Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-10-09
THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
JAPANESE RAPIDLY OCCUPYING ALL
FIELDS OF ACTIVITY.
Our Correspondent Sounds Note OF Warn
ing to the United States in the 0verrun-
ing Of the Islands With Japanese
Soldiers.


ing Of the Islands With Japanese
/ Soldiers.
| tDr. Clarence <. Edwords, a veteran news
paper man and correspondent p is making
Sumatra, Indian Archipelago, China and
Japan for a number Of American newspapers,
weekly sers appeaf e exelusiveiy ns IN this
section in this paper, and will be read with
much interest. we are sure. Editorl
Honolulu, H. l., Oct. 4-The strik-
ing feature of Honolulu to one who
has previously visited the somolent
city is the fact that its population
has been most markedly changed in
the past six years. When was here
that long ago the native Hawaiian
was in preponderance everywhere,
whites were in the commercial parts
of the city. Chinese had their section
and there were few Japanese down
in the lower part of town. Now all
this is changed. Everywhere one
goes he runs into Japanese, and these
little brown men seem to feel that the
city and all the Islands of the group
belong to the Mikado's empire Their
signs are everywhere, and they have
taken actual possession of nearly
every business. On plantations and in
every business they are in evidence.
the natives taking back seat in all
occupations requiring physical exer-
tion, and leaving the field to the
Japanese. An investigation shows
that fully seventy per cent of the
population of the Islands which now
are part of the United States. are
Japanese. This is bad enough in it,
self. but there is an even worse fea-
ture to the possession of American
territory by the subjects of foreign
power. A large majority of these
Japanese are veterans of the Russo
Japanese war and are trained soldiers.
Whole regiments. fully officered and
armed, are said to be on the islands,
and it is an open secret here that
were war to come between the
United States and Japan the
Hawaiian islands would be taken
with scarcely struggle. 1t is true
that there is body OF United States
troops on the islands and also few
forts with proper artillery, but these
could not hold out against the horde
of Japanese who are ready to take
possession at moments notice.
have talked with a number of citi-
zens of the islands and find that
while there is certain element, un-
fortunately including a number of
government officials. who think the
Japanese good citizens. the general
feeling is that it will be but matter
of short time until the whites will
have to make way for the browns.
! On one plantation on this island there
is said to be two fully armed and
equipped regiments of Japanese SOL
diers while ON the island of Hawaii
three more regiments are said to be
ready.
These five regiments have FIVE
thousand fighting men ready to turn
the islands over to the Japanese
government.
While all this possibility hangs
on contingency. it is believed by
the Japanese here that these soldiers
sent here under guise of laborers have
been sent by the Japanese government
in order that it may be prepared for
any trouble that may arise.
The peaceful conquest of the
islands, however, is something that is
more to be feared than that of armed
conquest, for every American knows
that it would be simrly matter of a,
short time until the islands would he
retaken. The invasion of japanese,
workmen, merchants. artisans, farm
ers and all other classes means that
these islands will soon become unfit
for white habitation and will have
all its commercial trend turned to-
ward the Orient instead of toward the
: United States. do not want to pose
, as an alarmist, but the situation
seems so grave that it should be plain
ly set before the American people.
The whole appearance of the outly-
ing portions of Honolulu is taking on
decided Japanese character, and one
could imagine himself in the heart
of Japan rather than in an American
territory. While the Japanese can
take no part in law making it is said
i they are gaining an influence over
, many of the native Hawaiians who
can make laws. and that they are
thus influencing their own way un-
less there comes radical change in
, conditions.
The editor of a Japanese newspaper
. with whom / have become acquainted.
told me yesterday that this country
is especially suited to the disposition
= and activities Of the Japanese, Sn,;
, he thought his government would
eventually buy the islands from the
United States. OF course this is
but dream of the Japanese editor,
but at the same time it shows that
/. the little brown men are doing lot