Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-21


car would not wish, If such a thing were
possible, that the Russian empire and all
ITS inhabitants might be immediately
transformed into the condition of Ger
many, with its intelligence, its diversified
industry and it's constitutional government?
Such a transformation would make RuS-
STA indeed the dictator of Europe, and the
ear by long ODDS the greatest potentate on
earth.
What Russia May Become.
This is the contamination toward which
Russia looks, and to the accomplishment
of which her whole policy has been di-
rected ever since the first conception of
the idea by Peter the Great But Russian
statesmen have been unconsciously aware
of the great fundamental truth that no
intellectual and moral progress is pos
sible unless the groundwork of favorable
economic conditions hes first been es-
tabliShed and their aim has been to eS-
tablish such conditions. They have been
building wiser than they knew, and this
also is law of history. Intelligence,
good government and prosperity are built
on the two pillars of industry and COM
merce-of production and exchange. The
first condition of Russia's development is
a foreign market and communication
with other nations by sea.
Seeking the Open Sea.
She is cut off from the Atlantic by the
straits, from the Mediterranean by the
Dardanelles, which she is not permitted
to pass; she is kept from the Indian
ocean by England; and when she seeks
and finds at last a poor winter port at
Port Arthur Japan says, MOI Russia is
a great giant, with his hands tied; walled
In ana wandering in a vast Wilderness
seeking everywhere for an escape There
must he a demand for enlightenment be-
iore enlightenment can come, and a bet
terment in material conditions only will
create the demand. This betterment Rus
STA is seeking TO create by reaching for
outlets. This is after all the secret of her
policy 1t is a vulgar error to suppose
that she is primarily aiming at territorial
expansion. She aims at this only as
means to an end The end is to get to sea
which is not possible without expansion.
Japan's Progress.
The recent history of Japan opens up a
new chapter in the history of the whole
world. We have all been taught from
childhood to look upon the world as con-
fined to Europe and America, and have es-
timated events only as they have had
bearing upon these parts of the world leay-
ing Asia entirely out of the count, although
its population doubles that of the rest of
the globe and its resources are more boun-
tltul, until Japan brought Asia into the
game, and from henceforth that continent
Will have to be reckOned with. 1t is not
necessary to repeat here the story of
Japans development from barbarism to
civilization within half a century; but it
Will not be out of place to emphasize the
fact that there is something remarkable in
this race to make such development posi-
bic The Japs are not an initiative people.
They are not conservative. nor do they rush
blindly into novelty The reason of their
solid progress may be reduced to their Won
Gerful sense and faculty of adaptation. The
Jesuit missionary, Francis Xavier. said no
people in the world We're so eager for infor-
nation. When they adopted the Buddhist
religion they purged it and refilled it to suit
their national traits; and so with all in
situations which they borrowed from Eu-
rope and America
Japan Fears the ''White Peril'
She adopted western civilization, not be-
cause she loves it, but because she fears the
white peril" and was wise enough to see
that the only way to meet it was by adopt
ing western methods. Under his new skin
the Jap still retains and chershes all the
old hostility to the white foreigner A
writer, and a good Englishman, too. in the
last Westminster says that Japan'S ennis
saries and agents are to be found all over
Asia creating the sentiment, Asia for the
Asiatics' This, the writer thinks, may,
one day, lead to mutiny in India. He says
that representatives from all Asia go 10
Tokyo, the headquarters of this propa gan
da where they are thoroughly innoculated
with this doctrine.
1t is not a question of "gobbling China
Neither Russia nor Japan will be allowed
to do this But the victor will undoubtedly
exercise a paramount influence in the ce
lestia kingdom. Should the United States
prefer to see this influence European and
Christian Monaghan and Buddhistic? If
Japan wins Russia Will be cut off from
the Pacific, and our trade with it will be
lost. A victory for Japan will not only
be a humiliation for Russia, but loss of
prestige to all the white and Christian
nations, and, while they have nothing to
fear from an armed invason-at least for
some time-yet an industrial invasion,
der the leadership of Japan, would be
worse. The UNEMPLOYED resources of China
are of untold value. The Chinese are by
heredity the best laboring class in the
world. They can endure more, live on less,
last longer and are more submissive than
any race on earth With 400 millions of
population and with skilled labor at 10 cents
"A day, where would America and Europe
be with Chinese competition under Japa-
nese enterprise? Already three-fourths of
all the foreign trade and shipping of Korea
is in the hands of the japanese
Trade Balances.
1t would be too tedious to give detailed
figures of our business relations with Rus
STA, Japan and China, but general results
Will not be out of place. Japan is manu-
featuring and commercial nation. 1t has
a compact population and is multiplying
and divefsifying its manufacturing plants
with magical rapidity And in whatever
branch of manufacturing it enters upon
our trade in that article is gone Skilled
labor is paid less than one-fourth of what
it receives in the United States, and there
fore Japan well afford TO import the
raw product and drive us out OF the mar
ket with her finished product In 1902 we
imported from Russia I millions and ex-
ported millions; we imported from China
81 millions and exported 81 millions; we
imported from Japan 81 millions and ex-
ported u millions. Japan exports manu-
featured goods; Russia and China raw ma
teriaI. In other words, we buy great deal
more from Japan than we sell her. and
sell to Russia more than we buy. Japan's
ambitions are a menace to the interests
of the United States With Russia we have
no conflicting interests. These two con-
siderations, If nothing else, should make
us wish for the triumph of Russia.