Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-23
CONTROL OF PACIFIC
Strength and Ambition Of the
Japanese.
THEY WANT THE TRADE
HAVE BEEN QUIETLY BUT PER
sIsTENTLY WORKING FOR 1T.
Emitted States Has Been Negisctfui
of the Value of It's Pacific
Coast.
written for The Star.

Written for The Star.
4, Great Britain excepted, the world saw
NOT. or. seeing, refused to notice the plan
ming energy, the power Of purpose, the one
ness. the cohesive strength and AMBITION
of the japanese.
Months before the war began Japan
mapped for military use the Manchurla
that Russia was trying TO tie to Itself. Ialat
Is the japanese way. While JaTanese SOL
diers smashed Port Arthur japanese trad
ers secured other lands While otner peo-
pies went wild over the war, silent ana
sober Japan fixed for its own use the trade
values of other peoples. While ether peo-
ples bntheiy chatted of Chinese trade,
Japan chatted with China, and western
traders entered the open door only TO find
Japan already doing business"
The solidarity of Japan and the mental
duality of the japanese breed audacity.
While other peoples prepared to invade the
far east, the japanese invaded the far west.
Japanese agents passed along the Pacific
coast of the Americas chaIfed the currents
Of trade. created new and. for Japan, more
favorable currents and formed the Indus
trial and commercial connections that rival
nations like not yet cannot condemn. The
east has proved the west no longer has a
patent on progress.
Proximity Favors Trade.
Favoring proximity facilitates japanese
trade in China and Korea. This proximity
Is used to its full value. There IS another
favor.ng proximity equally appreciated by
Japan, but which her vls-a-v.s across the
ocean has hardy seen. Americans have SO
harped on the fact that their Pacific coast
faces the far east that they have almost
forgotten the far cast faces their Pacific
coast. The Japanese know II, and know
also that the commerce of the Pacific coast
OF America concerns them even as the COM
merce of the far east concerns Americans.
This may explain why Japan increased its
merchant marine from 10000 tons in 1890
to 1000 600 tons in 1905, and why ii Is work
ing for a still larger tonnage.
The Togo kisen kaiSha Steamship Com
pany Is building two steamers of II 500 tons
each for the Japan-San Francisco line.
japanese plans also include steamer con-
Deetions with central Europe and the OPEN
ing of line between Hongkong and Chile.
touching at Noji. Kobe and Yokohama The
latter steamers will carry Chinese and
Japanese coolies and laborers to the South
American states, thus aiding the develop
ment of those states, and return with car
goes of nitrate of soda and other South
American products to China and Japan.
Meanwhile. Sc. 1000 is being spent on
infer that the South Americans and the
Japanese will finally arrange trade treaties
n their mutual interest. The other trading
nations may console themselves with the
The foreign trade Of Japan increased from
oD9JoQ00O0 in 1893 to $347 SOC. 600 In 1904, and
he tonnage employed in carrying It tr-
Eeased In the same period from 100000
tomnage trebled.
Az for the United states-at q New York
banquet In honor of the Chinese embassy,
issS b MT. Edwards ,s p,erpont sal .5,;
ready to enrich and beautsfy our lands. If
there Is present q merchant who expects to
i've thirty years and wishes his son sue
son with which that Of the Mlddci were
povertY let him build ships to run between
China and our Paclhc coast"
The far eastern trade was then in IT'S In
nncy. The agricultural, Industrial COM
mercial and mineral resources of the Pa
clio coast were then largely yelled. Yet
che dominating thought in American COM
uerciaa circles was the trade conquest of
Aria by way OF the Pacific coast. The
japanese conquest Of the Pacific ocean and
tho Pacific coast Of the Americas was not
sven the fabric Of a dream. In the light Of
NEr. Pierponte prophetic statement, why
his the United States failed of proper sue
o. in far eastern trading2 For several
reasons: Internal development railway
building, the home market (the best Of all
absorbing private and public attention, and
% the United States largely ignored the
trading value OF IT'S Pacific coass. This
country is stall embarrassed by is riches
q. s. Territory Grown.
Since 1866 United States territory has
oRown from 3.025,600 square miles to 3,770,-
( ~ square miles. The increase mainly rep-
rosents Pacific lands and islands; and vet.
szsorfng the proximity of its Pacific coast
p the far east, ignoring the Kaleidoscope
manages In far eastern conditions and ig-
Sor.ng the japanese advance and the neces-
atoD 81 the Philippines the limited States
DoGnment, admirably enterpr.slne ON irrt-
cation lines, has been blind to the value of
nne Pacihc coast as an American base for
me iar eastern trade To be sure. the Pa
enc coast benefits by the government
transport connections with the PHILIPPINES
But that Is mere patronage incident. The
eerrstorial eXpanse of the country the IN
$3.50 $3.50 ana commercial development of the
racine coast states, the value of that de-
velopment as a factor in solving the trade
problems of the far east the nearness of
me Pacific coast to the far east-all these
ACTS nave been evaded in an effort to con-
trade. e~''eein
Despite neglect, the Pacific coast of the
Cnileu states steadily gains commercial
importance The figures of its foreign
trade are eloquent In the nine months OF
this year ending with September the ex-
Its OF the Pacific coast ports were $50
oUV or double those OF the first nine
,nontns IN l90i The export gain Of the At
ianisc ports In the same period was $50
O0Vto. despite the fact that the tota, was
over soi5.VOO,oO0. In passing il should be
salo that several lines OF steamers connect
sng coast ports with the far east are doing
large business
Inc distance from San Francisco IN
shanghai IL $500 miles. as as,atrnt 10 eo1
mites from London to Shanghai. San Fran
CISCO Is 1,l29 miles nearer to Yokohama
tnan is London. and even by an overland
zno oversee route to the PhiIfpp mes san
over Mss Y mas an advantage Of 5000 miles
The distance from New York a, tb. p,,n
;ppines by water is nearly double that from,
:1n francisco to the Philippines. The
american government has no great n,tlt-
AIRY storehouse west of JeffersopyiIia
snd, 200 miles east Of the Pacific con ct
5ence, It buys many supplies fer the pa
anc coast and for the Philippines deliver
Soie at Jenersonviiie. The government has
hAa big floating dock for the Ph.lippines
3u,n on the Atlantic coast, which. IL ever
ueaavered at Cavite. will cost much more
nan II built at San Francisco The de-
very problem remains to be solved. The
government discourages the Industrial
.ecundty OF the Pacific coast, and 50
ramps relations with the far east, but the
activity OF the Japanese bids fair to push
INTO the position OF trade promoter.
The American trading value of the Pan