The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-10-08
UNITED STATES AND JAPAN.

correspondent notes marked change
of feeling towards Japan in American
, official circles and among the general
public. He attributes this change to
J japanese insolence.' to the heather
fanatieism'' of the little brown men
and to a conviction that Japan means
one day TO make trouble for US in the
Philippines. Under the latter head the
Herald prints this anecdote:
A naval officer tells story which
shows the attitude of the japanese on
this matter in a strong light. While
| several Japanese ships were in the
| harbor of Manila before the outbreak
| of the present war number of our
/ officers We're invited to a dinner on
4 board the japanese flagship. To the
| astonishment of the American officers
| the younger japanese officers discussed
| quite freely our position at Manila.
They showed a remarkable knowledge
of the Notifications, and the DISPOSE
ton of our troops; they had exact data
as 10 the length of time it would take
fleet of ours to reach those waters,
and gleefully declared that there was
not gun on the island that they could
not silence in fifteen minutes, and that
we could not assemble fleet large
enough TO prevent them from landing
200, 900 men on Luzon within two weeks
after the order to mobilize was given.
They also announced that Japan woulu !,
never wait for formal declaration of |
war to strike an enemy.
The vaporing of young officers who
have taken too much champagne need
not disturb the concord of nations; nor
is there anything alarming in the fact
that the japanese intelligence office has
posted itself about the Philippines.
That is one of the things it is for; and
the public may be sure that the Amer
lean intelligence office has looked aft
er Formosa and the Japanese littoral
quite as attentively. Such matters are
not necessarily threatening; they mere
" go TO show that both nations, like
all maritime powers, are making their
data as world-embracing as possible.
We do not look askance at Great
Britain because she has carefully
measured our possibilities of defence;
nor does Great Britain look askance at
us because we have made fine topo-
graphical maps of Canada. Preparing
for the unexpected is as much the duty
of War office as preparing for the
Inevitable.
If there is any change of sympathy t
at all among Americans, the japanese t
are hardly 70 blame far IF They have s
done nothing, so far as we are aware,
to ALLEVIATE the people of the United h
States. In the matter of the Philip .
pines, the New York Sun declares thai
after the battle of Manila and before
American troops had been sent thither
he japanese Legation formally noti- Il
led Judge Day. then Secretary of !,
State, that Japan welcomed the United :,
States as a Pacific Power and hoped ii
he would retain the Philippines. Fur
her to show that Japan was sincere
n her expressions. the intermediary Of
he Tokyo cabinet was directed to in es
orm the American Government that ID
Japan stood ready to offer to the Unit :.
ID States any assistance in ner powe.,
practically placing her navy and army q
It the disposal of the United States if b
hey were needed. To this may be
Idded the fact, embracing the history
Il japanese relations for several years
,aek, of extreme solicitude at Toxic
est a rush of coolie laborers into the
United States should disturb the cor
iial understanding between the two
eading North Pacific powers.
AS most of the returning correspond
.nts are now writing, in the bitter
less of their disappointment against
Tapan-a form Of activity which must
ind ready abettor in Count Cassini
some impression viii doubtless be
made upon public sentiment. But n
whatever changes may come in popular
opinion will find it difficult to justify =
themselves in any unfriend1y act or :
sentiment of Japan-a power which
,uilds its hopes of future development
md a long peace not only upon its
,wn indomitable spirit but upon the
continued friendliness of the Anglo
saxon nations.
r