Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-04-24

By Joseph X. Clark. Butte. Montana
The question that seems most to
bother the Americans in regard to the
Chinese-Japanese situation, Is whether
our brothers Of the Orient are Jos
financial superiors or not. and. as they
appear to have the best of the matter
at present, to an unprejudiced observ-
er, 1t would seem that as they know
when they have a good thing and then
make the best of 1t, they. at least. are
the financial superiors of those anti
quated minds that see nothing but
financial disasters In bi-metallism.
II the recent treaty between those
nations Is carried out In the spirit as
well as the letter. and to the adapti-
bility Of the Chinese is added the in
genuity Of the Japanese, their progress
during the twentieth century would be
wonderful indeed.
The Chinese. since the time Of Con-
.ucius. seem to have done nothing but
adhere to ancient customs; the Japan
ese. on the other hand, are a people OF
progress. and during recent years have
made gigantic strides in all the arts
and sciences and in commerce.
The first cotton spinning factory IN
Japan was established at Kagishima
more than forty years ago. by Shemazu
Harihisa. the greatest feudal prince OF
modern times.
For nearly twenty years this was
the only factory Of the kind in the
country, but in 1867 the people began
to wake up and since then so many
other factories have been established
that there are now 5S0,564 spindles In
operation, which, taken with those
now in process of construction, will
make the total number Of spindos
nearly one million.
One of the articles in the Japanese
Chinese treaty that will be most I'm
portant to the development OF the
Chinese, and important to the world OF
commerce reads as follows:
Japanese subjects shall be free to
engage in all kinds Of manufacturing
industries in all the open cities, towns
and ports Of China. and shall be at
liberty to import into China all kinds
Of machinery, paying only the stipu-
lated import duties thereon"
At first, with but casual thought,
It would seem that this article opens
up before Americans visions of great
prosperity; that soon the United States
would soon wrest from England the
supremacy in the oriental trade.
All this would happen and more. II
advantage were taken Of the treaty
(for the Japanese look upon us as
their best friends), and II we were not
brought into direct labor competition
with them.
While we may be slightly benefited
for the time, as It is, still, they are
rivals to be feared. not despised or
looked down upon, ard the treaty vir-
tually makes China and Japan one ma
ton, with a population of 5O0,OOO,OOO
people.
For labor they pay about II cents
per day in gold to men and IL cents
to women.
They are the greatest imitators in
the world, and as they have no patent
laws by which foreigners may be pro-
tected, they seize upon every useful
patent and with their cheap labor turn
out products for a net cost that would
make Americans open their eyes wide
in establishment.
A recent article in the Inventive
Age" has the following paragraph:
lone of the subjects for our states
men in the near future will be: How
best can we protect the American man
ufacturers and the American laborers
from the initiative genius, piracy and
cheap labor of Japan, not alone in cot
ton and cotton gooGs, but in the man
ufacture of everything the arts pro-
duce."
Thirty-five years ago the Japanese
might have been classed as barbara
ans, and they were divided into many
factions. They had civil war and
the victorious party proclaimed the
present reigning sovereign "mikado of
the Japanese empire he was DuI
seventeen years of age, but had been
educated in the United States and had
acquired many American ways and
modes of thought.
Under his enlightened rule a great
social revolution took place. Edicts
were promulgated tolerating Chris
tianity and permitting Buddhist
priests to marry nuns
1t is claimed by some people that
the marriage Of this multitude of Bud
dhist priests accounts. in great de-
gree, for the intelligence the Japanese
display to-day as a nation, for the
priests were the educated men of the
land.
In 1871 board of education was
formed and a year later college with
a staff of European professors was es-
tablished and largely patronized.
AS their chief intercourse was with
the United States, England and France
the study of the languages of those ma
lions was insisted upon, and the adop-
ton of all mechanical appliances that
could promote the arts and sciences