The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1897-07-16
Japan.

The Japanese protest against this
Governments annexation of Hawaii
has developed into one involving the
rights of the laboring Japanese now on
the Island Of Hawaii For some years
those Islands have been receiving large
numbers of japanese laborers; and
during the past year, and especially
since the close of the Japanese Chinese
war, increased numbers have been fill
ing the Islands, ostensibly as laborers,
students and other high class japanese
have been landing in Hawaii for the
purpose of overturning the Govern
ment and forming it into a japanese
dependency.
If Japan could obtain possession of
these Islands, it would give her the
most desirable and convenient port as
coaling station and supply depot for
her great fleets, and would place her in
very dangerous proximity should she
conclude to extend her colonization
purposes, or in case of war with this
country or any other on the American
Continents.
The Japanese in their re awakening
from their long dream of semi-barbar-
ism are as thoroughly wide awake as
any nation in the world, being splendid
sailors, and soldiers endowed with
bravery which fears not death; educat
ed in the schools of the best nations of
the earth, they are certain to become a
factor in the geographical divisions of
the Orient.
Japan is much disgruntled at the
United States. because of the tariff bill,
as it has increased the duties upon
much of Japanese manufactures,
which will tend to equalize the labor
question, as existing between that
country and this. In Japan a good
silk weaver can be employed for 80
cents day, and similar help in this
country is worth from $500 up, and it |
would be question of only few years
when the japanese commodities would |
entirely supplant all those of Ameri-
can manufacture, if they were permit
ted to come into our markets on equal
ally stopped this, and places japanese
silks and like manufactures on the list
SO high, that they are very much dis
satisfied and are now protesting vigor-
ously. If this country is to be protect
ed from the cheap labor of India, China
and Japan, and our laboring people in
sured right to live in accordance with
the genius of American institutions,
our laboring people must be protected
by an almost prohibitive tariff, other
wise with the low wages paid in those
countries and their exceeding adapta-
bility and cunning in manufacturing,
the American wage-earner will be
starved to death in endeavoring to
compete with them. If this tariff when
it becomes law proves insufficient,
other measures will have to be adopted
by this Government for the protection
of our own people. Self-preservation ,
in nations as well as individuals is the
first law, and the statesman who will :
ignore this fundamental principle of
his existence is very unwise indeed.
Some of our anti-tariff people claim
that the superior intelligence of the :
American workmen will always be suffi-
cient to protect him against the low !
wages of those countries, but if we take l
into consideration the fact of the large I
ly increased amount of exports from
those countries into the civilized ma =
tions of the West during the last de- /
cade, it will be seen that they have c
equal ability to produce beautiful ar !
ticles, well made, which would entirely !
supplant the manufactures of America C
and England.