Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-08-09
TWO VIEWS OF IT
Japanese Seeking Cause to be
lrritated Toward United
States, Says One.
ARE LAYING FUTURE PLANS
Nipponese Need Watching, Another AS
serts, For They Believe other
Powers Fear Them.

NJ. II. De Yorng, proprietor of the
San Francisco Chronicle. who was re-
Gently interviewed at the Hotel Ven
dome in Paris by New York Herald
correspondent says the present friction
between America and Japan does not
seem to be well understood in Europe
or on the Atlantic side of the United
States.
The idea of dispatching the fleet to
the Pacific" said Mr.. De Young.
''shows long medicines by the govern
ment Considering the way Japan
sprang upon Russia when Russia was
unprepared and while negotiations
We're in progress, it is the duty of the
United States government to send the
feet TO the Pacific in advance of any
serious friction.
There appears to be something be-
hind the present Japanese attitude. If
they have any Interior motive in view,
they can spring upon us. seize the Phil
!ppines and Hawaiian Islands and for
tify them so it will be almost impos-
sible to recover them. 1t will take
months for the fleet to get TO the Pa
cific. 1t is well known in California
that thousands of japanese soldiers,
men and officers Of the late war, are
now in Hawaii. Working on sugar
plantations are some 10000 or $4,000
nucleus large enough. in fact, to take
the islands We're n japanese fleet to
furnish them with arms.
81 say the Japanese are seeking a
cause to be irritated. They are plan
ming an excuse for future action, for
otherwise the causes for their protests
are too small. There have been only
two incidents, one being an outcome
of the great fire and the other n small
fight such as takes place in large
cities every few days.
Critics seem to forget we lost TWEEN
ty-six schoOlhouses in the great fire.
Temporarily we tried TO house the
school children as best we could in
wooden structures In order not to dis
criminate we Immediately erected in
Chinatown, where most of the Chinese
and Japanese live, school for Mon
golians. There was no feeling against
the Japanese Their children attending
school are only ninety three in number
They are clean. nice. cute children, TO
whom no one could object.
Our kindness was met by the state
ment that japanese We're not Mongo-
lians Their objection to going with
Chinese was the only exhibition Of race
prejudice noticeable. This isolation was
simply temporary eXpedicncy.
'As to the restaurant fight, it was
because two IriShmen tried to get
breakfast IN n japanese restaurant
without paying, which precipitated a
fight such as might have occurred in
an Italian or German restaurant under
- like circumstances. The Importance of
the affair has been greatly magnified.
ITO charge the San Francisco people
with race prejudice is a great mistake.
There is nothing of the Jim Crow spir-
it there San Francisco is as cOsmopol
itan as Paris, for in its streets people
of every nationality may be seen daily
A man from Calcutta or a Parsee In
white robes attracts no attention.
I'm spite of the rottenness in politics
neither the city government nor the
state government nor the people OF
California would permit for one mo-
ment abuse of any man on account OF