The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-11-19
DUMAS RESIGNATION.

The resignation of Count Okuma is
no surprise to anyone. 1t has been
foreshadowed for some time. The OPP
position party in Japan has been gain
ing in strength during the last year.
When Okuma entered the Ministry. he
did so under an idea that he would
push a vigorous foreign policy. The
japanese at the time were, to use a
French expression, "tete montee," \
which means almost what we mean
by big head" without its vulgarlsm,
for person can be ''tete montee" and
yet not be vulgar
From the moment Okuma occupied
the foreign office he was seeking for
some means by which he might carry
out the promises he had made before
he entered the Cabinet. In the direc
ton of Corea, really the only legit-
mate direction for japanese expansion
he came up against the power of Rus
STA, and that was too great a power
to tackle. Hawaii seemed to him an
excellent field for vigorous foreign
policy" and he proceeded to carry it
out
1t is well known now that Minister
Hoshi last fall sounded certain parties
in Washington upon the annexation
question, and was informed by
those parties that annexation
was dead issue, in which of
course Minister Hoshi made very
grevious mistake for diplomat whose
motto should be audi alteram par
tenn" hear the other side. Minister
Hoshi only heard one side and duly
reported it to his government.
Acting upon the information he had
received the attempt to quietly COLO
nize Hawaii by throwing in quantities
of free immigrants was commenced.
This plan was seen through here, and
the immigrants turned back. This
was at once resented in Japan, and ev-
cry one can remember the storm that
broke out in Japan, how the country
yapored about its honor having been
touched, how not one ship, but
squadron. was to be sent to bring the
Hawaiian Government to reason, and
how, finally the Naniwa came, with a
batch of correspondents, and special
commissioner.
Count Ok, had been himself mis-
led. He found that the matter of an
neXation was by no means dead, and
that his own action only gave a flip
to the cause. There is no doubt what
would have happened had the United
States hesitated in the matter. At
this present moment Japanese infiu.
ence would have been paramount here,
and Count Okuma would still have
been japanese Minister of Foreign Al
fairs. But the United States did not
hesitate. The Philadelphia was here
before the Naniwa, and stayed here
till after the Naniwa left. The cry of
'paws off, was very distinct and was
quite understood. Then Count Ollu-
ma had to get out of his scrape as
best he could, there was the gallery
play of vaporing, by which the Ha
wauii.n Ministry were fooled when in
couple of days in July last, they
reversed their own letter, but it all
had to come down, and finally the
Count was unable to hold out any lon
ger, and has given up the Hawaiian
affair and the guidance of affairs with
Russia into other hands.
There can be no doubt that Marquis
Ito has had much to do with the pres
ent crisis. We know that Ito did his
best to get Spain to join him in an
antagonistic policy to the United
States. With one of his men in power
the question that interests us here is
how he will manage the Hawaiian af-
fair. The natural supposition is that
the downfall of Okuma will give ia
pan an opportunity of gracefully get
ting out of the affair by throwing all
the blame upon him, and abandoning
all indemnity claims. The probable
ity is that with Russia threatening
her Japan will, for time, cease look
ing in this direction, but there is also
probability that Ito may feel strong
er than he is given credit for, and that
he may open up the question vigor-
ously. We shall know in the course of
fortnight or so. The Gaelic is little
likely to give us news.