The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1895-11-13
CHINA AND JAPAN.
Admiral Ito's Letter to the Late
Admiral Ting


Admiral Ito and Gen. Oyama:
HoNoRED SrR:-The unfortunate
turn of events has made us enemies;
but as the warfare OF to-day does
not imply luminosity between us as
individuals, we hope our former
friendship is still warm enough to
assure your Excellency that these
lines which we address you with
your kind permission are dictated
by motive higher than that of a
mere challenge to surrender. This
motive is that of submitting to the
calm consideration OF friend the
cause of action, which seems to be
truly conducive to the good OF his
country and OF himself, but which
stress OF circumstances might tenn
porarily conceal from him. To
whatever cause the successive fail
ures OF the Chinese arms on both
sea and land may attributed, we
think your Excellency's sound judg-
ment will not fail in assigning them
to their true source, which must be
apparent to any unprejudiced OBJ
server. In China the literary class
is still the governing class, and liter.
airy accomplishment is the chief if
not the sole way to rank and power
now, as it was thousand years ago.
We do not venture to deny that this
system is excellent in itself and
might we'll be permanent and sutfi-
cient il China were standing alone
in the world. But national isolation
is no longer a possibility. What a
hard experience the japanese empire
had thirty years ago and how mar
rowly she escaped the awful Gala
nifty threatening her your Excel
lency we'll knows. To throw away
the old principle and to adopt the
new as the sole condition of preserv-
ing the integrity of your empire is
as necessary with your Government
now as it was with ours then. The
necessity must be attended to, or
fall is inevitable sooner or later.
That the crisis is being brought
about by the japanese arms is
mere chance. 1t might have been
caused by other political difficulties
as we'll. Now at such conjuncture
is it the part of truly patriotic
man upon whom the necessity of
action devolves to allow himself to
be simply dragged along by the
force of circumstances? Com
pared with the establishment on
sound working basis of the old
est empire in the world, with its
glorious history and It's extensive
territories, what is the surrender of
a fleet or the loss of whole army?
If your Excellency be truly patri-
Otto and loyal to the cause of your
country, we beg you to listen to the
words of sympathetic heart filled
with the sense of honor, representa-
tive of the fighting men of japan,
which asks you to come and stay in
japan until the time arrives when
your services be required for the
good cause. Not to speak of the
numerous instances Of final success
after temporary humiliation in your
own history of the ancient dynasties,
let me call your attention to the
case OF the French Marshal Mac
Mahon, who allowed himself to be
detained in the enemy's land till it
was expedent that he should return
and aid in reforming the Govern
ment, which instead Of dishonoriug
him raised him to the Presidency, or
to the case of Osmau Pasha, whom
the unfortunate event of Plevna did
not prevent from subsequently fill
ing the post of Minister of War, and
rendering important services in re-
forming the army. AS to the way
your Excellency may be received in
Japan, let us assure you of the mag
nanimity of our sovereign. His
Majesty not only pardoned his own
subjects that fought against the i'm
perial side, but even raised them to
important positions according to
their personal merits, as in the case
of Admiral Enomoto, Privy Council
lor Otori, and others. Surely he
would be more magnanimous to one
who is not his own subject, and
whose glorious career is so we'll
known to the world. The great
problem with your Excellency now
is whether to submit to the great
calamity which must be the newt
able consequence Of further adher-
ence to the old principle, or to sur
vive it for the sake of future reform.
We know it is the custom of your
officials to meet any communica-
ton from an opponent with a pride
designed to show consciousness OF
strength or to conceal weakness, but
we hope your Excellency will under