The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-03-06
Japan.


There is no country more likely to feel, at an
early day, and in a very decided manner the in
tluence of our movements in the Pacific, than
the empire of Japan, which has so long remain
ed an unknown land to Christendom, and which
has so churlishy refused all the efforts of Chris
tan states to enlghten or trade with it. in conse
quence of the real or supposed bad conduct of one
European country toward it. The very fact that
the Japanese will have nothing to do with us will
be quite sufficient to push every cnterprising
Yankee into their vicinity, and it will 90 hard
with him If ne 40 not find the means ofestablis-
hing himself within the mysterious realm
Guided by the same principle that led our COM
mon mother to steal and eat the apple, he will
proceed to take the first step in the great work of
reannexlng' Japan to these States, to which it
is very clear that it must at one time have belon-
ged. Surely, when one is strictly forbidden to
DO thing, that is good, sound, rational and
philosophical reason for doing it. We have al
ready in point of fact, taken the first step toward
the accomplishment of the matter For some
years our national ships, our merchantmen and
our whalers have been nibbling at the forbidden
fruit; and as appetite grows from such proceed
ings, we may soon look for some stronger symp.
tom of the potency ofhunger. If thus much has
already been effected, what may we not expee,
will follow from our making the waters that lie
between us and what is called the orient oul
"close sea- what the narrow seas were to Eng.
land, what the Sound is to Denmark, and what
the Venitians in their palmy days made of the
Adriatlc! We hold that the Pacific is to be oul
ocean, and that all countries that lie in it, or are
IN its vicinity, are to be impressed to our action
and their policy, both in politics and in com
merce, to be colored by our own.
japan can hardly maintain it's present system
when its neighborhood shall have become thron
ged with the ships ofChristendom. Its ultra
restrictive policy must fall before the constan
wear OF intercourse that cannot be otherwis,
than inevitable. After all, its policy is only tina
| OF our own protectonists, carried to its logca
consequences; and if protection be SO good
thing as it is represented, it should be practcet
to that extent to which the Japanese carry it.
You cannot have too much Of a good thing, what
ever proyerbial wisdom may say to contrary -
But 1t is because restriction is not good thint
because it is contrary to the nature of man ant
the law of God-that It is falling every where il
Christendom before the advancing light of truth
and that it must 60 down even in those countrie
where it has prevailed time out of mind. ant
where the departures from it that have occasion
ally been made, on a small scale, haye unfortu
nately been not always attended with good re
suits. There is no necessity for discussing tn
question whether it would be right to force tn
Japanese into admitting our ships into their ports
for that point will be achieved in the ordinar,
course OF things, and without the aid Of fleet
and armies: Opinion and interest will do tn
work, and there will be no necessity for an imi
tation on our part of the English opium war wit
China.-N y Glotc. .-.e8 .a@ss r..t