The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-11-18

pus she -" not yet learned the pOHcy vi Heo
trade. he Russian empire being in the imme-
date icinity OF Japan, the government of st.
Peter sburg naturally desires commercial in
terc curse with those islands; to Eng
lad, who has SO established her power in
India, and recently extended it to China,
Goth countries being. adjacent to Japan,)
treaty of commerce and amity would be still
more desirable. Russia and England (particu-
larly the latter are the two nations who have
most power to coerce Japan, but have not yet
tried their hand at that game, and probably
never will. England-the strongest and the
most interested of all-would no doubt be very
| glad to participate in the advantages Of this
trade, without any expense on her part. if the
United States, either by tremendous sacrifice
OF blood and treasure, or by the arts of diploma-
| cy, should succeed in bringing the Japanese to
reason. She believes in the doctrine that half
a loaf is better than no bread. She will there
fore remain with folded arms, biding her time,
till the opportune moment arrives for stepping
| in as a disinterested mediator, in the event OF
difficulties between the Americans and this
island empire; or in the event of diploma
tic triumph on the part OF our agents, she will
come forward as q claimant of share of the
spoils, which cost her nothing to win. She will
thus play safe game. If the Americans sue
coed, she expects to be gamer. If they fail,
especially after hostilities, she will not be a
loser, but in one important sense a gamer, for
SO far the lustre of the American prestige would
be dimmed and the English escutcheon would
look all the brighter by the contrast. 1t is
therefore pretty much like "heads win, tails
you lose." She cannot succeed by diplomacy,
and it is very doubtful if she could succeed by
war; but from American enterprise she expects
something. Almost all that could be effected
in the way OF hostility would be to destroy such
of the small craft of Japan as came within range,
and some of her ports by the guns of the frigates
or. by throwing shells into them. This would
accomplish little or nothing practically, for Jed
do and Miako-the two capitals where the two
emperors reside-could not be touched. Jed
| do is seaport; but from the shallowness of the
water, no ship Of war can come within several
miles Of it. The Japanese have no foreign
commerce, and care for none; and therefore
they cannot be injured at sea. They have no
shipping to be destroyed, for the policy of the
| government being to keep the subjects of the
empire at home, they are not permitted to build
ships that could trade to other countries They
have only such small banks as they use around
their own coast. These people, therefore, can
live as well as they do now if all external CON-
munication were cut off from them. On the
land it would be ridiculous to bring the small
force that could be mustered at such distance
from home, against warlike, brave and hardy
population Of thirty or forty millions. with an
immense standing army.
Diplomacy, therefore, seems to be the only
course left open; and though that will be found
| extremely difficult, the United States for many
reasons has the advantage over all other ma
tions, and particularly England in making at
| tempts in that direction. It is true she has
already tried her hand in diplomacy there with
but Indifferent success but there is no knowing
what may be achieved by patience and perse-
| verance.
The first great advantage an American po-
litical agent possesses over other diplomats,
and above all over a British diplomat in nego-
tiating with japan, is to be found in the consti-
tuition of the United States, and our practice
and history in reference to colonization,
which is dramatically opposite to the
career Of Great Britain. The British 90
vernment, with the aid Of great standing
army and powerful navy, conquers and takes
possession of distant territories upon which they
have no claim, and which have done them
no wrong They make them tributary, despoil-
ing and plundering them with strong hand
as in the case Of the natives of India In fact,
they govern them by military despotism The
American republic had it's foundation in re-
resistance to this colonial system OF England,
and therefore it's constitution is framed upon an
tagonistic principles. No express provision is
made in the constitution for even acquiring ad-
jacent territory not belonging to the United
States; and in the opinion Of Jefferson. there was
no constitutional power to make the treaty for
the acquisition Of Louisiana But the President
and Congress approved the act, and the nation
acqulesced The power is an implied one, and
IS an incident Of sovereignty not at variance
with republicanism; but to subjugate people
is hostile to democracy and the Declaration of
independence, which pronounces all men to
be created equal, and to be endowed by their
Creator with liberty as their inalienable right.
Ii the American people, therefore annex any
territory, it becomes part of the republic, and
shares all its rights, privileges and immunties,
just as much as the original thirteen States; and
whether the acquisition be part of this continent
or an adjacent island, it must be sufficiently
near to the States already constituting the Union
to harmonize with their action, come under the
operation of the federal law and be connected
with the country by geographical position
as well as by political compact. Japan, there
fore, has no cause for fear in coming into
.contact with the Americans. They cannot an
mex territory SO distant; and if they could and
did, it would be on footing perfect equality,
and without interfering with her State rights |