Arizona republican., 1921-02-20
ANT|-JAPA PANESE
 BILL |S PASSED IN LOWER HOUSE
Despite Strong Opposition And Effort To Amend, Measure Is Passed By House By Close Vote Of 20 To IF

Having forged ahead from 10 o'clock m the morning to a quarter past 5 in the afternoon, stopping for an hour at l o'clock for lunch and breath, and having worn down one reading clerk In the order of their reading, the house adjourned to 10 o'clock on Wednesday morning. The senate spent a busy fore noon In open session and devoted the afternoon to committee work and then adjourned to 10 o'clock tomorrow morn ing.
 The outstanding event in the legis- iative day was the passage by the house late in the afternoon of the anti Japanese act which already had passed the senate. The bill was put through the house most expeditiously. It had been reported back from the standing committee in the morning with two re- ports. the majority report favoring it's enactment, and the latter protesting against its passage. The bill was at once put on the calendar of the whole committee for the day.
 Land Lessees Protest
 When 1t was taken up there was read ono of nine petitions signed by 109 landowners protesting against the meas ure. All of them had rented land to Japanese who, under this bill, will be usable to lease land in this state. Then hucIc was TtAu u DGIlllOH lTOfIi JtTOIl- ksent by the commander of the Ameri- Van Legion at that place, who stated that the petition had the approval of 300 members who had attended a mass meeting in behalf of the bill. A sim liar petition was received from Clark dale
 The privilege of the floor was given Senator Stoddard. the author of the bill, who recited the experience of Cal ffnrnfpf with which had at length driven that state to seek the same protection which this bill pro- posed to throw about Arizona. The senator presented a mass of figures showing the control that the Japanese of the Pacific coast states had obtained over various industries.
 Judge Phillips spoke against the bill. He said that he was aware that 1t was unpopular to oppose the wishes of the American Legion, but he believed that Neor should be opposed wherever 1t ~S-ght be found. There was, said Judge Phillips, no ground for a Japanese scare in Arizona. For some years the state had had all the protection it needed There was legislation prohib- iting Japanese ownership of land in this state. and leases of land to Jap anese were limited to a period of five years.
 Few Japanese Here
 The conditions in Arizona were un- ike those of California with respect to tho. Japanese. There are comparatively fevs Japanese farmers in this state Ths are only 11S of them in this, the chi agricultural county. They are not ons not in competition with American tanners, but they have given employ ment to more than 1,200 laborers oth- CT than Japanese within the last year The products raised by them are such as in the west have never been suc- cessfully produced except by Japanese and Chinese and these products have brought to the valley more than $3,- 100000.
 Garden truck such as is raised by the Japanese has never been sufficien for the local market More than two thirds of the garden products consumed fin this state has been brought iron California. The contribution that tn, local Japanese farmers have made t' the local market have served in som measure to hold down the prices t consumers. Altogether. instead of be ing a menace to the state, the presenc of the Japanese has been helpful. More over. said Judge Phillips, they con stitute a most law abiding element o the population.
 No Cause for Alarm
 MT. Jones also argued against tn passage of the bill. He said that tn local Japanese population of the stat fs only a little more than 800. Sure ly that is not a sufficient cause fo alarm. The plea of Americanism, sai MT. Jones, had been raised in behal of the bill. The speaker would yiel to no man in his loyalty to the coun try and it's institutions. Though nc amember of the American Legion an barred by age from service in tn great war. he had two sons in tn trenches and he came of family tha had been represented in the country wars.
 At the cloee of his remarks, Judg Phillips offered an amendment to th bill proposing that the limit of lease allowed by the present law be reduce to two years and that no lease coul be renewed during its life. The amend ment was voted down and a little Ia ter a favorable recommendation of tE bill was voted.
 Vote Is Taken
 Another measure of unusual impoi tance was passed by the house, tf bill exernpting from the educationa qualification test of voters persons WI had neglected to become citizens of u Tinted States under the treaty of Gua6 rhupe Hidalgo and the Gadsden treat <s well as their descendants who ha been born in this country prior to 188 IInNyDeCteQ OppOSlllOH to LhlS Olll u' veloped. but it was passed by a vo of 20 to IT.
 A pleasant incident was injected in the house proceedings in the afternoc when w. H. Gibbon, an attache tb. house, was ordered to chair front of the speaker.
 sWhere were you last Thursday? asked Speaker Keefe. sharply.
 sT was in Phoenix" said MT. Gibbo after some hesitation, 'in person, but II mind was not here; it was runnin hack over a space of 50 years to u dsv. half a century before, when Wi married" AL, o...oh
 If then developed that the attach .rare nreparing to celebrate the gol
 wedding of MT. and Mrs. Giobo &s N H. Williams read dehghtf
 eIe poem she had prepared. and al ar that the speaker, on the part or | at,scbes. presented MT. Gibbon fitth testimonial. 1.
 Mir Gibbon, in point of resldence'
 a o, inc foremost of Arizona plonee The family, a large one living in Apac
 and in the strip" has resided the ,o,. ,nore than 50 years and 1t has De ..s,resented in several of the leglsl ,,,res of the territory and state ssther of Mir Gibbon was memr