The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-05-01
LONG ARM OF
YOUR UNCLE SAM

I Man Pho was yesterday morning SEN
fenced by Judge Dole to serve six
months in prison at hard labor, and to
pay the costs of court.
Man Pho is an elderly Chinaman who
was convicted of receiving stolen prop
erty Of the United States. He kept a
store on the other side of this Islands.
The postmaster's little brother stole
postage stamps from the postoffice and
exchanged them for cakes at the de-
PENDANTS store. The evidence showed
that the Chinaman got them for a
grossly inadequate consideration. and
there was some evidence tending to
show that after the first transaction
he urged the child to steal more
stamps.
Man Pho was indicted about three
years ago, but warned, as the Federal
officials believe. by George Kekauoha,
he eluded arrest until lately. His con-
viction is looked on as likely to be
most salutary lesson to the Asiatics
and natives on the other side of the
island.
/ When asked II he had anything to
say why sentence should not be pro-
nounced upon him. Man Pho. through
the interpreter. replied that he had not.
But no sooner had Judge Dole sentenc-
ed him than he wanted to speak. He
asked If he would be put in a United
States prison or in the Territorial
prison, and urged that he was an old
man and not able to do hard work and
he hoped that hard labor would not
be imposed on him. Judge Dole told
him that while he would be placed in
the Territorial prison. he would be I'M
der the supervision of United States
officials. AS to the labor required of
him he was assured that no cruelty
would be inflicted on him. but that
work suitable for his strength would
be found.
In sentencing him. Judge Dole stated
that the most serious part of the
offense was the encouragement that
had been given by the defendant to
mere child to commit crime.
y y y - - y y y - y - S%xxS
l
"the Great Ruler Foreign ideas had
been seeping into the country through
the little Dutch ehink at Nagasaki, and
the Shoguns had been translating Dutch
books on military affairs into Japanese.
The little taste of European knowledge
gained in this way created a great ap-
petite for more, so that when the for
eigners came the more progressive of
the younger samurai became eager
students.
A group of these banded together in
one way and another. took advantage
of the dissatisfaction of the clans with
the Shotgun, raised the cry of loyalty
to the Mikado and started the revolu-
ton. There were a few conflicts, but
the TOkugawa clan was too weak to
defend itself, and in 1857 the last of
the Shoguns laid aside his title and
estate, and the Shogunate passed into
history. In the next year the present
MikadQ assumed actual control of af-
fairs, issued a proclamation promising
the people a voice in the affairs of
government, and received the foreign
delegations at Kyoto. He removed
with his court to Yeddo, and the name
of the city was changed to Toxic. 1.-The
eastern capital" thus making the I'M
perial power and the seat of the Sho-
gunate usurpation one. The daimyos
were compelled to live near the court,
and the samurai were given govern
mental work to do so that their nat
ural fighting spirit might not break
out into revolution.
This great change of government is
called THE Restoration" ard from it
dates the history of modern Japan
The year 1908 is known in japan as
the forty-frst year of Meiji an era be-
ing coextensive with the reign of an
Emperor. The word "Meiji" is writ
ten with the two Chinese characters
for "sun" and 'moon," and means
1.-The Reign of Enlightenment" In
view of the progress of Japan in its
forty-one years the japanese think the
selection of the name was a good
omen.
The Meiji Era has net been alto
gether peaceful. There was q clan
revolution in 1877 which amounted to
civil war, and at various times there
were signs of serious troIble. But the
Emperor and his advisers, the same
group of men who restored him to the
ancient power of his dynasty, man
aged by granting concessions and by
liberal rule to unite the country and
form a compact nation in which the
clans still exist SO far as minor mat
tiers are concerned, but in which dis
loyalty to the central government is
unknown. Okubu, KIDD and Saige
were the men who had charge of the
early reconstruction of the govern
ment, and it was they who deprived
the mighty daimyos of their feRdaS
powers.
The Mikado gradually increased his
by promising a popular form
of government, often under great pres
sure from the liberal element. In 1880
provincial popular assemblies were or
ganized, and the next year a procla-
nation was issued announcing the es-
adjustment of a national parliament
ten years later. In 1890 the first par
lament met under the Constitution
a year before. In 1899 the
revised treaties went into effect, the
foreign powers resigned the right Of
Jurisdiction of their grants of territory
IN open ports, and foreigners were for
he first time permitted to trade in
all parts of Japan. Hence 1t Is but