Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-09
JAPANESE WAR VETERANS
KEEP UP AN ORGANIZATION
IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

The great majority go to the cane
fields, where they work for SIS month.
the month consisting of twenty-six
days of ten hours each. The old con-
tract system, which would be peonage.
is abolished under American rule, but
the laborers are still very much bound
t. the soil. Nevertheless, their condi-
ton is vastly improved over what 1t
was in Japan. A years wages for
firm hand in Japan is less than SIS.
OF course living costs more in Hawaii,
but the average Japanese laborer lives
on $40 or $12 a month and saves IS or
$S. In a short time he is wealthy
man, according to his standards. Be
fore the law prevented, large portion
of these savings went to steamships
for transportation to the Pacific coast.
Now many go back to Japan, but since
the immigration restriction there is less
migration. and the Japanese declare
they are in Hawaii to stay.
The cane field laborers have found
out that they could make more money
by working in the sugar mills, with the
result that semi-skilled labor OF the
mills has been taken away from white
men and given to Japanese. The same
spirit of progress which formerly car
ried them on to the mainland OF the
Union will now keep them in Hawaii,
their condition is better now that inn
migration has been curtailed and the
door of greater hope on the mainland
has been closed.
Seryile he may be now, but the Ha-
waiian Japanese will not be content to
remain so. When the Toxic govern
ment used some rough language to
Washini,t ton at the time of the San
Francisco school question, Hawai-
knew all about it, and the cocky Jap
anese were bold enough to boast that
the Japanese flag, instead of the Stars
and Stripes. would soon fly over the
islands. Events have cooled their
patriotism to the point of keeping their
mouths shut, but it Is safe to say that
nine out of every ten Japanese in the
islands think that Japan could take
Hawaii whenever it pleased, and that
It is likely to please.
Several thousand veterans of the war
with Russia are now working In Ha-
vail They have been the nucleus for
many wild rumors of military organ
izations and uprisings, most of which
were made OF whole CLOTH But 1t Is
true, nevertheless, that these veterans
keep up organizations, just as veterans
of wars in every nation do. They may
be seen on Sunday marching about the
country In military formation, but they
declare that their only purpose is So
cial reunion.
So much alarm was caused by this
sort of thing that the territorial leg
islature last year passed law requir-
ing all owner of firearms to register
them with the county clerks. The re-
suit was that the japanese were shown
to possess fewer firearms than the peo-
pie of any other nationality. But even
in Hawaii there are those who doubt
these returns 1t is known that the
United States war department took q
serious interest in this registration and
examination. An officer of the Russian
general staff also came to Honolulu to
INQUIRE into the results of the registra-
tlon and to examine the Japanese vet
eran organization. The Japanese are
sly and clever, but their reputation for
trickery has become so general that
thew are being closely watched in every
quarter.
Copyright, 1908. by Frederic ]. Haskin)
TOmorrOy--Hawaii to the Fore.