Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1908-12-23
JAPAN'S new TIE
WHAT IT MEANS
VIEW OF A PIONEER AMERICAN
TEACHER LONG IN
JAPAN.
GREAT BRITAIN, JAPAN AND
UNITED STATES RESPONSIBLE
FOR ORDER IN THE EAST.

Clay MacCauley in Boston Transcript.
The covenant between Japan and
the United States that has just been
formulated and made public is right
fully regarded as one of the most inn
portant events of the time. For a
while, at least, it will put an effective
Quietus upon the international agi-
tators who have recently reused much
solicitous questioning among some
well-wishers of both countries. But
this agreement should not be looked
upon as something substantially new,
or as measure by which any peril
actually threatening international
peace has been avoided. In Ambas-
sador Takahira's words, 1T is sim
ply a reafirmation of what was de-
clared by the two governments years
ago'-'a transaction between trusted
friends" For many years, especially
through the decade past, those who
have been privileged to know, or
those who have carefully studied the
course of events in the Far East, have
been undisturbed over the repeated
war scares" attempted by certain
Observation-Disclosures in the relation Of
Japan and America. America is
Japan's oldest, most tested and most
political friend. Notably, from the
days of Townsend Harris in 1856 and
of his treaty two years later, the Jap
anese have looked with exceptional
confidence to the government and
people of this country for counsel and
cooperation. 1t has been asserted by
a British historian that in every
past instance of international contact.
Japan has found America considerate,
sympathetic and appreciative," and
that "she cherishes a firm conviction
which even the absorption of Hawaii
and the Philippines has not shaken,
that territorial aggression will never
disfigure American policy in the eri-
emit" The facts of the nineteenth
century confirming this assertion need
not be repeated. From Commodore
Perry's opening visit to Japanese
waters to our return to the imperial
treasury of our share in the Shimono-
seki indemnity and later instances of
international generosity, the Ameri-
can people have stood at the front as
Japan's friend among the nations.
But the events of the last eight
years have been signally decisive in
bringing the two peoples, so far as
their government and policies are con-
cerned, into international amity.
The Boxer outbreak in China in the
summer of 1900 had for its most inn
portant result the awakening of both
governments to the fact that for the
future they are closely bound together
in caring for the momentous problem
involved in the career of the Chinese,
newly begun. Great Britain came
forward as Japan's publicly acknowl-
edged ally in assuming charge of the
Chinese problem, but none the less
was the United States party to the
main purpose of the Angio-Japan al
lance. The understanding of our
government with japan and Great
Britain was clearly understood from
the first, though not put into diplo-
matte formula And such is it's mo-
mentous bearing upon the peace and
progress of the great Far East that
all along it has necessarily dominat
ed the inter-relations of these three
powers in that part of the world.
Compared with it. such questions as
those of coolie immigration into Can
ada and our Pacific States, of the at
tendance of the children of Asiatics
in San Francisco schools, or of local
labor conflicts, are necessarily of
minor import and must be suppressed
or somehow adjusted peacefully. The
larger world political interest has
brought these three world powers un-
der a compulsion to continue their CO.
operation in its behalf, above and in.
dependent of the local troubles that
in the last few years have been made
to look portentous.
The independence and integrity of
China. and the principle of equal op-
portunity for commerce and industry
of all nations in that empire, together
with the maintenance of the existing
status quo in the northern Pacific re-
gion-this has been the one purpose
paramount for Japan and Great
Britain-and for our own country as
well-eyer since on Feb. IL, 1902. the
British and Japanese made definite
treaty of alliance on its behalf.
There is. consequently, no intelligent
discussion of Japanese and American
relations, or any reliable judgments
possible where this fundamental fact
is ignored Our country has become
inextricably involved in world-politics,
particularly in those matters which
affect the enormous populations OF
the Far East: and our state depart