Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-03-06
BUSY JAPAN.

Representative Hobson of Spanish
war fame. believes that a war between
the white and yellow races Is logically
inevitable and that America and ia
pan will begin this war over an at
tempt to control the Pacific for COM
mercial reasons. We have said that
such a war seems to us most i'm
probable, at least in the near future;
yet in this belief Mr. Hobson aligns
himself with the views of the experts
OF several nations as expressed in the
world dispatches to the newspapers.
He states these startling facts or
conclusions: That Japan has ordered
100000 worth of warships since
her war with Russia; that she has
added Ave divisions TO her army and
doubled her military activities; that
she has just bought from our own
American factories 10000 rifles: that
she can put 100000 trained soldiers
on board TRANSPORT ships in four DAYS;
that the Japanese could land 100000
soldiers ON the Pacific slope in four
months, another 400 900 in six months
more. and a million men in year,
that they could put ten soldiers to our
one on the Pacific Coast: that they
viii soon have ready for service eight
new battIeships. any one of them
equal In effectiveness TO three of ours.
Now II these really are the facts,
perhaps America should beware; but
other and stronger indications point
away from war. Japan Is rapidly
gaining trade in the orient. The
| Chronicle OF San Francisco says she
| IL rushing emigrants into Manchuria
| as well as Corea, and expects to hold
the trade of her own nationals. China
likes this even less than we do and
the Chinese Government does all in its
power to get Chinese into Manchuria.
Japan has got railroad and tel
egfaph concessions" Our govern-
mont would not touch them. Our
people do not want them, and the
management OF such concessions az
have been obtained by Americans in
China has not been satisfactory to
China nor calculated TO make us pop
ular there. There was too much spec
ulative exploitation and, the Chinese
claim, some bad faith. At any rate,
the Chronicle thinks. We are out of
1t. while Japan is there to stay, so
long as the concessions endure, and
they Will of course be managed In
the interest nf the japanese people
who own them.
Now. If British and German trade
falls off. in consequence of Japanese
industry and persistence, II is not inn
probable that public opinion in Great
Britain will compel the government
to support China in her efforts to
withstand japanese aggression In
Manchuria, and that the situation In
the Far East will eventually settle
itself by the cmergence and recrud-
escence of China itself. which is far
more powerful than japan, and seems
I'm way to organize and utilize ats
power.
Germany, too, will be anxious to
maintain and extend her trade in the
Orient.
In the end il may be China rather
than Japan with whom America may
have to reckon, Al any rate. the fin-
ahc ial state OF Japan and her anxiety
to gain trade aud to recuperate seem
entirely 10 negative Mr.. Hobsons
fears and estimates, AS for Ameri-
ca, she will have as good an oppor-
tunlty as other nations for extending
her trade in the East. Aud we do
not think war preparations In Japan
need concern us at present.