The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-03-16

! from Alabama, made a speech in Con
, gress on February %, in which he
! definitely predicted war between the
! United States and Japan before the
! Panama canal is opened Hobson pro
| Ceeded to describe how the war would
| be fought out, forecasting three years
of Japanese victory during which Ha-
wall and the Pacific coast would be
/ occupied by the Japanese without any
! serious opposition, and then telling
! how America would retake them. Con
/ gress did not take Hobsons remarks
/ very seriously, and his battleship ap-
! preparation programme stands no
chance despite his predictions. The
main portions of his address, with in
terrupting questions, were as follows:
Ours is a new civilization, new at
least for the white race, the first Ma
ton where the people remain unarm-
ed in time of peace.
The next great war that comes is
! going to test the fitness of that civil
ization to survive in this world. If
coming into conflict with the older
civilization the new should show itself
, incapable of the necessary work of
self-preservation, it must go down.
The way in which it would go down
! is this Emerging from a disastrous
war, even though the disaster were
due to the Nations own neglect, the
people, smarSing with humiliation,
would demand great expansion of their
military systems, and these systems
would entail the Capitalization of the
Government. The free institutions
would go down and the peaceful
civilization revert back to the civiliza-
ton of militarism.
1t was high time to consider what
we should do when this Nation is
struck-Members may differ with me
as to when that day may GOMEZ will
tell you frankly that, in my judgment,
you can count almost on the fingers
of your two hands twice around the
number of months. In my judgment
it will come before the Panama Canal
is completed
Mr. MICHAEL Z. DRISCOLL. Does
the gentleman mean to say that a war
is a visible certainty?
Mr.. HOBSON. Yes, say So and it
can not be very far off. The presence
of our fleet in the Pacific would give
us control of the sea and immobilize
Japans great army. This would pre-.
vent war. l pleaded with President
Roosevelt to leave the fleet in the Pa
cific when it was there. Officers in
, high authority pointed out our defense
: less condition and made the same ap
peal, all in vain. Since then many ap
: peals have been made to President
: Taft, with like results.
t Mr. O'CONNELL. Do I understand
= the gentleman to say tht he thinks we
4 will have war within 20 months witt
some great nation? What great nation
o is preparing for war to strike us within
i, 20 months?
r Mr.. HOBSON. l know the gentle
1. man would like for me to say Japan
and l will be glad to tell him so.
MR.. O'CONNELL. would like t
know. Does it not take long tim
" prepare lOI W al Will q AlCdL MAUI
that is separated by an ocean?
Mr.. HOBSON. l am frank about thi
I am speaking the truth as / see
n Ever since this Nation went into I'll
4 Hawaiian Islands the Japanese natio
u served notice that they would nevC
acquiesce; ever since 1898, when v
went into the Philippines, and Japa
Il asked us to let her go in there vii
us and we refused; ever since h
% citizens have come to this country
Vi great numbers and our people, folio
" ing the natural law of segregation
races, have not given them the tref
of ment they thought they ought to hay
or they have been preuaring for war Pre-
no arations have gone on in every
Ia partment. II the gentleman will tai
the pains to look at it, whether for t
army or the navy, whether for t
merchant marine and the transport
'nU ton, whether for the finances or
'Uy plomacy, he will find the war is alrea
ne prepared for and has been for a nu
'ut Der of months.
; Mr.. O'CONNELL. In line with tht
TO do you think all the Japanese now
r." our western coast are in preparati
, for war in conjunction with their &C
- eminent?
~ Mr.. HOBSON. l will say to t
us gentleman again, frankly, have L
u.s. the slightest doubt of it, and no o
de- can have who is familiar with
lid japanese in foreign lands. He is
Japanese there, and he is doing t
q functions of his Government there.
,o,, his Government is preparing for W
he is cooperating.
ne When the Federal Government
AK Washington met the delegation of I
maVor and school hoard of San FIR