The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-26
NY FREDERIC j. nAsKIN.

world has Its headquarters In the pail
aces OF Tokyo. The Japanese imperial
household Is the centre around which
an amazing business organization re-
wolves. The effects OF tho application
OF trust methods" to n partnership
between a sovereign state, IL family
OF princes ruling by divine right, and
certain clique Of rich men,. are be-
|that partnership and iexplnin the 'i de- ae
tails OF It's working would be as DIFF
ficult as It would have been ten years
ago to get line on the operations OF
pany. But Just as financial peace In
America required the exposure OF the
insurance company methods, so In
ternational peace in the Orient, may re.
terious trust Of japan.
The hge-long prejudice against mer-
chants IN Japan has not prevented the
selling an opportunity to make 1T
cial way. The imperial household. OPP
Grating under the established code OF
every large, business concern under the
Japanese flag, and in many of them
It controls majority OF the shares.
The advantage Of this private owner-
that the owners can also operate
Through the government. which they
control by their association with the
lrul.Ig oligarchy.
owns large cotton spinning mill. The
raw cotton must be brought from the
United states, mahufactured in Japan,
a ana then taken to China to be sold:
make a great profit on this cotton
yarn, but being compelled to sell ii
very very cheaply to compete with, other
yarns yarn IN the ,, Chinese market has an
earth could dream OF. 1t also owns
the big steamship lines, but In order
TO &c, i make the !. cotton business go" 1t
raw cotton from America and the fin
ished product to China for less than
cost. This effectually shuts out all
ttoreign shipping and makes business
Other business may be carried by these
Ships at a profit; II SO, tho profit
goes to the imperial household pockets.
me losses are always made up by the
goyernment: not by the imperial house :
hold. but by the people OF Japan. who
are taxed TO pay the ship subsidies.
Losses IN other businesses In which
ne imperial household may have a
a. ts OF indirect Interest are made up
nal government OF japan, exercised by
a half dozen men. will subsidize any.
t mn on N, earth art II the imperiaI house
think there is a chance to make money.
business will be carried on az a
private concern. but with the govern
m me-, !. u. treasury held in reserve to help
H. however. the imperial household
cannot make any headway at all
against foreign competition. then the
payer Pow = q tn, the government will be util-
the particular industry is under the
control of the empire OF Japan. which
IS subsidiary company in the trust
% suppose that John D. Rockefeller, j.
+. Ryan had absolute control OF the
government of the United States. sup
pose that they could levy on the ma
~, treasury for subsidy to make
up any loss they might happen to sus-
tain IN any branch of business. sup
pose that they could SO make the laws
and WELD the government that no 9TH
e siot person would have even the legal
sired to push him out Suppose that
they could absolutely control Congress
ana ahe merely change the tariff increase
desired. all for their ultimate personal
pecuniary benefit. Suppose, moreover.
that these four American financiers
could treat with the nations OF the
ct the American nation, wage war il
they saw fit, and guard every line OF
attack upon foreign market with
i ine, To own Ia army and navy. The mag
II
state OF affairs. and that can then
60 infinitely farther and imagine the
american I'm people meekly submitting to
ne program, VIII have a fair picture
commerce in Japan.
That the work of this great i'm
perial household trust, linked with the
families. has accomplished wonders Tor
Japan Zap cannot be. denied. Thanks to
liberia! subsidies from the government
70 e IS snip lines owned by the princes,
panles OF the world. The Rising Sun
OF NIPPON floats from the taffrail Of
snlps IN every sea. Japan has become
seeking to convert the trade of China
10 Its own purposes. But the very
rae. that It has become considerable
t nna,a makes It the more necessary for
occidental nations until now absolute
masters of the worlds trade. to ex-
anime into the ways and means by
, which these things have been done.
proposition PR, that II Japan has been ad-
mltted to the family OF first-class ma
tons, the first Oriental nation to be SO
j, or 're q, It must observe the rules OF
lions, and must conform to interna-
tional ethics in business as we'll as5Sto
1nnternational law in war
aolllclai representatives of Western
their governments to send competent
experts In politics. business and eco
Monies to this country to make a study
OF conditions, and to ascertain, IL pos
slble, Just where the private bust
ness enterprise In Japan leaves off and
where the government control begins
Such an investigation must, OF course.
be conducted with great tact and dip
lomacy. Indeed it Is by no means
sure that Japan will consent to tho
inquiries being made. Yet the diplo-
matists of the Occident believe that the
matter should be probed This leads
to serious situation. the end Of
which may be the overthrow OF peace
and the drenching of the Orient in an
other deluge of blood.
the Japanese government declares
to the world that t will take steps to
stop the dishonest Japanese traders who
initiate foreign goods and steal for
eign trademarks. Nothing could be
fairer than the way the government
officials talk about It, and nothing
could appear to be more sincere than
the expressions of regret from the
government. And yet, at the very same
time government manufacturing con-
Germ. operated BY the government. own
ed by the government and enjoying
monopoly. is turning out an
imitation OFFS British-American pro-
duct, stealing even the initials Of the
company to brand the pack
age. This particular brand of goods
has wholly driven the foreign article