The Washington herald., 1907-11-03

which means that his character. his
motives. and his actions cannot be predi-
Gated by an Occidental
A japanese is not a white man with a
yellow skin. but a fatalist Of the sort
lReomprehensIble to :he Western mind.
He holds property cheap. and human life
cheaper still BY way Of iniiicting a
slight wound TO the susceptibilities Of an
enemy. ne viii go and, sitting down be-
fore that enemy's door. coolly proceed 10
cut himself open and die in torture.
A Japanese speaks with a laugh Of the
recently and beloved dead II a japanese
commander wishes 70 torpedo an enemy's
ship. he cares little for the loss of the
torpedo boat. and nothing whatever for
the lives of the hundred men In the tor
pedo boat. provided a hole is made in
the eneny's ship. This Indifference to life
is at once the strength and the weakness
Of the Asiatic It enabled Japan to under
take, without the least hesitation. the war
with China. in which the odds were
tremendously against her, She did not
hesitate to make war upon Russia. in
which it was supposed the odds were
still heavier.
The fact that the American feet Of bat
tie ships may be twice as strong as the
Japanese fleet would not deter the Japa-
nese for one moment from fighting, and II
the whole japanese feet should be lost
It would give them very little concern,
provided damage had been INFLICTED upon
the American feet This is not the way
the nations OF the West would reason,
and It is this unreasoning person who
cares nothing for disparity IN force al
whose door we propose to kick.
Unlike a native of America or France
or England, the Asiatic person will receive
his enemy with smiles and viii, If he feels
like it, sacrifice himself and all his fam
lily for the purpose Of blowing up his
enemys ship with a little stick Of dyna-
mite. lie will take no precaution for his
own safety, nor, in fact. consider It in
the least
It is with this extraordinary person
whom the Board Of Strategy IS trying to
overawe By a show Of force. Thus. the
mistake made in Cuba and the Philippines
is about to be repeated upon a larger.
and it is to be feared. more disastrous
scale.
II Will be quite enough for the dignity
OF the United States TO defend itself
against Japan If attacked. but there would
have been small danger Of this. Great
Britain would have seen TO 1t that Japan
kept quiet. for Great Britain cannot az
ford to quarrel with the United States.
and that FOR very simple reason. The
people in the British Isles would starve
IL the importation OF breadstuns from the
United States We're stopped for as much
as three months.
Great Britain already regrets its treaty
with Japan. and one Of the tnconveniences
of il is that Great Britain must take upon
itself the difficult and alarming task of
keeping the peace between Japan. the
most dangerous of all the Asiatic nations,
and the powers Of the West
Great Britain. however, has a great
advantage over the United States. IN
being accustomed 70 handling OrientsIs.
The Board Of Strategy has had no expert
ence in this matter. but viii probably ac-
quire some before this Pacific cruise is up.
Count Okuma. leader Of the opposition
in the japanese Diet has said, 1t is diff
ticult TO understand the transfer Of the
American fleet from the Atlantic to the
Pacific" So it IS There is room Ior regret
that. when Secretary Loeb was proclaiming
the fleet would not go to the Pacific, and
Secretary Metcalf announcing it would,
Secretary Loeb was not right