Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-04


American commerce on the Pacific ocean.
This exposition. in its purposes and scope.
should appeal not only to the people Of the
Pacific SLOPE but to the United States
at large. Alaska since 1t was bought
has yielded to the government eleven
| millions Of dollars of revenue, and has
/ produced nearly three hundred millions
OF dollars In gold, furs and fish. When
properly developed it will become in large
degree a land of homes. The countries bor-
dering the Pacific Ocean have a population
more numerous than that of all the coun-
| tries Of Europe; their annual foreign COM
merce amounts to over three billions OF
| dollars, OF which the share Of the United
| States Is some seven hundred millions OF
dollars. If this trade were thoroly under
stood and pushed by our manufacturers and
| producers. the Industries not only of the
| Pacific slope, but Of all our country, and
particularly of our cotton growing States.
| would be greatly benefited. OF course, in
order to get these benefits. We must treat
| fairy the countries with which We trade.
International Morality.
| 1t is a mistake, and it betrays spirit Of
| foolish cyEicism. to maintain that all inter-
! national governmental action is. and must
ever be. based upon mere selfishness. and
| that to advance. ethical reasons for such
| action is always a sign of hypocrisy. This
| is no more necessarily true of the action
[ Of governments than of the action Of indi-'
viduals. 1t is ( sure sign OF base nature
always to ascribe base motives for the ac-
| tons of others. Unquestionably no nation
! can afford to disregard proper considera-
/ tons. of seh-interest, any more than a pri-
vate individual can so do. But 1t is equally
| true that the average private individual in
| any really decent community does many
actions with reference to other men In
which he is guided, not by self-interest. but
| by public spirit, by regard for the rights
| of others, by disinterested purpose to do
| good to others. and to raise --.e tone of the
| community a whole. Similarly really
great nation must often act, and as a mat
| ter of fact often does act, toward other
nations in a spirit not in the least of mere
sef-interest. but paying heed chiefly to
| ethical reasons, and as the centuries go
| by this disinterestedness in international
action, this tendency of the individuals
comprizing nation to require that nation
! to act with justice toward its neighbors,
| steadily grows and strengthens 1t is Meth
er wise nor right for nation to disregard
| its own needs, and 1t is foolish-and may be
wicked-to think that other nations will dis
| regard theirs. But 1t is wicked for a ma
ton only to regard its own interest and
| foolish to believe that such is the sole mo-
| tive that actuates any other nation. 1t
| should be our steady aim to raise the eth
| ical standard of national action just We
strive to raise the ethical standard of indi-
vidual action.
Not only must we treat all nations fairly,
but We must treat with justice and good
will all immigrants who come here under
| the law. Whether they are Catholic or
Protestant, Jew or Gentle, whether they
7 come from England or Germany, Russia,
Japan or Italy, matters nothing. All we
have right to question is the mans con-
duct. If he Is honest and upright in his
dealings with his neighbor and with the
state. then he Is entitled to respect and
| good treatment. Especially do We need to
| remember our duty to the stranger within
! our gates. 1t Is the sure mark Of low
civilization, a low morality, to abuse or dis
criminate against or in any way humihate
| such stranger who has come here lawfully
| and who is conducting himself properly.
To remember this Is incumbent on every
American citizen, and 1t Is Of course pecu
| larly incumbent on every Government Oh
| fcial whether Of the nation or OF the sew
eral states.
am prompted to say this by the atti-
tude of hostility here and there assumed
toward the Japanese in this country. This
hostility is sporadic and is limited to a very
few places. Nevertheless, 1t Is most dis
creditable to US as a people, and IL may be
| fraught with the gravest consequences to
the nation. The friendship between the
United States and Japan has been continu
Gus since the time, over half century ago,
I y,
| to Japan, first opened the islands to west
ern civilization. Since then II g-owth of
Japan has been literally astounding. There
| Is not only nothing to parallel it, but moth
| ing to approach 1t in the history Of civil
lied mankind. japan has glorious and
| ancient past. Her civilization is older than
that of the nations of northern Europe
the nations from whom the people of the
United States have chiefly sprung. But
fifty years ago Japans development was
still that Of the Middle Ages. During that
fifty years the progress of the country in
every walk in life has been a marvel to
mankind, and she now stands as one OF the
greatest of civilized nations; great In the
arts Of war and in the arts of peace; great
in military, in industrial, in artistic de-
velopment and achievement. japanese SOL
diers and sailors have shown themselves
equal in combat to any of whom history
makes note. She has produced great gen.
erals and mighty admirals; her lighting
men. afioat and ashore, show all the heroic
courage, the unquestioning, unfaltering
loyalty, the splendid indifference to nard-
ship and death, which marked the Loyal
Ronins; and they show also that they pos
sess the highest ideal OF patriotism. Jap
anese artists Of every kind see their prod
ucts eagerly sought for in all lands. The
industrial and commercial DEVELOPMENT of
Japan has been phenomenal; greater than
| that of any other country during the same
period At the same time the advance in
science and philosophy is no less marked.
The admirable management Of the Japanese
cheney and humanity Of the japanese Of
fcials, nurses, and doctors, won the re-
spectful admiration of all acquainted with
the facts. Thru the Red Cross the Japa-
nese people sent over 100000 to the suffer-
ers of San Francisco, and the gift was ac-
cepted with gratitude by our people The
courtesy of the Japanese, nationally and
individually, has become proverbial. To no
other country has there been such an in
creasing number Of visitors from this land
as to Japan. In return, japanese have
come here in great numbers. They are well
come socially and intellectually, in all our
colleges and institutions of higher learning,
in all our professional and social bodies.
| The Japanese have won in a sing.e genera
ton the right to stand abreast of the fore
most and most enlightened peoples of Eu-
rope and America: they have won on their
own merits and by their own exertions the
right to treatment on a basis Of full and
frank equality. The overwhelming mass of
our people cherish a lively regard and
spect for the people of Japan, and in al
most every quarter of the Union the stran-
ger from Japan Is treated as he deserves:
that is, he is treated as the stranger from
any part of civilized Europe is and de-
serves to be treated. But here and there q
most unworthy feeling has manifested it
self toward the Japanese-the feeling that
has been shown in shutting them out from
the common schools in San Francisco, and