The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1908-12-03

ludl tht VI Japan 6udTuSu
by her entire navy had assembled of
Nagasaki. 1t had even been reported
that they had sailed away for southern
waters; but this had met with later
denial. The blow had fallen as swiftly
as would that Of rattlesnake which
for weeks had been coiled and sinu-
ously moving its head In preparation
for attack.
Strangely enough the first reports
of war came from foreign sources; but
they were undoubtedly official, having
been impaired by Japan to her ally,
Great Britain. The bulletins issued
by the London papers bore the un.
doubted ring of semi-official utter
ances. That of the Daily Mail, cabled
in full to the American press, read:
Japan, reluctantly abandoning hope
of peace by ordinary methods, has
been driven to the extreme recourse
and has officially declared war against
the United States of America"
Within half an hour after the IS
suance of this bulletin second an
nouncement was made, which took no
cognizance of the fact that the official
declaration must have been preceded
by decisive action:
"The Japanese war office has been
advised that on the 9th instant at
noon the Philippine islands were com.
PEELED to surrender to the Japanese
fleet, which appeared off Manila. Not
only did the city itself capitulate, hut
possession of the entire islands has
been given over. The Japanese gov
ernment announces with due modesty
that it has gained complete and un-
qualified victory without the loss of
man.
"Later.-It is announced by the
Japanese government that the parole
of all officers and men of the United
States army in the Philippines has
been accepted, and the men of the
vanquished army have been allowed
to sail for San Francisco on board
foreign ships, which were lying in the
harbor at the time of surrender"
From every quarter of the land came
insistent demands for official news
from the government, coupled with re-
quests for detailed accounts of the de-
feat. The administration replied with
the brief statement that no verified
report of the action in the Philippines
did state, however, that the official
declaration of war had been duly re-
ceived, that the Japanese ambassador
had been withdrawn, the legation
closed and that the officials would
leave New York for their own country
that evening, sailing by way Of Liver
pool.
Public clamor gave way to popular
indignation. The country was aflame
with war spirit. Guardsmen gath
cred in their armories, awaiting Of
fetal bulletins and the expected call
to arms; and yet no orders came.
| The governors of several states tele-
graphed to the war department for
| advice; but their only satisfaction was
in the following message sent broad
| cast by the secretary of state:
THE government, recognizing the
| patriotism and readiness of the Ma
tional Guard of the United States,
| does not at this immediate moment
desire its services. 1t is well to bear
in mind, however, that sudden call
may be issued at a later date and to
be prepared for emergencies. 1t
| wishes to announce further that in It's
| judgment there will be no necessity
for fighting on land and that the stu
alton is completely under control Sc
far there have been no casualties re-
ported from the Philippines"
| Whatever may have been the state
Of the public mind before the issuance
of this declaration, the country now
gasped with amaZement. Some of the
more violent and outspoken journals
demanded of the men at Washington
a statement of what they purposed to
do in this emergency, and the most
radical intimated in no uncertain
terms that incompetent administra.
tions were subject to impeachment
But to all of this outburst the govern
ment officials most directly interested
presented only the same calm, placit
and Indifferent front. There was moth
ing to be detected in their demeanol
to indicate that any action whatever
had been taken.
The various members of the diplo
matte corps, even to the highest of thu
foreign ambassadors, gathered no nev
information. They were invariably
told, first. that the United State
/ 4
war; second, that the United State
knew that the Philippines had beel
surrendered; third, that no orders ha,