The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-10
Japan's Real Objective.

The kilograms from Toxic show how
quickly and thoroughly the Japanese
have appreciated the friendly reference
. them in the Presidents message.
Reflection has convinced them that Mr..
ROOSEVELT did but express a sympathy
of which Americans have given repeated
and striking proofs. To say nothing
of the important part played by our
countrymen in Japan's great awaken
ing which began nearly forty years ago,
we showed our good will by returning
to her a %pecuniary indemnity on u e.
ground that it was excessive and unj JUST. !
and We helped her to secure release from
the humiliating regime of ex-territorial-
ity. During that war in the Far East,
which is generally recognized as the
crisis in the history Of the japanese,
most Of our influential newspapers were
arrayed upon their side, and the result
was the creation Of a popular sentiment
on this side Of the Atlantic which ulti-
mately took the substantial form of sub
scriptions to a Japanese foreign loan.
In view of such evidences of our good
will the Japanese people might we'll hesi-
tate to quarrel with the United States,
ever if events had condemned them to
the role of an island empire.
That is the role to which Japan must
have been relegated had she been beaten
by Russia in Manchuria. In that went
her expansive energies must necessarily
have sought an outlet first in the Phil
ippines, as lying nearest to her hand,
and ultimately in other islands of the
Malay archipelago, such as Borneo and
Celebes. In the end she would have
wished to absorb Sumatra, Java and
New Guinea. That is TO say, of the two
racial elements which enter into the
japanese ~stock-the Monaghan and the
Malayan-the latter would have become
preponderant. In a word, Japan while
remaining an insular would nave be-
come a great Malayan Power, such as
we can see from the ruins Of huge tenn
pies existed in Java many centuries
before hat island became known to
Europeans. That, we repeat, il the
future to which Japanese aspirations
would have definitely turned had the
hope Of gaining a foOthold on the Asiatic
mainland been ~Quenched by Russia.
As things are now, well informed and
intelligent Japanese n have nc desire
TO relieve us of the difficult task Of main
tanning tranquility and order in the
Philippines, for they are finding the
paciication of the interior of FormOsa
sufficiently irksome and costly. With
O much smaller expenditure Of blood
and money they can look forward to the
complete assimilation of Corea and to
the gradual acquisition Of ~ascendency
over the unwarlike Chinese throughout
Manchuria from the Amur River to the
Great Wall. In that region they would
encounter conditions of soil and climate
with which they are familiar and in
which they would thrive. Once firmly
planted in Manchuria they would be in
a position to form extremely intimate
and mutually profitable relations with
China. There il indeed scarcely any
limit to the western horizon Of Japan's
ACKNOWLEDGMENT now that she has been
converted into a Continental Power.
Since, however, the citadel Of Japan's
Asiatic empire would for many decades,
II not centuries, continue 10 be its group
Of islands, it il obvious that a command
OF the sea would be indispensable. For
that reason, as her Elder Statesmen are
pretty sure to see and to point ont, Japan
cannot afford TO go to IA with either of
the two maritime nations, Great Britain
and the United States, which by virtue
Of their geographical situation and of
their inexhaustible %pecuniary resources
would be certain TO triumph in the end.
whatever temporary success might con-
ceivably be gained by the Japanese.
In the long run either the British or the
American navy would manage to drive
the Mikado's war vessels from the ocean,
and thenceforth the Japanese would
find themselves cut of from their hard