The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-10-25
ELECTORATEIS
TO DECIDE
FARMERS VOTE

| FARMERS VOTE
San Francisco, Oct. 25.-The fate
of Japanese farmers in California
will be decided on Tuesday, Novem'
Der 2, when the electorate of this
! that would amend the present alien
| land law by Withdrawing entirely the
| three-year agricultural land leasing
privilege from aliens who are ine1igi-
| bic to American citizenship.
| The measure aims also to place
minor land owning aliens under the
guar dianship of a public administra-
| tor. The actual ownership of farm
lands by aliens Ineligible to citizen
| ship already is prohibited by the
alien land law enacted by the state
| legislature in 1913.
The initiative measure it's pro-
| ponents assert, will conform strictly
| to the letter of the treaty between
Japan and the United States, in
which Japanese residents were grant
ed certain privileges. The opponents
! of the proposed new law declare that
| the issue raises the question of an in
| depreciation of phraseology in the
treaty, wherein it is provided that the
Japanese resident in the United
| Sta ties may own Or hire and occupy
houses, manufactures, warehouses,
| ShoPo anu pI eLllStS ana lease ldnOS
| for residential and commercial pur-
poses.''
! 1t is pointed out by persons oppos-
| ed to amending the present law that
the leasing of land for Commercial
purposes" contemplated the privilege
voters of the state have had the legal
verbiage of the measure clarified by
arguments for and against it respec-
lively by v. .McClatchy, publisher
/ n q 70 T~I
| by John P. Irish, an extensive land
owner of Stockton, Cal.
| In behalf of the measure. Mr..
McClatchy, says in part:
Through the measure, California,
seeks. as is. her inherent right, to
preserve her lands for Americans
precisely as japan preserves her
lands for the Japanese. Its primary
purpose is to prohibit Orientals who
| cannot become American citizens
| from controlling our rich agricultural
| lands.
Our present treaty of commerce
and navigation with Japan deliberate
" omits, from. the privileges granted
| the Japanese in this country, either
| ownership or lease of agricultural
lands. Japan has always prohibited
ownership. or lease, or use of agri-
cans or other foreigners.
| "Orientals, and more particularly
japanese, have commenced to secure
control of agricultural lands in Cali
fornia, there was enacted in 1918 the
Alien Land Law, which prohibited
ownership--or lease beyond three
years--of agricultural lands by aliens
ineigible to citizenship.
| In def1nance of that law through
various subterfuges, including use of
dummy corporations and minor ma
tive BORN children, Orientals largely
Japanese are fast securing control of
the richest irrigated lands in the
the proportion already controlled in
some counties, being from so to rs
per cent.
1.-The initiative measure simply
classes the 1oophoie in the 1913 law
which permits viola ton and evasion
thereof. In addition, it forbids even
short leases
In his argument against the
measure, Mr.. Irish discusses the COM
mercial treaty with Japan and de-
clares that lin it's economic definition
commerce consists of production,
transmutation and exchange; produce
ton is the ranking element, because
without it there can be no commerce.
The treaty is intended then" the
opposltlon argument continues, Ito
give the japanese privilege to enter
fore protects their right TO lease land
I for production. Any other interpre-
tatlon twists the plain language OF
the treaty into vain repetition.
| considered in the light of the
Fourteenth amendment to the consti-
tuition of the United States, which
says, No state shall deny to any per
son within its jurisdiction the equal
protection of the laws we find the
initiative is in conflict with our con-
sdtution since it proposes a discrim
inatory classification of aliens. con
ferring upon one class the protection
of the law which it denies to another
class.
This discrimination applies also
to the leasing of land denied tc
japanese and permitted to othe,
aliens. 1t also applies to the feature
of the initiative which subjects
japan minors who own land to the
:. guardianship of the public admins
, traitor but exempts other alien minor:
who own land from such guardian
ship"
The measure has two distinct Dur
poses, according to Mr. Irish. and
these are: First, to forbid the lea =
ing of land to Japanese and Chinese
and, second, to take land -oWnins
minors of those races from the nat
ural guardianship of the parents and
commit them to the control of tn,
public administrators
Concluding his argument to the
4 voters of California Mr.. Irish saws.
considered in its effect upon tn,
= land owners of the state, the initia
. tive, under penalty of confiscation
= prohibits them from leasing land tt
9 certain class of persons. If tn,
! state can do that it can also compe
:, land owners. under penalty of con
f1soation to lease their lands to a Ger
tain class of persons
= NEW ROAD OPEN.