The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-27

other and each :s seixing more and
 more the reins 0f local auth orfty and
 oustinE the humble Chinese. The Ja-
 panese are the most aggressive. Their
 overbearine conduct has greatly fn- censed the Chinese authorities and only
 today the cable brings news of con-
 ference of the Chinese Governors of the three provinces of Manchuria to be
 held at Mukden next week. The Chi-
 nese Government had made rsprsssnta-
 tions to Washington concerning the
 seriousness of the situation and our
 Government in pursuance of It's settled
 policy, is preparing to exert It's moral
 influence with Japan. and to ask other
 powers to do the same, for Chine's pro-
 tection.
 It has been ssid that the situation n
 Manchuria was the real reason for the
 dispatch of our Beet to the Pacific.
 There Is this much truth in that: The
 troubles of China with the Japanese
 and the desire of our Government to
 help the Chinese. were a contributing
 cause of the decision. not controlling
 cause. The dominant reason, as was
 pointed out some months ago in these
 dispatches and as Secretary Taft has
 recently confirmed in public addess,
 was to give the Orientals an object les-
 son to tho eye to show them the only
 thing the most of them undestand and have any respect fora demonstration of power. The immigration question had far more to do with the despatch of the fleet than the Manchurian aues- tion. But in general the fleet was sent as an asd to our diplomacy. and our diplomacy is endeavoring to secure re. suits with peace.
 It does not follow that because the United States will not go beyond moral measures that tho protest as to Man. churia Is to be . failure. The Japan. ese Government is exceedingly anxious to peserve the approval and confidence of the United States and of the other powers which are expected to support the United States in this move. Proh- ably it .s impossible for the Oriental to attach as much importance to pledge or a treaty obligation as is commonly done by occidantals. but af- ter the protest os the United States has been issued. the Japauese may think twice before they push on with helr aggreaslons. The most that ia hoped for ts to stay their hands tempo rariiy and give China a chance to find n way to help herself. The protest may net do much good .n the ieng run. as the Japanese are famous for never giv- ing up anything they once set Into their clutches. and they gre as fertile as the Russians in finding pFetexis and justifieations.
 Just after the Russe-Japanese war many students of world affairs were alarmed lest Japan attain asoandancy over china. politically. commercially. mil.taFliy, and create an Oriental Elm. pira which might menace the whole world. If the Japanese ever had such a dreau1--and there is evidence that once they did.--it has been rudely dis pelled, Instead of making headway with the Chinese, the Japanese have actually lost ground. The Chinese hate them and will have none of them. If tn ere is danger anywhere on the east ern horizon of a great war In the next few years, 1t ss not between America and Japan. but between the two oFi- ental nations--Japan and China.
 The aggressionn of the Japaneso in Korea and Manchuria have had . very curious effect in the Philippines. 4 few years ago the Fiiipinos were eager for the United States to withdraw fyem the islands and pc nit them to stand alone as an independent nation. Now the greatest fear Of the FilipinOs ia that the United States may withdraw and leave them to ha Eohhled ID by the Japanese, whom they have learned to mistFs5st and to fear. Japan has killed, for a time at least. the indopeIid- enoe aspsrations of the F'alipinos, Uncle Sam as a protector ss now a very pop ular individual with them. Nowhere in the world probably Is the advent of our fleet ln Facifc waters hailed with greater delight than by the American ! wards in the Philippine Islands.