The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 55, November 25, 1897 - A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls by Various
page 18 of 29 (62%)
page 18 of 29 (62%)
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affairs, and accepted all that he said as fact without attempting to
investigate for himself. He should not have done this, because, hard though it is for us to realize it sometimes, there are always two sides to every question, and all of us, even the fairest-minded, find it difficult to see both sides with equal clearness and justice. With the best intentions it was impossible for Mr. Spreckels to look at matters from a disinterested standpoint, and the minister should have grasped this fact, instead of sending as facts to his Government statements that were merely the views of an interested party. As it was, the Government in Tokio was told that there was not the slightest fear of the United States annexing Hawaii, that it was all talk and would never amount to anything, and that Japan could go ahead and force her immigrants on Hawaii without interference. As a matter of fact, it now appears that Japan had no hostile plans in sending her immigrants to Hawaii. While it is true that many of these men were soldiers, it is stated by those who have studied the matter that they were not soldiers in the regular Japanese army, but men who had fought in the war with China. The enormous strides which Japan has made since the war, and which have roused the admiration of all her sister nations, cannot have been accomplished without changes in the thoughts and habits of the Japanese people. |
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