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Show JOHNSON'S STATEMENT California's Governor Says He Will Sign the Alien Land Rill Says Eastern Newspapers Misrepresent the State Regarding Its Position Sacramento, Ca?., Mav If Expressing Ex-pressing his determination to sinn the aljen land Mil recently passed by the legislature Governor Hiram W Johnson John-son of California telegraphed to Secretary Sec-retary of Stale Bryan late yesterday a lengthy explanation of the position taken by the legislature iu passing he bill The message was in answer to the request telegraphed to the j gbverQOT by Secretary Bryan at the ' direction of President Wilson that the bill be veloe.l "What 1 have tried, to do if to set forth California's ease.' i said the governor, commenting on his message "There has been a DlOSi ' , istonishing let of misrepresentation indulged In by eastern newspapers and I want the public to know just where we of California stand." The text of the governors message follows fol-lows "Honorable William J. Bryan, Sec-, retary of State, Washington n. C: "Your very courteous telegram re-j l latmg to the alien land bill readied I me late Sunday night I take it from our conversation and your request 'made to me fo withhold executive ac-tion ac-tion Until opportunity was accorded for the presentation of suggestions from the federal government that your telegram embodies what it was I vour wish, and the wish of the presl- J ' . . L - ... I, .,, Cieni. IO say to us ik-iji- uiiai uvuuu In this response h Ir t"v design most respectfully to present the sit-1 I nalion from our standpoint and the iewe thai actuated our legislature In passing the bill, and that impel me to i sanction it. For manv venrs n very grave! problem, little understood in ihe east has confronted C alifornia . a problem the seriousness of which has been recognized by statesmen in our na-I na-I tion and has been viewed with apprehension ap-prehension bj the people of th's slate j When the present constitution of "al- , ifornia was adopted more than thirty years ago, It contained the following declaration: I "The presence of foreigners ineli- glide to become citizens of the United Unit-ed States is declared to be dangerous to the well-being of the stale, and the legislature shall discourage ibeir immigration im-migration by all means within its power.' Regarding Treatlet "Of late vears our problem from another angle has become acute and the agitation has been continuous In the last decade in reference to our agricultural lands until finally affirmative af-firmative action In an attempted solution so-lution became imperative This attempted at-tempted solution is found in the action ac-tion of our legislature in the passage pass-age of the alien land bill In the Phraseology of this bill, in those ; whom it affects. In its scope and in 1 its purpose we believe we are with-; with-; In our moral and our legal right, and that we are doing only what is im- peratively demanded for the protection protec-tion and preservation of our state. In this enactment wc have kept ever ! in mind our national good faith as ev-i ev-i idenced by existing treaties and our I desire and anxiety hnve been to act ! only in such fashion as would com-I com-I mend us to our sister btates and 'would JusfUj. us to our fellov coun-1 coun-1 try men. ' The ohjeetiOIls lo our bill are based bas-ed first. npon lno treRty obligations j of the nation, and secnndlv. upon the assertion thai our acl Is offensive jnnd discriminatory The protest to our measure. as vour 'elcRram states, ronus Ironi the representative of Japan. Ja-pan. The hill that is now before me. as you know, provides substantially j In its first section that all aliens eligible eli-gible to citizenship under the laws of ihe 1'nlted States may acquire real property in the sam- manner as itl-zens itl-zens of the United States and the second section provides that nil Mi other than those mentioned in the first section, may acquire real property prop-erty in the manner and to Ihe extent and for the purposes prescribed by any treaty now existing between the. government of the United States and the nalion or country of which such aliens nre citizens or subjects and mav. in addition lease for n period Of three years lands for agricultural purposes. "Thus we have made existing treaties trea-ties a part of our law, rnd thus havp we preserved every right that any foreign nation has insisted upon pre serving with our national government. govern-ment. "The treaty 0f 1011 with Japan. In reference to the (itlzens and subjocl of each country, provides that they shall have 'liberty to own. or lease, or occupy houses, manufactories, wan-houses wan-houses and shops, to employ agents of their choice, to lease land for res', dentlal and commercial purposed ind generally to do anything incident to or necessary for trade upon the same terms as native citizens or BUbjectfl submitting themselves to the laws .'ml regulations there established.' "We assume that the right of I a pan ese to own real propertv for the pur poses described is absolute In our state, and we seek to deal only wtth out agricultural lands We emh i the treaty iri our law and we add I permission to lease our agricultur lands, for the period of three yean ' P.y the law adopted WC offer no offense; we make no discrimination "he offense and disrrimlin "ii contained, 11 is claimed, in the use the words 'eligible to citizenship and in making a distinction between th who are eiipibie to citizenship md those who ore not We do not men; tion Japan or any particular race The constitution of California in 1879, made its distinction and there has never been protest or objection. Immigration Law. "May I venture to call to your attention at-tention the immigration law now pending in congress, which passed both houses of the last congress Where apparently certain cn3es. who shall be exclude, from our country, are described as persons who cannoi become eligible under existing laws to become citizens of the United States' "At thin very moment the national legislature, without protest or origin --indeed, it is published in California bv pxpress consent Is using the terms that are claimed In California's law to le offensive and discriminatory ' At least three stales In the union have, in the past, entered laws simi j lar to the contemplated law of Crill Ifornia and the enactments of those oiher states have been without objp-. objp-. 'Ion or protest. That the protest h ; now made in respect to California hut I emphasizes the aeuteness of the prob leni confronting California denion strates that California is differently viewed than other s'utes of the union and that if discrimination exists it is discrimination against California. "We insist that justly no offense can he taken by any nation to this j law and more particularly does this , seem to us clear in the instance of a nation like Japan, that by Kb own law ; . rents acouteltion of land by aliens. We of California believe rirmlyl that in our legislative dealings with this alien Inad ;uc-stion we have violated vio-lated absolutely no treaty rights, we, have shown no shadow of disci irnina Hon. we have given no nalion the right to be justified in taking offense So believing -with n strong reliance In the justice and r'12 'if edusness of our cans? and with due reference and courtes nd with proper considern tion for the feelings md I'-e views of j others we had hoped the authorities at Washington would have seen the question as we In this state have been j fori ed to see It as we must see or he blind. "Von have suggested 10 me delay, but this question was rv earnestly I and fully presented by you to our leg-; Mature, and the legislature determ-l Bed 10 proceed My province Is to ap-i prove or disapprove the law as pre aented. Our people as represented in the legislature, however, have over-whelmlngly over-whelmlngly expressed their desin foT the present anti-alien bill The Vote I In the senate was 35 to 2. and in the assembly 72 to 3 With such unan Imlty of opinion, even did I hold other oth-er vievs, I would feel It my plain lu ty to sign the bill unlesa some absolutely ab-solutely controlling necessity demanded demand-ed contrary action Apparently no such controlling necessity exists "It is with the highest respect for yourself and the president thai I feel my duty to my state compels me to approve the action of the legislature (Signed) "HIRAM W miiNsnN "Uovemor of California" nn |