During this period, only a small number of Taiwanese, gentry like Lin Hsien-tang of Wufeng, had the tools to thoughtfully ponder what attitude to take toward Japan and the mother country. The great majority of Taiwanese, trapped under Japan's high pressure regime, "were completely unequipped to counter Japanese propaganda," says Lin Heng-tao, a specialist in Taiwan history.
雖然這其間，對祖國及日本到底應如何對待，時時縈繞在多數台灣人的心胸，但除如霧峰林獻堂等少數士紳階級外，大多數台灣人，在日本的高壓統治下，「無勢的人，對日本人的宣傳並無反抗的能力」，台灣史學專家林衡道說。