The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-15


fer to the accompanying report on
! the subject, prepared under my di-
rection, by the Board of Navy Conn
missioners.'
William \. Graham, OF Orange.
Certainly not less interesting is the
| light thrown on the sources of the
great events in Japan and the Orient
| that have for a year kept the eyes
/ of the world staring in amaZement by
| the prophetic and modest text of Sec
lretary Grahdm's Report. 1t reads
like Burke's rounded sentences in his
speech on Reconciliation, and it in
stfucts while it delights.
/ During the past year the atten
| ton of this department in conjunc-
| ton with the Department of State,
| has been directed to the employment
of the East India squadron in an en-
terprise of great moment to the COM
! mercial interests of the cOuntry-the
endeayor to establish relations of
unity and commerce with the Empire
/ of Japan.
1.-THE long interdict which has de-
MED to strangers access TO the ports
or territory of that country, and the
singularly inhospitable laws which
| it's government has adopted to secure
this exclusion, having been produc-
| tive of late years of gross oppression
|
| States, it has been thought eX-
pedient to take some effective meas
! ure to promote a better understanding
with this populOus and semi barbar
Gus empire to make the effort, not
only to obtai2 from them the obser-
vance of the rights of humanity to
such of our people as may be driven
| by necessity upon their coasts, bat
also to promote the higher and more
valuable need of persuading them to
abandon their Improbable policy of
| SecluSion, and gradually to take a
place in that general association of
commerce. in which their resources
| and industry would equally enable
them to confer benefits upon others,
! and the fruits of a higher civilization
upon themselves.
THE extension of the domain of
/ the United States to the shores of the
Pacific. the rapid settlement of Cali
| fornia and Oregon, the opening of the
highway across the isthmus of Cen
trail America; the great addition to
| our navigation employed in trade
! with Asiatic nations, and the in
| creased activity of our whaling ships
! in the vicinity of the Northern coast
of Japan, are now pressing upon the
| consideration of this government the
absolute necessity of reviewing our re-
| lations to those Eastern communities,
| which lie contiguous to the path of
our trade. The enforcement of a
more liberal system of intercourse
upon China has met the approval of
the civilized world, and its benefits are
seen and felt not less remarkably in
the progress of that ancient empire
itself than in the activity which it
has already impaired to the pursuit
of eastern commerce. China is
awakening from the lethargy of
thousand years to the perception of
the spirit of the present war, and is
even now furnishing her quota to the
adventure which distinguishes and
stimulates the settlement of our west
ern coast
These events have forced upon
the people of America and Europe
the consideration of the question,
how far it is consistent with the
| rights of the civilized world to defer
| to those inconvenient and unsocial
customs by which a nation, capable
Of contributing to the relief of. the
wants of humanity, shall be permitted
to renounce that duty whether any
nation may claim to be EXEMPT from
the admitted Christian obligation of
hospitality to those strangers whom
the Vocations of commerce or the
lawful pursuits of industry may have
incidentally brought i'm need of its as
siStance; and the still stronger case.
whether the enlightened world will
tolerate the inflction of punishment
or contumelious treatment upon the
unfortunate Voyager whom the casual
ties of the sea may have compelled
to an unwilling infraction Of barba-
rous law.
These are question which are
every day becoming more significant.
That Oriental sentiment which. hard
ened by the usage and habit of cen
turtles, has dictated the inveterate