The morning journal-courier., 1908-10-27
CHINA AND THE FLEET.

CHINA AND THE FLEET.
 The enthusiastic reception of tho Japanese to the big American battle snip fleet has been overwhelming and assuring. To those few who harbored a suspicion that there still existed in Japan an uncertain and hostile feel ing toward this country for more or less imaginary causes, it has been re- assuring Nevertheless, t is undoubt- edly true that, if the reception which is to be accorded the fleet in Chinese waters Is corresp 5ndingly as hearty, that fact may be taken as being of far greater importance. China's day is fast coming When 1t dawns it will have a broad horizon What Chinas attitude win hc toward this country and what ours win be in turn are mat ters of vast importance.
 In the past China has happily dis played an unmistakable friendlinoss towards Us. No better opportunity could be offered to China to show an intention Of making that friendship a permanent institution than upon the occasion of the coming of the fleet to its waters. On the other hand, it should be cause for us to feel not a little pleasure should the Chinese see 1t to show an unmistakable friendli- ness toward Us in whatever way best suits their way of doing such things. Should such a relationship between this country and china be established openly and irrevokahly before the eyes of all the worlds the whole cost and trouble of the present world encir- cling trip of the fleet around the globe would he thousand times repaid. China has a big future II is only a question of time before the country l will wake up" in the modern, west ern, commercial sense, and when ir does, things are going to begin to hum in the Orient as they have never been set hummine there by the little Japs IL may be believed that it will he for the advantage of this country to be or 1 the Chinese side of the, balance sheet when the fun begins.
 No better evidence of the way ir which China Is waking mp as a com. ing world power could be offered thar ! in the so-called Chinese constitution l just promulgated The past scasor has developed a fad for constitutions but In comparison with the constitu tional beginnings of China, those ir ! Turkey and other hitherto monarch, ical states must be looked upon as in significant From beginning to end in this new Chinese constitution, on, sees the efforts of its authors to ex press to the Chinese mind an under standing of institutions which hav been hitherto beyond eastern compre hension. For that reason the consti tuition is written with queer inter mixture of Chinese classical terms ant new Japanese terminoloaies invented to fit western ideas to Chinese caster minds But that very fact shows tha the regime of old China Is rapidly an, surely crumbling and that the littl slant-eyed countrymcn are soon t come into their own
 The Chinese, too, have had thei anti-American jingoists, as have tn Japs. In one city at which the flee is soon to come to anchor, war-talker have been earnestly circulating th story that the Americans are scriousl contemplating bombardment and cap ture. It may be confidently expected however, that the Chinese will no only show us by their reception of ou men that such talk is not representa- tive, but will also show well-estah lished desire to cement new and
 drmcr friendship with the Unite States.