811.5294/219

The Governor of California (Stephens) to the Acting Secretary of State

Sir: In further answer to the wire from Secretary Colby12 asking to be advised of the final vote cast November 2nd on the Anti Alien Land Initiative Measure, I beg to inform you that 668,483 votes were cast in the affirmative and 222,086 in the negative.

The Secretary of State of California on December 4th made and filed his official declaration of the vote.

Under the Constitution this measure, like all similar initiative measures which were approved by the people, takes effect five days after this official declaration. In other words, tomorrow the so called Anti Alien law of California will become effective.

In calling your attention to these facts, I have no desire to embarrass the negotiations now pending between your department and the government of Japan. Nor am I prompted by any feeling of alarm that any rights of citizenship or any other undesirable rights or privileges are to be accorded to ineligible aliens. The expressions hitherto conveyed to me have in no sense lost their firm impression.

From tomorrow on, however, this definite piece of legislation adopted so overwhelmingly by the people of this state springs into legal life and as Governor of this State it becomes my duty to see that it is just as vigorously enforced as any other law upon the statute books.

Innumerable reports have come to this office within the last few months of unprecedented transactions in agricultural real property by Japanese and the sections of the state affected by these transactions are most outspoken in their denunciation of these acquisitions of agricultural real property interests for the purpose of evading the new Anti Alien Land Law. Litigation is bound to ensue and [Page 21] the Attorney General and the various District Attorneys of the counties will, with the full support of the Governor of the State behind them, apply all their resources to the full enforcement of the law.

Public opinion on this matter is overwhelming and very sensitive about any interference with or restraint upon the sovereign right of the State to deal with its domestic land problem. As Governor I shall deem it my duty to exercise my full Constitutional power in the enforcement of this statute—justly, of course, but effectively.

Respectfully,

Wm. D. Stephens
  1. Not printed.