The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-12


that their position regarding the as
| sassination of D. w. Stevens, in San
Francisco, should be made public. A
| committee appointed at their meeting,
held on April 2, has accordingly pre-
pared the following statement for pub
| LEGATION, denying any completely in the
murder of Stevens, although attack
| ing bitterly the late adviser to the
| japanese and indicating their deep
hostility to the japanese as a nation.
| The statement is:
I'm view of the existing suspicion
| that the Koreans in Hawaii were
cognizant of the intended assassina-
ton of D. w. Stevens, a meeting Of
the Koreans was held in Honolulu on
the End inst, which was largely at
tended. and at that meeting 1t was
decided to publish statement of the
position taken by the Koreans in Ha
wall in this matter The following
represents the views expressed at the
meeting:
1.-The Koreans in Hawaii, as a body
and individually, SO far as the men,
bers present knew, were in no way
cognizant of the intended assassina-
ton of Mr.. Stevens. Neither did they
encourage, aid or abet it, directly or
indirectly, and Notwithstanding that
those present felt that D. W. Stevens
was a traitor and had betrayed the
people whom he intended to represent.
and by whom he was being paid large
sums of money, and as much as they
execrate his name and feel that he
died as the fool dieth, the victim of his
own infamy, yet they deprecate the
fact of his assassination, as they do
not in any degree countenance such
measures
Durham W. Stevens, while profess
ing to be their friend. was for long
time, as the Koreans believe, playing
into the hands of Japan, and finally
when the time was ripe he came out
into the open in his true colors. While
it is not probable that the result
would have been different had Ste-.|
vens remained loyal, the Koreans
hated him for the part he acted.
1.-The Koreans here appreciate full
well the misrule to which Korea has
been subjected, but at the same time,
they see no excuse for interference by
Japan, excepting that Might makes
Right Japan might just as well go
to Turkey, Russia or China, where, in
all probability, the systems of gov
eminent are no better than that of
Korea. They claim that it is no ex-
cuse for a foreign power to interfere
with the domestic concerns of an
other, simply because the form of gov
eminent in the latter country does not
meet the approval of the former. Mol
civilized nation has ever undertaken
to correct the internal affairs of any
other nation, excepting that the in
terest of the former has been in some
way imperiled.
Japan has taken advantage of Ko-
rea's weakness; for this outrage she |
must suffer. She may at present be
able to terrify and to overawe the |
Koreans, to rob and plumber them at
will. and. under pretense of author
ity, to confiscate and appropriate their
property, but day of reckoning, as
they believe, must come.
''The Koreans are a brave and in
telligent class of people. They are
willing to fight and to die for their /
country. They claim the right to
work out their own social and polit-
ical problems without the interference /
of Japan. or any other foreign nation. /
They consider that Stevens was active
in bringing about the loss of their in
dependence, and it is not surprising
that, feeling as they do, there should
be found among them those who were
willing to visit the death penalty |
upon him, the only penalty which
could, were it properly administered, |
expiate his infamy.
1.-THE Koreans know that Stevens, so
far as he could, treacherously assisted
the Japanese government in taking /
possession of Korea, which has result
ed in the flooding of their country by
a large number of ignorant and GRIM
NAL japanese who have deprived the
of their political rights, con-
dscated their property, outraged their
women and committed many other
crimes from all of which there is no
appeal.
THE possession of arbitrary power
mas been the curse OF the human race
Kings have waded through slaughter
70 their thrones. and after. have
slaughtered through their wading to
retain them. The most atrocious crimes
n the history of the world have been
in the bolstering up of ar
oItrary power. Japan's course in Ko-
'ea is no exception. The spirit which
few years ago prompted Japan to
make false claim against the Hawaiian /,
government through which she hoped
10 land an armed force upon the shores
IF Hawaii, and take possession of this
then defenseless country. and which
showed itself again recently when she