The Irish standard., 1908-02-29
Growing Belief That These Two Powerful
Nations, Sooner or Later, Will
Meet in Battle Array
Some of the Causes That Have Led to the
Alleged Strained Relations of the
Two Countries.

|flict with the United States, competing
with her for industrial and CONNER
cial mastery, and checking the tide of
Asiatic immigration to their shores.
And history teaches us that wherever
commerce brings rival peoples face to
face, there is to be q struggle for su-
premacy. Conflicts of nations are the
results of their purposes, their aspir-
ations, their growth. their expansion.
Japan and the United States have al
ready started out on Il course of COM
nlercial development, which will in a
very near future bring them as close
together, that it will be impossible to
get along on fair and peaceful terms.
Within the last fifteen years Japan's
industry and commerce have achieved
wonderful results and are progressing
with giant strides. On account ofsthe
Japanese workingmen's extreme low
standard of living the Japanese prod
ucts, l. c., silk, cotton, tea, rice, coal,
copper, camphor, ETC., ward off from
China foreign and American goods.
Practically, since she has taken hold
of Corea and Manclluria, she has ex-
cluded from these countries the COM
merce of other nations.
TO grow or to die is the inexorable
law that rules the destiny of peoples
In order. therefore, that it might de-
velop and grow, the Empire of the Mi
kado must remain the sole and abso-
Lutte master of that unbounded market
place. namely, the East. ANY nation
that seeks and tries to compete with
her or GUST her from this commercial
dominion declares itself her deadliest
enemy. Tho presence of Russia as q
prime factor in the commerce of the
Pacific Ocean was inimical to the as
pirations of the Japanese Empire in
the same line. The occupation Of Man.
churia and the fortiflcation of Port
Arthur We're the immediate excuse, but
not the real cause of the war; The
real cause OF the war was the inherent
antagonism of interest and purpose,
which could find no other solution
than the arbitrament of the sword
We have acquired in the Pacific
Ocean territory which lays the founda-
tion for the commercial supremacy on
that great sea.
We have a position at the very doors
OF the Orient, by the possession OF the
Philippines and base Of naval oper-
ations in the middle Of the ocean, by
the incorporation Of the Hawaiian ISL
ands. BY their strategic position these
islands have enormous military and
commercial advantages. If Japan pos
sessed them she would have control of
all the entrances and exits of the Asia
tic coast. Her domination would ex-
| tend from the frozen Arctic to tropical
Borneo. If she willed, she could pre-
| vent foreign nation from sending it's
ships to China and prevent China from
oollOIuS ucT SOOuS dOIOdU. SIle WOulu
realize the idea Of the trade militant"
which the Baron Kaneko has expressed
and possess the geographical advan-
tage to enforce it. For we must bear
in mind that 9o0,0OO,ooO people border
the Pacific. Hence, if Japan had hold
of the Philippines she would become
the greatest power the world have ever
known. But so long as the United
States shall retain the Archipelago,
they will command to the Pacific and
hold open to all nations the markets
place Of the East. This is a perma-
nent menace to the prosperity and the
| commercial growth Of Japan. Hence
her enmity toward U.S.
There is another source of Japan
ese ill-feeling against the United
, States. On account of her super
abundant population Japan is bound
to be a colonizing power. Her terri
tory is much too confined for such a
prolific race. The area OF Japan, with
Formosa, is 1855 square miles. with