The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-08-02
KEEPING UP
With
THE NE WIS
KXTAsHINGTON, aus. 2.-With

NM ASHINGION' aug. S'-Wltn
w the movement gaining way
to exclude Filipinos from United
States citizenship and immigration,
the question whether they may own
land in restricted California areas
unexpectedly has bobbed up before
the Department of Justice.
OF more Importance than the
individual case itself is the possible
effect an adverse ruling may have
on the tentative program of native
leaders in the Philippines to Coz
operate with the new Governor
General, Col Henry L. Stimson
A basic part of the Stimson policy
is to lift restrictions on the size of
land holdings of Americans in the
islands, especially in the interest Of
American sugar and rubber COM
panies
Any emphasis at this time on land
restriction in this country against
Filipinos is expected to stiffen the
island opposition to modification
of Philippine restrictions against
Americans.
Pedro Guevara, Philippine resident
commissioner here, has made rep
RESERVATIONS to the United States
Department of Justice in the casa
of Francisco Obera, Filipino.
Obera says that, after living in
California since March 1915, he re-
Gently purchased q house in Al-
hambra. After he moved into the
house, his American neighbors OBJ
iected to his presence. The de-
manded that he vacate, on The
ground that his property was re
stricted.' He was not given time to
ascertain the nature of the original
deed, he says.
Obera sought official advise OF
Commissioner Guevara, who advised
him to remain on his property pend-
ing a legal decision.
The United States Bureau of in-
sular affairs, in answer to an in~
quiry by Guevara, now has re-
affirmed that there is now law pre-
venting Filipinos from owning land
in the United States has cited
California decisions that Filtpinos
are not aliens" The bureau, how
ever, did not pass upon the right
of an American citizen to make a,
restrictive deed.
Guevara has submitted the in=
formation given him by the bureau
of insular affairs to the United
States attorney general for an
opinion.
THE bureaus letter to Guevars
4 follows;
THE bureau is aware Of no pros
vision of law which would deny citi-
zens of the Philippine Islands, as
such, the right to own real estate
in any part of the United States.
while there is a distinction be-
tween citizens of the United States
and citizens of the Philippine
Islands, there is also a distinction
between citizens of the Philippine
Islands and the aliens, or persons
eminent, Citizens Of the Philippine
Islands owe allegiance to and are
entitled to the protection of the
United States.
THUS Filipinos-a are held not to be
aliens within the meaning of the
United States immigration law, and
the attorney general of California,
in a letter to the resident commits
sioner of the Philippine Islands,
dated July 10, 1921, rendered the
opinion that it would appear, there
fore, that with the Federal enact
ments and interpretative decisions
controlling, a citizen of the Philip
pine Islands is not an alien as that
term is used in the alien poll tax
law. of California, and is not subject
to the provisions of that act
This bureau does not know, of
course, whether or not the title of
the land which Obera has purchased
contains special restrictions against
ownership by one of a race other
than the Caucasian race, or specif1-
cally barring Filipinos as well as
aliens"
According to information fur
nished the commissioner by the
Huntington Land and Improvement
Company, which asked Obera to-
vacate, there is a clause in the orig
inal deed providing that the prop
erty never should be sold, leased
or occupied by an individual Of any
other than the Caucasian race"
The Department of Justice has
taken the case under advisement. 81.
n
4 MOTHER phase of the general
IN Philippine American contro-
versy concerning whether the na~
tive government should pay salaries
of and thus maintain some control
over technical advisers Of the
American Governor General or
whether the United States should
pay and control these advisers, is
discussed in an official statement
by the Philippine press bureau here
today.
" G. Bunuan, director, expressed
qualification over a Manila dispatch
that the Philippine senate had ap-
propriated $125,000 for the annual
salaries of the Governor Generals
advisers. He said:
"In my opposition to the Omitted
States Willis-Kiess bill appropri-
ating the same amount for the same
purpose, I always have emphasized
that action by Congress in this
connection was unnecessary because