The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-02-26
Considerations of Defense

TNIE future of Hawaii is undoubtedly being
T. considered by what may be termed the mill
tary party OF the United States particularly il
relation to its usefulness in national defense Pear
Harbor must be defended, and Pearl Harbor is
Hawaii The safety OF the Pacific Coast depend.
in large measure upon the safety of Oahu anC
to hold the key of the Pacific for the Navy the
Army is here. But for Pearl Harbor these islands
would be regarded as more OF nuisance than Z
help, SO far as the ideas of the mtarists go, NOR.
a menace than otherwise, chiefly because of the
heterogeneous population. gs.' ~ IL.
q, The points of weakness summarized are, al
Overwhelming number of aliens whose loyalty t.
American ideals some are prove to question; and
what would be actually of greater importance
t'sheuld war come, the circumstance thatt'the in
habitants of this group Of islands do not produce
more than small fraction of them own food sup
ply ~ From strictly military stAlidpoint this lat
tells really the important question. If Hawai-
were to be blockaded could the population liv,
on mplasses, raw sugar, mynah birds and mon
goose until crops of other food materials wer.
produced? ..a'.:a % a"h 1"a. a
# IS the belief Of many that The aliens now
within this Territory are not seriously imenaca
to the stability of the government Newcomer
from the mainland accustomed to SO regart
I them but those who well acquainted will
these Orientals and who througif2fery day contact
skupy them more intimately, beIiSSSe that in tim
of common danger they would as class be a.
fully dependable as the equally large bodies o.
European aliens in some mainland communities
There are German cities in the United State
where at this moment public sentiment is over
whelmingly pro-Germanc. There are English
communities where public sympathy is for the
Allies. In both instances there is beneath all th
sentiment favorable to the land from which the,
tIa;r
loyalty to the land of their adoption which pre-
vents active participation in any way that woul,
be detrimental to the best interests of the Unitet
States /, ,a5
These same conditions exist here in Hawaii. Tht
Japanese residents of Hawaii are no more of a
gnenace to the peace Of the land than are the
German residents of Hoboken or the French
New Orleans.
No man except he who has made up his mine
to believe to the contrary whatever the evdenc,
presented, can help but be impressed by the spirn
of frendliness and cooperation between Occiden.
tai and Oriental in this Territory.
Friendship exists officially between America anG
Japan. Why jeopardize this spirit of amity ant
friendliness by constant repetition of the bald as
sertion that the Orentals in Hawaii menace tn,
safety of the United States? That is the way t.
create enmities when it is friends that are needed
not antagonists.
With the bugbear of Oriental invasion and domi
nation disposed of, the economic question of means
Of subsistence under time conditions become.
less acute. There is no necessity for war and only
exceedingly remote probability Of it.
Nevertheless we as Americans must prepare fol
contingencies and possibilities, but not as agains
any one foreign nation, European or Asiatic, anG
certainly not against any nation whose citizens
at one and in partnership with in working
| fpr tbs advancement and continued prosperity o.
| our common homeland, Hawaii
Honolulu is singularly fortunate in having hac