The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-09-01
NOT A SIMILAR CASE.

We note some comment in the East
ern papers over the action Of the State
Of Sonora, Mexico, which is reported TO
have enacted legislation prohibiting
Americans from owning land or trans
acting business within it's borders.
Some of the Eastern papers are so
petulant as TO claim that this ia alike
in substance and effect TO the legisla-
tion of California. of which the
Japanese have made such complaint.
But the cases are entirely unlike, and
the State of Sonora has no possible
ground In law or international treaty
ton.
First, In the California case, the
Japanese are accorded every right that
is given to them in the treaty between
this country and Japan, In fact that
treaty is made part Of the State legls-
lation and the foundation for that legis
| lation. There is no effort OF intent to
go beyond the strict letter Of that
treaty, nor to deny to Che Japanese any
right. usage. privilege, or advantage
which that treaty secures to them. On
the contrary, the California legislation
is moro liberal than the treaty itself,
in that it provides for the leasing Of
agricultural land by the Japanese,
which js privilege not at all covered
| by the treaty. When we recall that the
Japanese have never allowed foreign
ers to own an inch Of land in Japan,
| the fairness OF the California legisla-
| ton is apparent. Two or three years
ago bill passed the Japenese House
Of Representatives to permit tho re-
| stricted ownership Of land by aliens in
Japan. These restrictions deprived the
bill of most of its value. but even so
the bill was shelved by the upper
House, never received the Imperial
sanction, and never became a law.
So that japanese have greater privi-
leges in California than Californians,
OF any other Americans or any foreign
ers have in Japan Besides, Japan
does not allow any foreign laborers to
work IN Japan, A few years ago, as set
forth by the Economist, n Japanese con
tractor who had undertaken to build
greatly hampered by strikes among his
laborers. He then engaged several
hundred Chinese laborers and took them
to Kobe. Then he found that the law
forbade the employment of any for
eign laborers, and all the Chinese
laborers had to be deported, the loss
falling upon them and the contractor
In view Of these facts, there is neither
law. nor treaty, nor justice to be seen
in behalf of the Japanese contention
against the California anti-alieu law.
On the other hand, our treaty with
Mexico explicitly guarantees the right
of Americans to buy and hold lands in
Mexico and to transact business of all
kinds there, without any restrictions
whatever. On all these matters Amer
leans are placed precisely on the level
with native Me1cans. Tho result has
been that within the past twenty years
immense investments have been made
agricultural land, and in many forms of
industry in that country. 1t is not law
full for the State Of Sonora TO infringe
upon the treaty which is in force be-
tween this country and Mexico. for that
treaty covers the whole Republic Of
Mexico and no fractional part Of that
Republic is at liberty TO annul or
abolish it. The State of Sonora, there
fore, in undertaking to prohibit Ameri- |
cans from owning land In Mexico and
to confscate land which Americans now
hold there and to prevent them from
transacting business within the borders
Of Sonora, is undertaking not only a |
clear and undoubted violation Of the |
treaty between this country and Mexi- |
co, but is making q barbarous en-
actment which is confscatory in char
acter and contrary to the rules and |
amenities of civilized life among all |
enlightened nations. Sonora is clearly |
endeavoring to begin its reign OF |
agrarianism with the conhscation OF |
American property and the deprivation |
of Americans of their clear and abso
lutte treaty rights.
To say that the legislation of Sonora
is on the same plane as that of Cali
fornia is to display a woeful ignorance
of the conditions and Of treaties, or
else IT is said for the purpose Of max
ing false and prejudiced analogy.
ABUSE OF LEAVE TO PRINT,