The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-07-18
JAPAN AND HAWAII.
A RADICAL PARTY AND ITS
PROPOSALS.
Seven Demands Which it Wants The
Mikado to Make Upon This
Government.

last Oath ult.), in regard to the Ha-
waian question =
I.-That the japanese in Hawaii
should be granted the franchise in
accordance with the principle followed
in Japan Hawaii negotiations hereto,
and an Ambassador should be des-
patched to Honolulu to see that this is
done.
lin the event of Hawaii being
annexed by the United. States, or fall
ing under their protection, steps should
be taken to protect the interests of the
Japanese in the Islands, as well as to
maintain their rights
III.-When a Government is prac-
tically in existence, it should be re
cognized.
IV.-An official should be appointed
to permanently reside in Hawaii, 50 as
TO thoroughly superintend the japanese
there.
VA movement should be set on
foot to abolish Japanese contract la.
bour by degrees.
VI.-Capitalists and influential men
of Japan should be induced to visit
Hawaii.
VII.-Special inducements should
be held out to those japanese willing
to settle permanently in Hawaii.
A communication to the same paper
recites the fact that the Japanese con
tract laborers here, belonging to the
Nlnnpct and rttlaet clac- - b,, e
frage rights in their own country. 1t
continues: "And at the present st5ge
of apan's civilization the Constitu-
tional restriction Of suffrage is no doubt
wise. But if these people can as yet
not be entrusted with suffrage rights in
their native land, where lies the con
sistency of the Governments course in
demanding equal rights with residents
of other nationalities domiciled in
Hawaii? To be sure, we are told,
some of these laborers are no longer
working under contract, but they are
still of the same class of people, and it
seems preposterous to claim that such
class of people should have privileges
in foreign country at the instance of
the Japanese Government that such
Government does not accord to them
in its own land. Moreover, this de-
mand does not come to the surface for
the first time; it was brought forward
in 1887, though in a milder form
Again, about fourteen months ago the
attention of the Hawaiian Board of
immigration was called to this claim
on the part Of Japan. In recent
months it was probably brought for
ward for political purposes. There has
has been some talk of Japan develop.
ing an ambitious foreign policy Even
the acquisition Of Hawaii by Japan has
been regarded as being within tn e
range of possibilities, Certainly, the
present transition era of those
mid-sea islands offers Japan an
opportunity which she would not be
slow to avail herself of were the negoti-
atoms with the United States to prove
abortive. The position of the Hawaiian
Government touching these claims
seems to be that the Labor Conven.
ton makes no reference to the treaty
of 1871, or to any other concessions of
that treaty, and that it did not con-
template comforting the privileges Of
that treaty on the immigrants who came
to Hawaii under the operation of
separate convention. Such a reply APP
pears but reasonable. In this connec-
ton it must be observed that the con-
stitution of 1887 limits suffrage rights
to male residents of Hawaii, and to
Americans or European birth or de
scent That the Japanese claim should
have lain dormant for some time after
the adoption of the constitution is
fact which stands boldly over against
the reasonableness of the present de-
mand. If this action is taken on the
part of Japan, as some believe, because
she is deter mined to assert herself in
the Pacific, and in order to have
hand in Polynesian diplomacy, her
friends must regret that she could find
no more consistent and tangible subject
than contract laborers upon which to
base her first steps Of "mure progress
sive' policy. In this connection we
observe that some leading American
papers regard the course of the Japan
csc consul in a recent episode as very
significant A Japanese prisoner under
life sentence for murder of fellow
countryman escaped and took refuge
on the Naniwa Kan, lying in the har
Dor. According to reports from Ho-
nolulu, formal demand for his sur
render, made by the Acknowledgement,
after the prison guard had been refused
possession Of the runaway, was met by
the statement that the man could not
be surrendered until the matter had
been referred to the japanese Home
Government. Probably the d ctrine OF
international courtesy would have been
observed had the scene of action been
London or New York instead of Ho-
nolulu."
PooLad hu he Moon,..;