The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-07-26
How America Has Influenced Asia.


the entire world today in the place
which Japan is beginning to fill IN the
family of nations. The apparition of
Vasco da Cana, the Portuguese, sail
ing around the Cape of Good Hope
eastward to Asia in 1907, and of Ma
gel1an, the Portuguese, in SPANS
service, who passed Cape Horn and
approached Asia, sailing westward IN
1921, both excited by the tales of
sp1endor of China and japan told by
Marco Polo, the Venetian, who visited
three-quarters earlier, Closed both of
them to Europeans not long after
ward, and they remained closed for
centuries. The Portuguese, it is true,
just after Mage11an's days, and the
Dutch little later, opened trade in a
small way with Japan, and the Jesuits
esta b1ished some missions IN that
country, but in 1858 the Portuguese,
the last of the Europeans who were in
Japan, were driven out, and then for
over two centuries Japan was as iso-
lated from the rest Of the world as the
north pole and it's immediate vicinity
is today.
It was the United States which gave
the nations the key which opened the
closed door of Japan, and brought that
country into the current of the worlds
interests and activities. The CONNER
cia1 treaty whichr Commodore Perry,
commanding the American fleet in
Asiatic waters, extorted in 1854 be
tween Japan and the United States
broke the. former country's centuries
of isolation, and started it on the ca
reer of advancement which has IN re-
cent years placed it on the roll of the
worlds greatest states. Acting on the
initiative Of the United States, SINH
lar treaty was obtained by Great
Britain from Japan half a year later,
IN the latter par tzofs 1854; Russia got
one in. 1858, ana within a few years
afterward other countries obtained
like concessions. "a American influence
was strong inJapa from the outset.
The first embassy ahieh japan sent to
the wor1dSthat wsic hSwent out in 1860,
visited heessUnited states before it did
any other countr american ideas
gave a death blow to >feudalism in
Japan in 1868. American example
and incentive incited%the adoption of
the constitution of 1899. which ended
the sway of abso1utism and mediaeva1-
ism in Japan, and placed it in the fam
lily of modern states.
United States initiative, if fol-
lowed by the rest of the nations-and
there are good reasons to believe that
it will be-wi11 have as benefcent an
influence on China as it has exerted
on the fortunes of its smaller, but at
present much greater sister The pol
icy of the United States in China is to
protect American; citizens, to defend
American trade interests as they have
been guaranteed by treaties, and Incl
denta11y to aid in putting down law
1essness in China and to preserve the
territorial integrity of that empire. In
the accomplishment of these objects
the United States will cooperate with
the rest of the nations, but it has
given notice to the rest of the powers
on the start that it will accept no
Chinese territory itself, and will op-
pose the appropriation of any territory
by any other "a country. England,
Japan and Italy have taken Americas
side in opposition to the policy of
spo1iation which Russia and France
have been suspected of entertaining.
There are good reasons to believe that
Germany will be with us in this pro-
gram. The talk of ''war of ven
geance'' which few hysterica1 papers
in this country and larger number IN
the principal European nations are
urging against China will have
no influence on the conduct of the
United States. The administration is
sending an army to China, and this
army will be in the advance on Pekin
if the capture of that city continues to
be necessary for. the protection of the
foreigners in China and for the de-
Tense of foreign interests. It will
then, if the present authorities have
been overthrown or are reactionary,
propose the establishment of native
government in China which will pro-
tect the interests of foreigners and
perform the obligations to the rest of
the world which international usage
demands. This is the policy of
huma nifty, of intelligence, of civiliza-
tiou and, if reso1ute1y pushed by the
administration at Washington-and it
probably will bet will undoubtedly
prevail, and the Chinese, as a conse-
quence, may ultimately share With che
japanese in the designation of the