Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-30

TOHORE BHARU.--For nearly 100
miles along the straits of Malacca
- on the west and the China sea on
the east runs the coast line of the sur
tanate of Johore, the only indepenuent
Malay state. If history does not IaH
to repeat itself Johore may one Gay
become one of the Federated Malay
States and the sultan a hgureheau
with n much reduced income. whether
the annexation will take place in the
near future depends to a great extent
upon the personal conduct of the pres
ent occupant of the throne OF Johore'
who came into public notice some time
ago. when he scattered the revenues OF
his country about European capltals
and made a decided reputation as
good fellow" -,
eomparatively good and somewhat
lonesome, no doubt, upon his own soil
and his crown is temporarily SAFE
However, invidious comparisons pc
tween the progress of Johore and the
Federated States are being maze py
British administrators and writer's
and the way is paved for the taking
over of the country for its own good,
If the sultan does not take advantage
of his undeniably great opportunity TO
develop Johore and improve the condl-
| tion of his subjects.
Johore is the only state in the penin-
sula which boasts a coast line upon
three of its four sides. 1t is separated
| from Singapore by the straits of Jo-
hore, about half a mile wide, and con-
nected by a ferry that meets the trains
of the Singapore railway at the termi-
nus of the line. The capital city, Jo-
hore Bharu, is a neat little town facing
the strait. The chief building Is the
sultan's palace. which presents the eX-
| terror appearance of commodious but
cheaply built country house. In its in
terror it reflects the love of an eastern
king for splendid decoration, tempered
bv the good taste of a man educated
| in Europe and capable of discrimina-
| ton between the impressive and the
tawdry.
| Sultan Ibrahim is not fond Of living
in his palace, and when he Is in Johore
he prefers his country seat, two miles
| from his capital. The palace was hos
pita,ly open to inspection until ILL
| bred tourists incurred the displeasure
of his highness by cutting slivers from
| his gilded throne with their jack
! knives to take home as souvenirs. Now
| adays a polite but open-eyed attendant
accompanies a visitor through the
cloistered coolness of the closed pal
ace and sees to II that the tourist does
]
down. The throne Of his highness and
| that of his sultana sit side by side in
an unfurnlshed room with their backs
to the wall as If defying the vandal.
Johore Bharu is a "wide open town.
in all that this expressive American
term implies. 1t is more candidly wide
| open than most municipalities. In good,
| plain English, and in letters several
| inches high the sign gambling house
/ 4 nj
places where he may lose his money
at fan tan, roulette and other games.
And money is lost in the Johore
gambling houses with an ease and reg
uarity somewhat mystifying to the
newly arrived. All along the streets
there are signs equally as candid as
that at the fan tan and roulette par
lors," inviting the lover of the opium
pipe to tarry a while and dream.
These and other "conveniences" make
the capital Of Johore a fayorite resort
| for persons from the comparatively
| godly city of Singapore, where, upon
the Sabbath, the lid is more or less
| firmly screwed down by the church
going British. Whether the convent
ences of Johore and its proximity to
Singapore will tend to create sentiment
against its continued independence is
a question upon which loyal subjects
OF Great Britain divide according to
their tastes and their opinions as re-
formers. There are not a few who say
that as a safety valve for the release
of sinfulness that would otherwise be
pent up in Singapore, the Mohammedan
capital OF His Highness Ibrahim the
Tolerant has its uses. Therefore its
wickedness may be the means of safe
guarding it's political integrity.
The sultan Is an up-to-date prince,
He drives a high power French racing
car and has a love of sports equal to
that of any of his British acquaint-
ances. He Is a monogamist, despite
the fact that his religion allows him
to contract plural marriages. He wears
! European clothes and lives like a
wealthy gentleman of the Occident. He
| Is especially fond of racing and OF
backing his Judgment at the track. but
he has "settled down" considerably un-
der the wise advice of persons VINO