The San Francisco call., 1904-02-28

Japan has, in her own phrase, taken
independent action" to safeguard what
she conceives to be her essential IN
terests. Her navy has gone TO sea
equipped and ready to meet the Rus
sian ships, and, il the best lntorma-
ton obtainable can be relied upon,
with orders to strike when they are
met. Her army is in motion. Tie
men who constitute the regular peace
force have either been moved 10 the
points of concentration already in or
der to take transport for the scene or
land operations as soon as the navy
has cleared the way. or are now IN
barracks at their various division
headquarters awaiting the order TO
move out. Since Friday night, the 9TH,
the men of the first reserve have been
swarming to the colors. Even now
more men are ready for active service
than Japan has use for Immediately.
All this is what 1 wrote you ten
days ago would occur before that let
ter could cross the Pacific. That
prophecy has been fulfilled. But there
was another about which l cared
more. Throughout the strenuous dash
across the American continent to eaten
the steamer which brought me TO
Japan there lurked in the back of my
head the haunting fear that TO miss
the connection at San Francisco was
not merely TO have to. wait for the
next steamer but something far more
TO miss one of the greatest stories or
the war, the answer of the japanese
nation to the call of arms. L knew
something of Japanese emotlonallSm
and patriotism and 1 believed that
when the long period of uncertainty
was ended, when the severe nervous
strain of expectant waiting reached Its
climax in the decision to fight there
would be such a response from the
people as those who saw should never
forget. 1t was a natural but errone-
Gus attribution to the japanese quail
ties dominant among ourselves.
Fancy what would occur in New York
the day we began war with Russia!
Would the Stars and Stripes flaunt
from windows and roofs and flag poles?
Would crowds gather in the streets and
men cheer and bands play martial and
inspiriting music? Would signs of en-
thusiasm and excitement be manifest
and many? And would the newspapers
be filled with details of the prepara-
tions. the call for troops, their mob
ilization and movement, all the grand
rush and uprising of the people in an
sWer TO the call?
NO SIGN OF EXCITEMENT.
Well, 1 thought something of that
sort would happen here. There would
be an extraordinary exhibition Of the
public feeling, cheers. flags, martial
music and the display of popular eX
ciUement. But l was altogether wrong.
Spectacle it has been and most eXtraor-
binary, but quite the opposite of all
that l had fancied. Without noise or
clamOr, without haste or show of eX-
citement, calmly, quietly, with the
leisure of picnic preparation, the re-
spOnse has been made to the summons
a
More, Il has been attended with
secrecy that is astounding. The nation
is at grips with the huge power which
fronts il on the west and north. The
people are proud and determined, glad
that ii is so and sure of themselves
and their cause, yet with their ships
at sea and their troops on the move
il was not until last evening that they
received from their Government the
first explanation of why they are going
to war or what they mean to win BY
force that they could not get by peace
full means. l doubt if the Government
of any other civilized people on earth
could do what the japanese Govern
ment has done and still retain a frag-
ment of popular support. Yet almost
the only complaint heard against this
Government is that it has not acted be-
fore. There is criticism from many
quarters that it is not strong Gov
ernment, the Cabinet is not composed
of popular men and there is protest
that it has been weak and shilly-shaIly-
ing in the face of the gravest crisis the
nation has known for many years. but
back of the Cabinet sit the five Elder
Statesmen" and now that the decision
is to act there is hardly a dissenting
voice
To an American one of the most ex-
traordinary phases of this extraordin-
ary situation is the attitude of the
newspapers. 1t is safe to say that there
is not one Of them which has not in
formation which would make pages of
( interesting reading. But they obey
the letter and the spirit of the law
They not only do not print any news
about the movements of troops or ships.
or report any of the warlike prepara-
tionS that are seen now on every hand
but they do not make even yelled ref
erences to them: they do not hint or
suggest. They solemnly record the fact
that the five Genro statesmen and the
Cabinet have had a conference lasting
a certain time; that a Prime Minister
has had an audience with the Emperor;
that the Minister Of War lunched with
the Minister of Marine, and that is
all. Not word or a hint as to what
occurred at any of these interesting
sessions. although it must be said that,
in most cases, they are as ignorant as
their readers as to what was discussed
CALL TO THE COLORS.
1t was on Friday evening, about 9
o'clock, that the order of mobilization
reached the men of the reserves. They
had until Sunday morning at o'clock
to prepare, but by that time they must
be under way to join the colors The
order for mobilization was ac-
cOmpanied by an extraordinary tight
ening of the conditions Of the censorate,
and an order was issued forbidding
the transmission of code kilograms alb
solutely in certain places and permit
ting them from the great seaport towns
only where the code books were sub
mitted to the office for inspection and
the translation of the messages offered.
At the same time the Englishmen and
Americans who are officers in the
transport service received their march
ing orders. and the night train to
Kobe was filled with them, going
toward one or other of the military
bases. Before morning the word was
I,