Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1897-06-24
BRITISH VIEW IN CHINA
SIZING UP THE JAPANESE CLAIM
AGAINST HAWAII.
Japan "would Not he Herseif IT she
Refratned from Meddiing''
with Hawaii.

In a recent number of the
Shanghai Mercury there is long
editorial article, wherein the COM
placency of Australia in welcom-
ing direct commerce with japan,
as if it were necessary for the
development of the colonies,
is treated with sarcastic
comments. 1t is argued by
the writer that, while "the indus
trial movement OF the last ten
years in Japan has been one of
the most remarkable incidents of
the day." it "has been the out
come of circumstances in them
selves exceptional and ephemeral."
The article reviews the japanese
designs on Corea and Form osa,
saying the whole handspring of
the war with China was the domi
nation of Corea, with the inten-
ton of colonization" And, 1.-THE
next attempt was to get a footing
in Formosa on a trumped up
pretext of obtaining some satisfac.
ton for the plunder of Loochoo-
an vessel. This was in 1874, and
the Chinese Government, listen
ing to the pusillanimous counsels
of the then British Minister, Sir
Thomas Wade, committed the un-
paralleled folly of buying them
off" The article concludes with
the following striking British ex-
preston of views in China on the
Japanese claim against Hawaii:
But meanwhile by the supreme
folly of a stop.gsp put, through
merely political intrigue, for a
few months into the Foreign Office
of England,-Lord Kimberley
the Japanese have been permitted
to obtain possession without even
the formality Of conquest of the
Island of Formosa. Their conduct
there is matter of history, which
we recommend to the careful study
of our Australian friends. Next,
Japan has been indulging in a
longing for Hawaii. We
are not going to repeat the
discreditable story of the revolu.
ton in that country, but Japan
would not be herself did she refrain
from meddling there. The pro-
gram of the strong-foreign-policy
party included a threat to the
United States not dissimilar from
that thrown out to Australia. The
next we hear of in this connection
is the mysterious appearance of a
vessel with seven hundred Japa-
nese "laborers" on board. They
are unable to give any clear &C
count of the object of their ap-
pearance, and are possessed of an
amount of money unusual in bona
fide emigrants. The Government
of the islands, warned by inform
alton conveyed by its agents in
Japan, declines to permit their
landing. japan responds by at
once sending over a man-of-war
with peremptory message. The
United States in reply sends
one also, whereupon japan
sends another, and a pro-
mise that she will keep send.
ing till further notice. Mean
while sinister rumors are in the
air; the seven hundred peaceable
emigrants turn ont to be crack
soldiers, and the inference, read
by the light of the Corean episode,
that japan is as desirous of estab-
fishing independence" in Ha-
waii, as she was previously of
freeing the King of Corea, is un-
impeachable. As we said before,
Australia has not had the oppor-
tunity Of watching the game as
closely as has been permitted to
us in China. She has commenced
it badly, but there is no harm
done as yet. Only-and this is
our advice-she had better ex-
anime a little more closely the