Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. IV.djvu/277

 WOODROW WILSON 235 the framing of a law which would meet the views of the people of the State and yet leave untouched the international obligations of the United States. Mr. Bryan went to California and conferred with the Governor and Legislature, but it soon be came clearly apparent that the Legislature was bent upon passing a law forbidding ownership of agri cultural land by the Japanese. Mr. Bryan s suggestions to the Legislature were the following: 1. Delay immediate action and permit the State Department to try to frame a new treaty with Japan. 2. Delay immediate action and appoint a legis lative commission to investigate alien land owner ship and act with President Wilson in gaining relief. 3. Enact a law similar to the Illinois statute, which allows all aliens to hold land six years. 4. Enact a law similar to the Federal statute in the District of Columbia, which applies to all aliens. Mr. Bryan presented these suggestions with this happy statement: &quot;Each State in the Union acts in a dual capacity. It is the guardian of local affairs of its people and in a sense the only guardian, and yet each State is a member of the Union and one of the sisterhood of States. There fore, in acting upon questions of local conditions,