The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-07-18

UUHGnLJJIWhN LlLLLI
| ON JAP WAR SITUATION
Waterbury (Conn) Amercan.-Th
possibilities Of a war with Japan a
/ the result Of the assaults upon Japs i,
san Francisco and the western agita
ton against immigration and the US
!of cheap japanese coolie labor. have 70
some time furnished food for gossip
lin the columns Of many newspapers
land consequently expressions from sucl
an authority as Congressman Georg.
L. LilIey Of this city, a member Of th'
naval committee, touching upon thi!
subject, will be read with interest.
Congressman Lilley, in an interview
with a reporter for the Sunday Republi
can, expressed his opinion. backed b.
reasonable arguments, that prospects
| of a war with Japan were ridiculous
land quite unthinkable. His statement
follows:
There isn't any doubt in my mind
/ but what Japan would be pleased II
We would hand over the Hawaiian and
Philippine islands, and there doesn' t
seem to be any doubt that the rank
and file of the people of Japan are tre-
mendously imbued with the military
spirit. Ny observation has been that
whenever I have seen a japanese in
the Hawaiian islands or elsewhere read
ing a pamphlet or magazine illustrated
with warships, soldiers and the like.
that they seem intensely patriotic and
interested.
But the probability of Japan and
the United States going TO war is TO
me unlikely and unthinkable. The
ruling powers in Japan are men Of
intellect, and are not 1aboring under
the impression that they are a1-power.
full. They are perfectly alive to the
situation and are fully aware that a
war with the United States would not
only be futile, but fatal. for at least
three reasons, all of which are i'm
portant.
The first of these is that in these
modern times war is tremendously ex-
pensive. When you consider the cost
of the Boer war, which amounted TO
more than 81, 200, 100000; that a modern
battleship costs more than $4,000, 600;
that every shot fired from a modern
twelve-inch gun costs 1890; that ia
pan made what appeared to be an I'M
treaty with Russia, because
she had practically reached the limit of
her resources; that we took a large
portion of the several issues of her
bonds, the proceeds of which helped her
to continue the war; that other ma
tons, especially Germany and Eng
land, helped to finance this war, you
have not to stretch the imagination to
know that thinking and far-seeing
men, and such men are carving the
destinies of Japan, may well pause be-
fore commencing hostilities against
the United States.
II want to ask you right here, what
civilized people would finance a war
for Japan against the United States?
There isn't a group of fnanciers in the
world who would finance a war against
the United States, for two reasons, and
the first is that no nation would dare
to incur the ill-will of this country,
and the second is that they know that
Japan's securities, by the time they
got through with US, would be a very
bad investment.
$50 there isn't the slightest danger
from Japan. But if other reasons are
necessary one would have only to ask
what would become of the Japanese al
lance with Great Britain, were she to
open hostilities. 1t is unthinkable that
would permit Japan to war
with her own flesh and blood.
IF these reasons were not sufficient,
there is still a greater reason, in that
Japan we'll knows that her troubles
with Russia have not ceased. She has
but has not yet conquer
ed, Russia and the Russians are not a
people 10 brook humiliation. 1t is like
~ that Russia has not yet ceased to
east her eyes upon Manchuria.
1.-THE mere fact that Japan has re-
Gently entered into a treaty with this |
whereby she agrees to stop |
Japanese immigration to the Pacific |
coast, in order that she may encourage |
Japanese immigration 20 Manchuria, |
shows she is not casting her eyes |
eastward, but rather to the westward, |
to the main land of Asia.
THE ruling powers of Japan know |
that they haven't yet settled with |
Russia and they are preparing at the /!
present moment, and will continue to |
prepare, for another clash with that |
empire. 1t may not come in five years, |
possibly not in ten, but as I see il, it |
must come in time.
Japan knows that by the time her !
forces and fleets were well on the way |
oward the Hawaiian Islands, Russia |
would pounce upon her in Manchuria. |
There are other reasons, but any one |
If these suffice: therefore I say that to |
my mind there is no thought in the |
minds of japanese statesmen as re- |
CARDS war with the United States. On |
he contrary, I haven't the slightest |
doubt that it is the purpose of Japan /
10 cultivate the most friendly relations |
with this country, and all through the |