Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1907-07-25
Why There VIII Be No War.
Norfolk virginian-Pilot.)

Norfolk Virginian-Pilot.)
Those who have permitted the Hob
sons and the lingo newspapers to influ-
ence them to the opinion that war be-
tween the United States and japan in
the near future is inevitable would do
well to read an editorial article recently
appearing in the New York Sun. That
able and accurate journal makes careful
analysis of the financial and economic
condition of Japan which should serve
to convince any thoughtful person, pos
sessing the average of grey matter,
that that country is not now and will
not be for years in a position to sue
cessfully prosecute a war with any ma
ton, much less a wealthy, powerful and
resourceful nation like the United
States. The Suns conclusion is that.
while Japan is solvent today, its con-
tlnued solvency is dependent upon a
long period of peace and of active and
unlnrrupted industrial development.
The facts adduced to support this con-
clusion are as weighty as incontroyert-
ible. Japan is comparatively small in
area and of slender resources at best.
being able to sustain a population of
some forty-nine millions only because
the masses of her people live simply
and work laboriously. Her per capita
wealth is less than $3.50, while that of
the United States is in excess of 81, 200.
Her national debt is nearly one-seventh
OF her total national wealth, while that
of the United States is only about one
per cent. of the wealth of the nation.
Further, to meet existing engagements
the revenues of Japan, derived in large
measure from direct taxation. have
been increased from $163, 733, 900 in 1904
to S3OS, 277, 900 at the present time.
To believe that Japan, in the face of
such a situation, is DESTROYS of picking
quarrel with this country is to credit
her statesmen with degree of folly of
which they have never given the slight
est indication. Nothing less than an is
sue involving the very existence of the
nation would justify them in embroiling
their country in any serious conflict at
THIS time, and it is safe to say that no
body realizes this fact more clearly than
they themselves do. Certainly Japan
has no legitimate cause for quarrel with
this country, nor has she anything to
gam by entering into a conflict with us.
She could not possibly inflict any injury
upon US that would even begin to ap-
proximate the harm which would accrue
to her. Assuming that she succeeded
in capturing Hawaii, or the Philippines.
wherein would she be benefited there
by! She might possibly be able to con-
vert them into a valuable asset after
years of struggle carried on at an enor-
nous outlay, although her experience
with Formosa does not furnish any guar
antee of that; but why incur that trouble
and expense when she has more valua-
BILE fields for occupation and DEVELOPMENT
close by in Korea and Manchuria?
Japan, as the Baltimore News aptlv
puts 1T, has her mouth full now. and
what she needs is not more to eat but
digestion for what she has already
swallowed" What she needs is not
war, but long and uninterrupted peace
for the development of her resources.
The first would mean ruin, while the
second is essential to the continued
maintenance of the position among the
nations of the world which she has so
lately acquired. She needs the contin-
ued friendship of this country, not its
enmity, and we do not believe the cal
culating craftsmanship of Japan will
seek to incur the latter so long as it Is
possible to retain the former. What
ever else may be true of the Japanese.
they are no fools.