The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-04-28

Korean agitators had come secretly
to their native land and orgaIiaed
committees to begin a movement for
establishing the nations independ
ence. Their work was quiet and eff
\ fective. Their plan was to begin
passive revolution in which no prop.
erty was to be damaged or destroyed
and no persons, not even Japanese.
to be harmed. If the Koreans were
beaten, or imprisoned, they were to
take their punishment without COM
plant even suffering death rather
than bring reproach on the Korean
cause"
After submitting that up to the !
, time of his departure from Korea the
/ people had religiously observed the
covenant Of passive resistance the
American observer goes on to say
that what really precipitated the
movement for liberty was report
that the peace conference. in Paris
was to adjourn permanently on
March %, and that unless the Ko-
reans presented their grievances and
claims for self-determination Sefore
that date, that Koreans forever after
would be compelled to hold their
peace and remain under the yoke OF
n the "oppressor.
Y President Wilson's fourteen
. points, he said, were well known to
y all educated Koreans and the se,f-de-
termination for small nations feature
!" made strong appeal to them. At the
= same time, it was reported that the
: Peace Conference had sent special
= delegate to the Far East to investi-
gate and report on Korean national
Is
: affairs. The Koreans, therefore, be-
: stirred themselves to show the envoy
4 how bitterly they resented Japanesa
- domination. Although never off
"a cially credited as such an envoy, John
tx Jay Abbott, representing large Amer
in lean financial interests about this
time was reported on the way to in
VS. vestigate conditions in China and the
e. Koreans Immediately hit upon the by
ct pothesis that Abbott was the repre-.
W sentative of the Paris conference.
Foreigners whose residence has
been in the East but outside Of ia
IA pan proper continued the report
"are generally well acquainted witt
Japanese dealings with other nations
The same methods of intrigue, Gecep
- ton, brow breating and force hav
:, been followed in China, Formos1
- Manchuria, Korea and recently IN 81
tor IBERIA. The people who have been 8
., unfortunate as to cross their pat
led have invariably suffered" Meanwhile
yas says the report "the Japanese sho'
Tvs themselves adopts at pulling tn
WOOL over the eyes Of sightseers' Fol
ich eigners who live in Korea, and else
ut where in the Orient, are discredite
g. if they refuse to approve this msse'
is able business of deception. We cor
at denim it but without avail"
~ Japan's occupation of Korea az
90 cording to the State Department II
l"o formation. has not been without II
'ne advantages. The government ha
'"' built fine public buildings, scho'
~ houses and roads, introduced in
~ proyements in agriculture, reforeste
'ne waste lands and done scores of oth'
ie'' things to benefit the country. c
"is the other hand, Japanese rule IN r.
+'4 rea the past ten years, 1t is charg
has been characterized by ruthle'
io"' and intolerable severity land the T
pau kio government shows no dispositi'
''0N to correct it..
,ver
MIN "Korea has not been held and a
hen ministered for the benefit of the X
IAN reans but for the benefit of the co
ow- Cuerors" the report alleges. TX
most reans are in bondage so hard and u