The San Francisco call., 1904-03-06
INSTRUCTIVE JTUDTnS
By lNO1EAAAifEN AND
z0fEN

great Importance Is attached to every
thing that attains the sacredness OF
print, despite the fact that each sue
cessive canard is scarcely in type be-
fore II is contradicted. The only way
for one to avoid getting the most dis
torted news is to be read only the Jill,
the Kokumin or the Asahi, and they are
only better because they discredit the
scare heads of the other papers. These
three papers represent the best conser-
vative sentiment, but they are pow
erless to stem the tide Of sensational
ism. The Jill has adopted recently a
rather novel plan of overcoming this
abuse of extras by publishing the news
in its morning edition, with the proviso
that unless something unusual de-
velops, there will be no extras" the is
suing Of an extra having become now
adays the rule rather than the excep-
tion. OF course, as the day advances,
most Of the other papers flood the city
with extras, which are devoured raw
enously. Nobody seems to notice or
to care for the fact that the absence
of Jill extra practically discredits the
news.
Whether the papers create the want
or the want the papers is too meta
physical a question, but the truth of
the situation is that the war spirit has
control~of everybody except those at
the head of the movement
As if the existing yellowness was not
deep-dyed enough another journal has
entered the field which eclipses them
all. This is the Dempo (Telegraph),
which is at swords points with the rest
of the press for not being yellow
enough. Its motto is. Let us fight and
win, let us fight and lose, but let us
fight" How the paper exists is Won
der from a financial standpoint. for it
sells for 10 sen a month, which is,
roughly, One-twenty-fourt of a cent a
copy and with a circulation of 100000
would yield only S34 yen daily. But it
is widely read and before the beginning
of the war grew daily more violent. One
of its recent utterances was that the
government is prepared to yield every
thing to Russia and the flowery
abuse of the Cabinet for this suppo-
sititious policy was something fearful
and wonderful to read.
To show how little the papers ac-
tually knew of the status of affairs
the Shogyo Slumpo fatty contradicted
the Dempo and asserted that the Gov
ernment had absolutely determined on
war unless it's proposals were accepted
by Russia in toto" The Shogyo repre-
sents the interests of the business men
of Japan. The Nippon, which repre-
sents the extreme Of japanese chauvin-
ism, took its stand along with the Dem
po. The Yomiruri, Hochi, Chuo. Jim
inin and other minor journals also com
mitted themselves to policies uniting
abuse of the procrastinating Cabinet.
and loud applause of KokO Hironka.
who was the president of the proposed
Diet which was in open hostility to the
Government.
That unanimity of the press in fos-
tering the war spirit in Japan was we'll
illustrated recently by a meeting of
Toxic ard Osaka journalists who ad-
vOcated war. in the kowai-do public
halr' of Osaka. There were over $500
delegates present indulging in the most
impassiOned- and inf1ammatory oratory,
appealing to national patriotism and
virtually calling for the resignation of
the Ministry.