New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-07-09


rs JAPAN backing Mexico against the
United States-would she, wU she do Il:
Come! Let's reason together" may be
asking altogether too much in these stuffy days.
Let me make bold, therefore, to invite my read
ers to laugh at a joke.
In the year 1914 Japan sold to the United
States little over 9SOOO,O 900 worth Of goods.
In the same year we sold 10 Mexico goods
valued at $4,000. America was, as she has
been for generation past, our best customer.
Mexico did not buy Of US as much as one-half
the amount that the little kingdom of Siam
bought of US that year. Perhaps it is not fair
to take the year 1914 to make the comparison
more odous than it proverbially is. Japan
sold to Mexico more goods in 1907 than in any
other year since 1901; they amounted to $780,
500 in value. That same year we sold 20 the
United States more than S65,500,000 worth Of
our goods-something like S65,OOOOOO more
than the total sale to Mexico. Would Japan, as
plain business man, fight her best customer
just for the sake of Mexico; fight her simply
and solely because America buys about l2O
times as much Of her as Mexico?
But that little California affairs this not
as good and golden chance as any for Japan
to settle whatever scores there stand still I'M
settled between her and America? Is not re.
ahont 70
ordinary patriot as sweet in these enlightened
days of ours as ever it was to Coriolanus in
the Italy of Middle Ages-a become di Dio.
mouthful for god? There is nothing wrong
about this argument except one little thing.
And that is that common, everyday horse
sense of the japanese people which has been
playing hob with all the rose dreams of the
yellow journalists on both sides of the Pacific.
This is as good time as any other to recall
few simple facts about Japan and the Japanese
which are getting somewhat messy already in
the classic shelf of history.
an less time than it takes to turn a child
into grandfather, Japan dotted her bigotries.
insularties. castles, inherited privileges and
prejudices Proud and arrogant
barons surrendered their franchises and ac.
copied equality with fishermen and umbrella
makers. Hereditary princes and peas
ants alike accepted mental service in European
and American households, entered factories.
schools, farnrhouses even kitchens, to learn at
first hand how the alien thought and wrought
and fought"
No japanese wrote this: an American did.
Do you, my American reader, think that race
of people which has achieved what Japan has
achieved in the last half a century could turn
all of sudden into race of lunatics and COM
NIT national harakiri mot har-kari as some
proofreaders persistently make me spell; there
is no such word as har-kari. not even in the
Standard Dictionary, any more) over this
thankless job of championng Mexico against
the United States? Why. that would be about
as Anticipated blunder as the United States
declaring war on Japan in the role Of the Pro-
tector Of China.
What Japan wants is not childish salts
faction of getting back at California, or talk
ing back at the Congressional eloQuence Of
some of her gifted sons in Congress-that isn't
it, at all. What she does want is the same sort
of fair treatment for her own people now in
America that the American government and
people are according right along 70 strangers
from Europe. And japan aas enough sense
TO know hat such treatncn. md fair and
square dealing for her OWL pe rle in TIE United
states, cannot be gained by hacl. Noxco
Intelligent public opinion in Japan takes i.
for granted that Il is simply ma Ter of time
when all the territory between the Flo Grande
and the Panama Canal will be under the Stars
and Stripes. Most OF my cou trvmen look upon
it as something which will te highly advan-
tageous to all parties concerned This is not
a spicy reading. espec ally by the side OF re-
port that Japanese warships are off Lower
California. But the simple statement Of fact
concerning the activities Of thc japanese navy
in the neighborhood Of Mel-o is much less
exciting than the above. There is not single
fighting craft Of Japan, not even a collier or
a transport, off the Pacific Coast of the two
Americas to-day-yes, the statement could be
made as sweeping as all that. The light and
old-maidish cruisers, Chitose and Tokiwa,
which brought some gold 10 Esqumalt in April
1916, were the most recent visitors to Ameri-