The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-07-29
Especial Correspondence by H. C.. Card
ner. in Sioux City Tribune.1

Especial Correspondence by H. c.. Gard
ner. in Sioux City Tribune.l
While 1T not my purpose to STIR up
any controversy. l am led in the inter-
est OF fair play to take the unpopular
slde and ask a portion of your space for
q rev observations concerning tine Am
east.
1t Is natural for people to take some
SIDE In a matter of such general inter-
est, ana not u%natural or strange that
many should sympathize with the lit
Tie Japs." But When we consider Rus
Ala's long continued friendship for this
country he active Interest in our be-
half when friendship meant so much to
our existence. and the fact that the
very name of an American has for
years been a free passport and safe
d in the farthest dominions of
the Gar. the violent and almost uni
Versal sympathy for Japan which seems
n truth is hard to understand. en-
couraFemen of assassination, hopes of
Russian humiliation and destruction OF
the Gar are freely expressed.
Japanese partisans will not give
credence or hardly listen to statements
from such sources as Senator BeNer-
ldge or w. 7. Stead, and While they
all have some reasons for their views.
the little Japs" Is the substance of
most OF the reasoning used. Tolstoi
says that the documentary glorifcation
of Japan is because the japanese are
q nation of killers. In other words,
what Carlyle politely called hero wor-
ship" which now finds an object of
alteration in every Jap who commits
hari-kari or otherwise shows the ORR
entail contempt for human existence.
While this doubtless contributes to
Japanese support. the real reason TO-.
hostility to Russia appears to me to be
found in the popular m~isconception and
superficial knowledge of the situation
and a sort Of sentimental sympathy for
the little fellow"
A short time ago l was trying to ex-
plain to a prominent business man of
more than ordinary intelligence and
general information that the popular
Idea that Russia tries to keep her peo-
pie in ignorance and darkness is a
mistake; that millions of money are
spent by the government every year in
the establishment and support of
schools throughout Russia and Siberia;
that, according to Senator Beveridge,
Russia has eighty thousand public
schools attended by four million child
rem; that every inducement is held out
for the spread Of popular education and
er. considering the magnitude Of the
Work. I pointed out that recruits for
the army who can read and write are
required to serve a shorter term than
those who cannot, that every regiment
pas q school master II no soldier can
read and write. The business man re-
Piled that he supposed it was The poll
Icy of all Catholic countries to keep
lhsir people In ignorance.
Repeating this conversation to a pro-
fessional man a few days later l was
sgain surprised to hear him say that
While he knew Russia was not exactly
Is Catholic country he supposed it was
under control Of the pope! This repre-
sents perhaps more than the average
intelligence applied to the situation.
and 1t shows that the average Amer
the Russian government and the peo-
ole that the latter have of us.
That such ideas are prevalent is not
etrange. Russia Is a remote country
and for centuries has had little inter-
course with the rest of the world And
When we consider that most of our in
formation has come through English
Iources. that ever since Russia began
to develop. England has regarded her
rs a natural enemy and has SYSTEM
itically done all In her power to pre-
judlce the world against Russia and
1t may afford some light on the stu
alton. For a hundred Years England
has hardly been able to sleep nights for
fear OF Russia in India and on the
~Bosphorus. That the cause of This fear
had no foundation in fact and was the
nightmare of Imagination, made no diff
ference. Realizing that alone she was
no match for Russia. she pursued her
usual policy of seeking allies in every
quarter of the globe. Knowing as she
does that public sentiment controls our
government as none other in the world,
fh{o NN1,ptrr Io1 P,r,,J-l.o3 -. So. No.. !
field for her propaganda. Under the
the guise of news" furnished to syn
dicates of newspapers and repeated by
sensational writer's at so much per,
the work OF Anglicizing public
sentiment has gone on for years.
was easy. While American public
sentiment is always ultimately right,
we know how easily it. is induced to
lend a frothy support or condemnation
TO q given thing, with little regard to its
real merits. Numerous foreigners.
pointed out to us our national faults and
foibles, but this is one they have APP
parently overlooked. With the possible
exception OF the French, we are the
greatest band-wagon people In the
world. Let n man or set of men
do a spectacular act and every shoulder
Is Joined in the general boost. Let him
do something unpopular or something
which for a monent looks wrong or
foolish, and Immediately every toe is
forthcoming to aid in the acceleration
of his pace down the decline. The re-
cent careers of Roosevelt, of Dewey and
Hobson furnish excellent Illustration.
The daily newspapers instead of try
Ing to correct this popular tendency,
join In the general hue. Pursuing the
avowed policy Of furnishing the people
the kind of news wanted, they give free
rein to whichever side appears fore
most at the time. Since the beginning
OF the war the news from the front
has furnished them excellent galloping
ground. When the first news of the
battle of the Yalu were received the
dallies told in startling headlines how
$4,000 Japs had completely defeated 3D.
600 Russians. A few days later a care
reader might pick out from the
bottom of the foreign news column that
the battle was fought only in pursuance
OF the previous Russian plan of har-
RAISING the enemy and falling back to
another line Of defense and that the
japanese outnumbered the Russians
several to n But the head lines had
their work.
A few weeks ago one of the great
dailies published in fine print in one
of Its remote corners some cores
pondence. from Korea. telling, among
other things, of the brutal treatment
of the Koreans nv the JanapeSa. how