The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-22

'FThe Hon. E. A. Douthitt and the /
big majority of the House of Repre- |
sentatiyes who voted for the resolution
presented in the House on Thursday
deserve not only the thanks of the
resident japanese, but the thanks of
those of all races in Hawaii nei who
desire to see industrial peace continued
and the yet smouldering fires of anti
| Nipponism throughout the Western
States extinguished. Mr. Douthitt s
resolution was statesmanlike in its
breadth of view, in its acknowledge
ment of the fact that the japanese of
| Hawaii are essential to its industrial
wellbeing, in its knowledge of the i'm
portance of local sentiment on the SEN
timent of the mainland and in its fair
ness to the japanese in face of the
fact that the majority of the Hawaiian
members of the House and Senate of
the Territory might be more disposed
| to vote for an anti-Japanese measure
| than one of the tenor presented.
1.-THE japanese of Hawaii can unan-
imously second those portions of the
resolution which state that good will
and earnest friendship exist between
the japanese of Hawaii and the citi-
zens of America having their homes
| here, ard the same with those state
ments of the existing amity between
! the governments of the powers involve
and the desire of the rational men on
both sides to preserve that good feel
ing, friendship and amity.
"In the expressions of commentator
toward the firm and consistent course
of President Roosevelt, the resident
Japanese can also concur. President
| Roosevelt has shown himself in the
midst of the vexatious questions not
only friend of Japan but a patriotic
and fearless friend of his own country.
His severe rebukes to the iingoes who
would have precipitated the two ma
tions of the Pacific into war, jingoes
in each country, had weighty effect.
1t is a fact, we believe, and something
which we have previously pointed out,
that the prime purpose of the whole
agitation was to force the return of the
Atlantic battleship fleet to the Pacific
and to stampede the Congress into vot-
ing without question for an enlarged
navy, but whatever the prime purpose
may have been, the movement inaugu-
rated was tending to create condition
embarrassing alike to the two govern
| mepts, creating situation which
might have been famed by an excited
populace into actual hostilities Roose-
welt squelehed the agitators by over
stepping, possibly, the bound of presi-
Dental prerogative, but overstepping
it in such way that the good result
completely overshadows any ground for
censure Roosevelt, in this case as in
previous eases, proved himself the man
for the job and the leader of his people
"He deserves the commentator of
. Americans of Hawaii. He deserves the
commentator of the japanese Of Ha-
wall, and on this question as on many
others, the two races predominating in
these Islands are on common ground.
every different in spirit are the two
measures being sponsored in the Legis
lature in an endeavor to restrict and
abridge the right of the resident Jap
anese to profit by the industry he is
! willing to show. For no other reason
than that the japanese is willing to
work the harder, our fishermen have
made more of success of fishing in
the waters of the seas for the market
than the native Hawaiians have. It i:
not because the Hawaiians are not skill
full fishermen, for there are none better
Tt is not because of the superior skill
. of the japanese as sailors, for as sailors
the Hawaiian has no superior in any
! race. Tt is not because there is any
preference given the Japanese by tn.
\ purchasers, the reverse being rathe- tn,
J case. Tt is purely and simply becaus,
the Japanese fishermen stick to thei
business, plod along and are able t.
assure the consumer of steady supply
D The Hawaiian fishermen are not steady
and in saying this we are only stating
what is patent fact and somethin,
that is known of common knowledge t.
all in the Territory.
\ "But, according to the bill presente,
in the Senate by Senator Coelho an,
! bill introduced into the House, tn
Japanese fishermen are to be discrim
, mated against, poor encouragement t