The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-11-21
FUNSTON ASKS
FOR DIRECT
APOLOGY
Editor of Nippu Jill and Depart
ment Commander Exchange
Some Warm Letters-Soga De
tends His Paper and Denies
That His Policy Is Aimed at
Disturbance of the Peace.

Suggesting that the editor of the
Nippu Jill publish an apology to the
military service here as "the one thing
that you can do - to make amends for
his recent structures against the sol
diers in the local garrisons, or else to
be regarded "as a wilful and malicious
liar and disturber of the good rea
tons which exist between the Amer
leans and the japanese in this com.
munity,' Brigadier- General Funston
addresses Editor Sega in as direct an
epistle as has been entrusted to Uncle
sam S local mails for some time. The
letter went forward to the Nippu Jill
on Wednesday and was published in
both japanese and English in that
paper yesterday, together with Mr..
Sega IS reply.
Mr.. Sega does not furnish the apol-
ogy suggested, but takes occasion to
defend himself and comes back with
charge that General Funston accusa-
ton ''that we preferred to publish a
malicious lie, based on gossip is itself
absolutely without foundation and far
from truth The Jiji states belief
that the departmental commander is
too premature in branding the Jill
as wilful liar and disturber of the
peace.
General Funston's Letter.
General Funston, under date of No.
vembcr 49, wrote
"The Editor of the Nippu Jiji, Homo.
lulu.
"Sir:-Your paper in its issue of No
vember 10, contained most intempcr.
ate article attacking the enlisted men
of the Army stationed here, and stat
ing in effect that the communities
pecially the Japanese portion of it, was
so terrorizcd that respectable women
were afraid to appear ON the public
streets at night. By your own admis
sion conditions here have greatly i'm
proved since restrictions were placed
on the coming into the city Of those
among the soldiers who have shown
that they cannot conduct themselves
properly, and your recent hysterical
outburst was based on an alleged out
rage, or capital crime, committed on
respectable japanese woman by three
colored soldiers, this ofrense being fol
lowed by beating her and her husband
into insensibility. 1t was but natural
that This story should stir the whole
community to its depths, and that the
military authorities, especially, should
feel grevcd and Inundated over the
occurrence.
"Now MS to the facts in the case.
The aggricved couple have stated vol
unfairly and freely to an army officer
detailed to investigate the. case that no
colorcd soldiers entered their house, no
outrage was committed or attempted,
no arms were displayed, and no one was
beaten. Instead, three intoxicated
white soldiers entered their home, com
PEELED the husband to take drink he
did not want, and then treated his wife
in rough way, but without attempt
ing any serious crime. The japanese
couple then showed the three men out
of their house and the incident was
closed.
81 do not pretend to regard leniently
the ofTeuse that was actually commit
ted, and there is no doubt whatever
that if these three men could be iden-
titled military court would give them
long terms of imprisonment.
''You could easily have ascertained
all the, facts in the ease, bnt you pre-
ferred to publish malicious lie based
on gossip, and to make this atrocious
fabrication text for an article calcu-
lated to stir up race hatred in a com
munity where such a thing is singular
~ absent.
81 regret exceedingly that our libel
laws are such that you cannot be prop
erly dealt with in this case, as your
libel was not against an individual
mentioned by name.
''There is one thing that you can do
and that you will do if you have any
sense of honor and decency, and that
is to publish complete retraction OF
the story with an apology to the mill
tary service here that you have sc
grossly libeled, and if you do not dc
so shall take the liberty of regarding
you as a willful and malicious liar anC
a distuIber of the good relations which
exist between the Americans and Jap
anese in this community.
Z" Not only as the commanding office
of the troops here, but as an American
citizen and as n well -wisher for Ha
wnii, do / protest against any cours'
which If. kept up must result in hare
feelings between the many element
that 20 to make mp this singularly hap
py and peaceful community. May
suggest "A sort of division of labor be
tween you and myself, in that yo'
collect reliable news for your reader
and comment on it in a spirit of jus
ticc. and that You leave TO me the dut,
of maintaining the discipline of th
Army here, task that ] have becl
entrusted with by the President Of tn
United States. Yours truly,
"FREDERIC FUNSTON,
Brig,Gen., r,S.A."