The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-07-24

of financial dependence on the part
of Japan upon this country Why this
project failed the world has never
been informed, but the failure came
almost coincidentally with President
Roosevelt's famous message of 1906,
and it does not require great powers
of inference to see the connection be-
tween the one incident and the other.
There must exist somewhere in pub |
lie or private files already growing |
dusty an interesting explanation of
this matter; and when the world gets
it, and it surely will in time, it will
sit up and take notice.
The next act in the laundering po-
Icy with respect to Japan was the
famous memorandum" ente ed into
in 1908 between the American and
Japanese governments. 1t was in eff
feet a treaty made in terms so in
definite and by a method so irregular
as to avoid the constitutional rule
which requires reference to the Sen
ate of treaties with foreign countries.
This agreement was little more than
J an informal assertion OF mutual good
will between the two countries, with
a pledge on the part of both to open
ly declare any grievance which it
? may have at any time and to avoid
t hasty procedures. Ii was just bit of
Y friendly assurance, pledging nothing
: definite but calculated to soothe
e alarms and allay rumors which had
S been spreading themselves over the
8 world for the better part of year.
/ 1t was an agreement made not only
: without the consent and approval OF
a the Senate, but without consultation
a with anybody 1t came out of the
<, sky, so to speak, being a complete
e surprise alike to the world at large
1t and to those active in the commerce
l. of the two countries. 1t was dea
s. purely political. made in ignorance
" of commercial conditions and purpo
Iy ses or in contempt of them.
D The aim of the Roosevelt admins
~ tration was to put an end to japanese
ID war talk, which had filled the air TO
e. many months; there was no consid
n Grafton and manifestly no understand
u ing of the larger effects to follow
IL upon this agreement. The statesmen
a. of Japan probaly knew what the,
Il were doing; but most assuredly GU
b. American negotiators did not Wha
IN was done in reality was to restore tn
IN PROSTATE credit of Japan in the fin
is ancial world. Japanese securities, TO
e- which previously there had been n
or sale at any price, Immediately be
of came marketable in England, France
e. and even New York, on liberal terms
er A country exhausted by war and me
n naced by the possibility IL not tn
S" prospect of another war, a countr
- therefore without credit, was !mmC
of diately put upon its feet. And tn
lie very first effect of this restoratio
ng was a revival of that war talk whic
lie. it was the main purpose of the men
'p- orandum" agreement to suppress l
he other words, our memorandum" tret
he ty gave to Japan basis of credit VI
"a; on which she might menace this cour
nd try with war. From the Japanes
ew standpoint it was q neat and an ell
OIL tirely successful trick. From OIL
lst standpoint 1t was a stupid blunde
OF From the day the memorandum
Ter treaty was given to the world Il
le- credit of Japan has been, il not e,
Ter actly gilt-edged. at least sufficient
of reestablish her position as possib
he militant nation. Its effects may
Ter observed in one little war scare aft
he another, no one of them big enoul
to 10 interest anybody sufficiently Il
of formed as to know the real sltuatlo
ali, and yet all tending to kind of po
for tical and social disquiet far from CT
The ditable to us and continuously slim
asst lating to the spirit of "cockiness"
the already too coclSy Japanese. The
will be no war between the Unit
the States and Japan for this many
self year The Japanese statesmen knC
m better than seriously to think of w,
cen but there is irritating talk about
and all the while. 1t Keeps the diplon
BON tic world on the lookout; 1t mai
ort tains a constant ferment among [
ave Japanese in the Hawaiian ISLAND
snt. and even here in San Francisco
we gives the little brown roustabo,
of who wash our windows and hoe {
ion gardens a self-consciousness and
of sense of importance painfully irrlt
ion ing to the Irish, the Swedes, and
But Italians, who esteem themselves p
hat SCISSORS OF the country and guards
of of its sacred civilization even bef
res they learn to speak its language
San have gotten rid of the smell of bi
nee water. There will be no war {
the there ought to be no further {
ven about 1t. To this end the COVE
ors ment at Washington ought To n