Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-26
M|SS0UR|AN IS
, BACK FROM JAPAN
FRANK MARTIN OF COLUMBIA
SAYS WAR WITH JAPAN A
REMOTE POSSIBILITY.

Columbia, Mo-, Aug. "a THAT a war
between the United States and Japan
Is remote possibility; that Japan is
not keeping vigil on the United States
so much as upon the movements of
China, and that the Japanese are q yer.
sattle and progressive people Is the
opinion expressed by Prof. Frank Lee
Martin of the school of journalism OF
the University of Missouri, who has
returned with his family from a stay
In japan Of fifteen months.
In May, 1915, Prof Martin was
given leave Of absence from the uni
versity. He went to Toxic, where he
was employed as news editor of the
Japan Advertiser, an English news
paper published in Toxic 1 ~
When asked by Missouri reporter
his opinion Of Japan, Prof. Martin
said: r.
II have returned home with some
what jumbled idea OF those people, be-
cause, as many are liable to do, have
changed my opinion of the mso often.
! decided that they were uncivilized
and crude, then thought that they were
stupid, half cultured lot of beings
and then when l had seen something
more of them, the fact that they were
wide awake, resourceful and thought.
full people came to me.
There seems to be feeling among
a great many people here that the
Japanese are standing ready to grab
at the throat of the United States. but
I think there never was an idea 50
M {cfp lTn hat Nv, h. al l, n
however, the Japanese are paying a
great deal of attention to what the
Chinese are accomplishing and they
are thinking great deal as to just
what part the Japanese will play in
the future political status of that coun-
try"
( When asked about the moral status
of the Japanese, Prof. Martin said the
standard was very low. but that condi-
lions were improving to a large de-
gree. He said the statistics on suicides
put Japan well at the top and that the
cause of this seemed mainly to be fam
lily troubles.
"The characteristics of the Japanese
press that struck me more forcibly
than perhaps any other one factor was
the rigid censorship that prevails
there. In the office of the Advertiser
are four Japanese interpreters whose
work it is to look over the Japanese
papers and clip out the articles that
are of particular import for reprint
But even though certain article ap-
pears in some Japanese paper. the Adj
vertiser may receive orders from the
police department to. stop further pub
LEGATION of the articles and the order
must be obeyed
Suppose that the premier, the high
est official under the mikado, gives out
to an Advertiser reporter statement
regarding some political or interna-
tional question. Although the interview
comes from the highest official in gov
eminent circles, it's publication can be,
and often Is, prevented by an order
Of thep olice. The police act in this
matter upon their own initiative.
Accuracy, the Importance of driv-
ing home the facts in a news story is
thing that is almost foreign to the
papers of Japan. 1t may appear in a
Japan paper that some high official
has eloped with his servant girl and
the news will be elaborated upon ex-
tensively. Upon investigation, however,
it will be found that the report is un-
founded and that the story originated
by some ones cook telling the neigh.
boris servant, the neighbours servant
tells her mistress, the mistress tells
her neighbor and so on until the pa
pers get the news