Story of the Session of the California Legislature of 1909Hichborn, Franklin
History
Story of the Session of the California Legislature of 1909
Hichborn, Franklin
California -- Politics and government
The hour for reconsideration of the bill, 11 a. m. of February 10,
arrived with the situation practically unchanged. Assemblyman Transue,
Stanton's right hand man in the fight against the bill, presented an
elaborate resolution, laboriously prepared by the opponents of the
measure, setting forth why it should be defeated[94]. In it the right of
the State to pass such school-regulating laws as it may see fit was
affirmed, and the constitutionality of the pending measure alleged, but
the Assembly was urged to do nothing to disturb the relations existing
between this Government and a friendly power. The resolution did not
strengthen the position of the opponents of the bill in the least. In
fact, several of their number were estranged. So worked up had the
Assemblymen become, that Beardslee of San Joaquin moved that Transue's
resolution be considered in executive session, but the motion was lost.
The resolution was later withdrawn.
The debate turned principally on demands from the supporters of the
bill, that Speaker Stanton tell why he had felt "the ground slipping
from under his feet" in his speech of six days before. But Stanton
wouldn't or couldn't tell. He leaned on his gavel through it all looking
very foolish indeed.
These speeches of denunciation pleased the supporters of the bill
immensely, but the luxury of denouncing Stanton defeated the bill. Had
the vote been taken at the forenoon session, reconsideration would
undoubtedly have been denied. But so much time was taken in making
Stanton feel foolish, that the hour of recess arrived, and the Assembly
scattered until two o'clock.
This brief respite gave the opponents of the measure a last opportunity.
They improved it by bringing over to their side enough members of the
San Francisco delegation to win reconsideration, and the measure's
defeat. When the Assembly re-convened after the noon recess, the members
by a vote of 43 to 34 granted the bill reconsideration, and by a vote of
37 ayes to 41 noes defeated it[95].
Although the Senate escaped the sensational scenes that attended the
suppression of the Japanese problem in the Assembly, nevertheless
Japanese bills and resolutions, with attending debates, made their
appearance there. Caminetti, for example, introduced a duplicate of the
Johnson anti-Japanese School bill, which was referred to the Senate
Committee on Education and never heard from again.
Senate Bill No. 492, introduced by Senator Anthony, made more trouble.
This measure gave the people of the State an opportunity to express
themselves at the polls on the Japanese question. The Committee on
Labor, Capital and Immigration recommended the measure for passage, and
it was finally forced to a vote, being defeated by twelve votes for and
twenty-two against[96].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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