The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-13
JApS ON THE BEAR
He Knows All About the Rus
sian People.
'RICkSHAW MAN TALKS
Thomas NeSbt Tells of His
Interview with laps.

peasant from MS european 1elEoWS is MS
active interest in politics There are
whole communities Of mujiks in Russia
the japanese people. Not so the Jap.
yNo matter how far of in the backwoods
of his native Nippon he may live, he kno VS.
all about Russia, and has very decided
opinions regarding her qualities as ma
ton.
You might ask the country Jap what he
thinks of the negro problem in America,
and he would look blank. That is because
he has never been interested in the Amer
lean negro. But he has been interested
in Russians because they enter into the
politics OF his own country; and the Japs
are as fond of political discussion and
argument as were the Greeks OF the times
of Socrates.
The first thing to do when you settle
down to live in Japanese town is to
get acquainted with rickshaw man.
You pay him to pull you around in a
little two-wheeled cart but besides that
he will keep you in close touch with
current events. He will tell you what
the emperor Of China thinks Of his prime
minister's scheme for recognizing the
Chinese army, and why Japan doesn't
approve of the new treaty between France
and Russia. Then he will give you his
own opinions, and the mistakes of dip
lomatists will be made known to you.
AN ORIENTAL MINE OF INFORMA-
TON.
/ have my little Nagasaki 'rickshaw man
TO think for much valuable information
on affairs in the Orient. He stood less
than five feet in his blue, skn-tight
trousers. but there was much beneral
Information under his shock of blue-black
hair He had fought the Chinese in '95,
and in the first week of our acquaintance
he had given me a detailed account OF
the war. Every time We stopped to rest
under the trees on the country road he
would reel off a campaign or two. Fin
ally, when material gave out, he came
to the pet dream of his imagination-a
war with Russia.
He had already manoeuvred his country
men into several victorious battles with
the hated Russian before | realized that
his little obliquely slit eyes were peering
into the future. not the past. He spoke
of it all in the past tense, with a re-
assuring yes" now and then to give YER
acity to his tale.
Then a big officer came to me, he say,
You make fight. You put by 'rickshaw-
come fight. Yes. | tell wife goodbye.
/ go make soldier. quick Plenty march,
march. much cold. much ice, much snow,
chow-ch very little-plenty fight"
''Where'd all this take place." l asked.
wondering where in Japan such cold
weather ever came.
Siberia" he answered, complacently;
Ives. Plenty fight. plenty dead Russian
soldier. More march-march, much walk
by by come to big city. Big fight
much boom, ;oom-then japanese flag
go up"
What city's that?''
st. Petersburg. Yes Russia no more
soldiers have got. Then Japan. England.
America-make like brother-three to-
gether-more strong than all other
countries. America get Siberia-England
get Persia. Yes
What does Japan get?"
''Al the rest. Yes"
There was nothing boastful in the way
he said IL 1t was as though he had con-
sidered carefully all the clements in this
international mix-up. and his prophecy
could be the only logical outcome.
| had very good friends on the police
force in Nagasaki. His post was on the
Haddabar, where all the sampans land
men from the ships in the harbor. On
cold, rainy days he withdrew into a little
shell of sentry box and watched his
beat through two small windows. But on
fine days he strutted up and down the
Sxs-ipC 1rrh aft ha
fashion OF his New York fellow profes-
sionaL He had ready smile for every
passer-by. even for any drunken. rowdy
sailor he knew he would have to tackle !
minute later. But for me he always
had a particularly welcome smile. for he
had always found me a ready convert |
20 the political theories he conceived and |
developed on his night watches. Like all |
his fellows on the force. he had picked /
up enough English TO converse with the |
English and American sailors who came |
ashort in Nagasaki.
CONTEMPT FOR THE RUSSIANS.
ohio. he said one Sunday morning. /
which means Good morning You sec, /
Russian ship come in las night" He 1
nodded his head across the harbor to the 4
spot where one - this largest drydocks in /
the Orient is situated. The Russian flag
was hoisted on a vessel in the dock.
You see,' he continued. when Russian /
ship break, mus come here for nix up. 4
Now Japan break. mus come here for /
tx up. Now Japan fix Russian ship; /
bime-by Japan break again. Russian
very big but slow. stupid, like fat COW.
No understand make machine, make ship.
see Russian officer? Big. fat. got head
like watermelon, with plenty whisker-
on top no got hair. But Russia very
strongls bine-by Japan very strong. too.
Here his discourse was broken of by
connection down the dock. Two sailors
belonging to the Baltimore were having
trouble with a sampan man. They were
very drunk and noisy, and IL took a good
deal OF coaxing and diplomacy on the
part OF the sampan man TO keep them
from running amuks among the throngs
along the dock. Finally they were per
suaded to roll into the sampan and peace
was once more restored. The sampan
made for the beach across the harhor,
not for the Baltimore. A sampan man
will not take a drunken sailor abroad
his ship; he will sober him UP first.
The policeman had watched the whole
AFFAIR with smiling interest When he
turned again to resume conversation there
was a decided twinkle in his eye.
American sailor like good time" he
said Fine fellow-too much drink. but
very good fellow. Sailor got very hard
time-much work, much scrub deck. work
MI time. Sunday all same, come ashore
must have good time. Alri'. Some time
,ss..o h,rf don care (