Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-11
How About Japan
BY Frederic Y. Haskin

Japanese policy on such ground. for
eign merchants took some consolation
from the fact that the new program
was to be in effect for only one year.
The same eXtenuating circumstances
seemed to attach to many other abuses
they might prove only temporary.
For instance, there was the matter or
import duties 1t was charged by
many foreign merchants that japanese
goods were being imported free Of duty
while foreign goods were taxe'! Such
charges were hard to substantiate, be-
cause the Japanese officials fatty de-
nied them. bur they arose so spontane-
oasly from so many different sources
that 1t Ia difficult to see how they ccul1
all have been unfounded.
Not only Americans but British and
other European nationals were con-
cerned The Shanghai brarch Of the
British association Of China recon-
mended to the British minister that
steps should be taken with view
to preventing Japanese commodities
from being imported to various places
In Manchuria without the payment Of
import duties and Ito put a stop to
the illegal trade conducted in Man
churia through the Korean frontier"
The foreign chamber of commerce at
the port of Newchang protested
against the importation Of goods duty
free through Dalny and Korea. 1t is
possible that these and other business
men were attacking a chimera, but it
Is hardly probable.
or the smaller annoyances to which
S,,I>i q
most prominent were the imitation Of
trademarks. and the evasion by Jap.
anese OF the local tax known as 'likin."
American firms had gained the conf
dence of the Chinese, by putting out
articles OF uniform quality under a
trade mark easily recognized. After
their entry. the Japanese would put 4
similar article of inferior quality, with
trade mark so much like the original
that the ignorant Chinese coolie could
not tell the two apart The effect of
this was to undermine the Chinese
confidence in American goods.
'.Likin" is one of the principal
Chinese taxes. 1t constitutes a large
part of the overhead" expense in a
small business. The little Japanese
traders who followed the army often
refused to pay this tax. thereby gain
ing an immense advantage over their
small Chinese competitors. who had to
pay 1t. Furthermore, the Japanese
trader handled Japanese goods: the
Chinese trader handled. to a large ex-
tent. American and European goods.
The effect on foreign trade is easy to
see.
In th1 ne r,f tlo 1Do Isy,rr
American authorities on the situation,
"Manchuria has been turned into Il
closed Japanese commercial preserve"
Manchuria is only small part Of
China; there is still room in China for
enormous American commercial expan.
sion. Now japan is trying to turn the
whole of China into closed Japanese
commercial preserve. .-
| In view of all this. the talk of Jap.
anese Monroe doctrine for Asia seems
so absurd that it is hard to see how
this apology for Japan's policy ever
gained serious consideration. In brief.
! the argument Is that since the United
States established Monroe doctrine
covering the weaker nations Of the
!! American continent. Japan has an
! equal right to establish similar doc
trine covering China. the weak nation
of Eastern Asia
The Monroe doctrine never had any
| thing commercial or Industrial about It.
1t certainly never embodied the faint
est idea of extending the sovereignty
of the United States. The Japanese
policy Is obviously commercial pol
| icy. In the regions covered bv the
Monroe doctrine. our trade until the
nresent war Jagged behind that Of Eng.
land and Germany. In regions where
the japan csc policy dominates Japan
ese trade is forced TO the front at the
! expense of other nations The Monroe
doctrine never led and never will lead
to the acquisition of foot Of territory.
As for Japan's po'icy-there is Korea,
! To establish an analogy between
Iapan's Chinese policy and our Monroe
doctrine, we should have to get nine.
! ty-nine year lease on Argentine rail
roads, get control Of the biggest Chill.
can mines. extort the privilege of H.
nancing Venezuelan industrial projects,
comnel Bolivia to employ our military
and financial advisers. demand that the
police of Mexican cities be nut under
Joint Mexican and United States ad-
minjstration. order Brazil to purchase
half her munitions Of war from us
and even then we would he tagging be-
hind the example set by Japan
! There is already Monroe doctrine
for China. 1t is the Hay doctrine, the
| Open Door-territo rial integrity guar
anteed. and equal opportunity to ALL
That is what the Monroe doctrine
means to South America and what the
| Hay doctrine means to China Jap
anese talk Of an Asiatic Monroe doc
trine only serves to bring out the dia'
metric conflict between the policies OF
Japan and the United States.
and do you know what became OF him ?