The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-10-17
JUDGE DOLE
REJO|NS
He Answers the Letter
of Judge {. E.
Hart.

Editor Advertiser: In view of the
Importance of the question of what
shall be the future political and social
condition of this Territory, and how
it may be favorably influenced by our
present policies and efforts, I note,
with interest, Judge Hart IS contribu-
tion to the discussion of this subject,
in a recent number of the Advertiser.
I am pleased to find that we both
agree that the addition of japanese
citizens, born here and educated in our
public schools, to our voting popula-
tion, will be of value; our difference
being, that while he, weighing the ma
tional character OF the japanese and
their wonderful success in adopting
the best features of Caucasian civili-
zation and reforming their civil sys-
tenn accordingly, concludes that such
addition to our citizenship twill be no
whit inferior to what an American
citizen voter should be- and that,
as he fully believes, "the inexorable
logic of facts will, ere another genera
tion passes, disprove' my "theoreti-
cal speculation my anxiety is that
should voters of japanese and Chinese
descent in time become so numerous as
to dominate our politics, such predom
nance would or might tend to preju-
dice our political and social sentiment
and thus retard or interfere with our
life of the community.
It is pleasant to have the optimistic
representations of so careful a
thinker as Judge Hart, especially as
we are likely to make the experiment
under consideration whether we wish
to or not; and it is to be hoped that
his conclusions will, if the test takes |
place, be found to be correct.
[ believe that in a question like the |
one under discussion, race tendencies |
have to be considered The Japanese, |
living by themselves with but slight |
intercourse with other peoples for
many centuries, passed through pro- I
cess of natural evolution up to the time
when America forced them to assume
relations with the rest of the world.
They have their social customs, relig-
ious beliefs and ceremonies and their
political doctrines, strengthened by
long acceptance and practice. Al
though the latter have been somewhat
modified by their recent intercourse
with foreign nations, is it not their APP
plication to the administration of af-
fairs that has been modified rather
than the principles themselves? Their
religious loyalty to the Emperor np-
pears to be unaffected by their modern
progress. Will not these customs, be-
Iiefs and principles which have become
as it were the mental and spiritual
habit of the race inhere as tenden-
cies in such of their numbers as may
migrate to other countries and to their
for a long time to comet
Lafcadio Hearn, in his recent book
IN Japan, emphasizes the tenacity with {
which these tendencies survive. He
says: " Under all the outward as
oects of individual activity that mod I
,rn Japan presents to the visitor IS
,aze, the ancient conditions really per-
list to an extent that no observation
.ould reveal. Still the immemorial
ult rules all the land. Still the fam I
I1- Ia,r A. oo,,,o,ral low and (+houph | i
n a more irregular manner) the elan
aw, control every action of exist
nce." And again, a japanese emil
rant community abroad arranges it
elf upon the home plan, except as re-
ards the communal cult, perhaps. ,,
he domestic cult is transplanted; emf
rants who go abroad accompanied by
heir families, take the ancestral tab 5
cts with them
Is it likely that a generation OF l
apanese boys and girls, educated IN I
ur public schools, will be able TO Fl
vereome these hereditary tendencies,
specially when we consider that prob
bly, the great majority of them viii be
rought up in homes where Shintoism
Buddhism prevail and social Gus
,ms of the japanese are followed
ithout material modification
What would they have beside their c
iucation in the public schools and II
teir touch with our public sentiment, :,
correspond with the influence of :,
INJURIES of political struggle and So :
al evolution that are the inheritance -
the Caucasian racesl The reforms III