON the other hand, he has no
constitutional right to prevent the
California Legislature from acting as
it pleases in the matter In a tele-
gram addressed to Governor Johnson
| he anpeals with the utmost conf
dance" to "the people, the Governor,
ard the Legislature of California" to
avoid "invidious discrimination" which
will inevitably draw in question the
! treaty obligations of the United
! States" The assertion that popular
! feeling in California is strongly in ia
vor of excluding the Japanese from
land ownership seems to get some
color from the fact that on April 10
the Assembly passed drastic Anti
alien Land Ownership Bill by a vote
of GO to 10. Some of the lawmakers
are quoted as saying that if no such
! law is finally passed by this legisla-
| ture the people themselves will resort
to the initiative to bring about the re-
suit they desire. ''The people of Cali
fornia have become impatient of di-
plomacy and world politics, and are
no longer to be denied in their i'm
perative demand" says State Senator
E. s. Birdsall, author of one of the
measures in question, who thinks that
"if the Antialien Land Law went to
the people it would pass by vote of
8 to l." The two big propositions in
volved, says Senator Birdsall, are
these:
"F'irst-Have we the right to enact
such legislation? If we have not, then
the act would be automatically offset
by the Constitution and existing
treaty rights.
Seconds this demand by the
whole people of California? The lat
est and most conclusive answer to
that is the overwhelming vote by
which the Alien Land Law passed the
Assembly"
The proposed legislation, according
to the same authority, represents "the
cool determination of American citi-
zens of the West Coast to prevent the
encroachment of a race problem and
to maintain their own economic stand |
ards" And in public statement |
Governor Johnson points out that 9TH
er states-Arizona, Washington, Illi-
nois, Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky,
Oklahoma, Texas, and even the Dis
trict of Columbia-have enacted laws |
prohibiting the ownership of land by
persons ineligible for citizenship,
without any international disturbance
ensuing. He says:
"Californians are unable to under
stand why an act admittedly within
the jurisdiction Of the California Leg
islature, 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 Cal
ifornia 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
m harch critipicr,, ho cbor Of |
disrupting friendly relations with
foreign Powers, is to deny to Cali
fornia what has been freely accorded
to every other State in the Union and
what has never been questioned with
any other State.
Our Legislature is now consider
ing an alien land bill in general Ian
guage and not discriminatory. If
terms are used which are claimed to
be discriminatory, those very terms
long since were made so by many en-
actments and by the laws of the ma
ton itself. Broadly speaking, many
States have endeavored to prevent the
ownership of land by those ineligible
to citizenship. The power to pass
such laws is conceded, but immediate
ly upon the exercise of this power by
a great sovereign State, a remarkable
and ineXplicable cutlery is heard all
over the land and in other lands as
we'll
1--WE of California ask therefore:
Should California be singled out for
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
affect has it yet What the United
States Government has done, what
has been done by many States of the
T ry,to 4, ~ l. L |