Omaha daily bee., 1908-08-17
COUNT oKUsA's war SCARE.


Count Okuma is evidently the leader
of the democratic party in Japan. He
Is very much against the government
and insists that japan is sharpening It's
teeth for the purpose of making a short
meal of the United States when the
proper time comes. He declares that
augmentation of the American fleet in
the Pacific is aimed at Japan and can
constitute nothing but a menace to the
Toxic governments plan of aggression
in the Pacific. The count used to be
prime minister Of Japan, but is now out
of office and is the recognized leader
of the minority, a sort of William Jen-
nings Bryan and Richmond Pearson
Hobson rolled into one. In a formal
interview in one of the leading journals
of Toxic, Count Okuma draws this
picture of the United States and what
would happen If Japan decided to go
to war with us:
America has no enemy at present and IL
will be a thoughtless policy for America
purposely to make an enemy by inflaming
NAAC PubAAC ObAAllOi VI Jdpdlls ~ III
States is the wealthiest country in the
world but II has not sufficient defense in
the Pacific. II the two nations are to come
to hostilities. nothing could be more dread
full. In that case crazy persons, AND the
Japanese are a crazy nation In fighting,
will display the same madress as was
shown in the late war.
The Japanese are always ready to throw
AWAY their Hyaa for the nathan TbAy "a
gard their lives as light as water. On the
other hand, Americans and Europeans at
tach the chief Importance to money-and
those who love morey love their lives.
Suppose, therefore. that two nations whose
ideas toward death are fundamentally diff.
ferent are to fight, the final result is
easily seen.
Clearly Count Okuma Is a lingo and
is accepting the lingo challenge of the
democratic convention at Denver. In
considering the counts utterances, 1t
is well to remember that he is a states
man out of a job and is trying to re-
gain his political prestige. His fear
some warning might cause some alarm
if it were o offset by the statement
of Baron Takahira, the Japanese am
bassador at Washington who. when
asked what he thought of Count
Okuma's ~utterances, said:
1 should not care to comment on this
matter, because Count Okuma represents
the opposition. ard also because his re-
marks are printed in an opposition paper.
l know nothing OF any naval movement
directed against Japan by your country or
by any other. Our countries are good
friends, and as such we should not be
watching each other to find out who is
getting ready to fight.
Baron Takahira knows that the
United States is not a~ugmenting its
naval power in the Pacific, unless the
comparatively short term stay sched-
uled for the battleship fleet in the Pa
cific may be so regarded. The weak
ness of the American naval force in the
Pacific is generally known and its
strengthening could not be regarded
as a menace to any other power. In
the meantime, japan is frantically
seeking TO enlarge it's -naval strength,
even at the expense of threatened ma
tional bankruptcy, but the United
States is not worried over the situation.
Japan is in no position to. carry on a
foreign war and cannot be for years,
so this nation will not be alarmed by
the jingoes of the Okuma brand in
Japan or the Hobson brand at home.