Evening star., 1916-06-26

| 1r1enQueSt lnIentlOHS toWdTu us-d Cdh-
paign. in other words. to lull our sus-
picions. to discourage any tendency
Americans may have toward making
| preparations for a possible emergency.
side give ground. fercely. inimical
and heavily armed little empire would
have to deal with a big. unready re;
public, whose national attitude toward
described as one of complete indiffer-
ence. The issue of such a possible
| conflict is not pleasant to consider.
| It is a fact that except along the Pa
| cific coast and certain tracts Of the
| Rocky noun
How Each Nation tain reg o H.
American feel
! Views the Other. ing toward Ja-
pan has vacillated between a rather
sentimental sympathy. an honest admi-
ration and a great Indifference. On the
other hand. Japan has never regarded
us with indifference. We have, from
| the beginning of her modern era. filled
much larger place in her national
| outlook than she has occupied in ours.
Americans were concerned primarily
| with domestic affairs and then with
concerns touching other nations on the
American continent, and European
| powers. Asiatic world politics trailed
| along a poor third. In Japan's scheme
of things, the United States often occu-
| pied first place, and never sank below
| rank of high Importance. At the
! same time. the merciless logic of con-
| ficting necessities several times forced
us across the path of the island empire,
| and made us appear to her people in
the light of a barrier between them and
| their destiny.
Even now. the United States remains
in two stands diametrically opposed to
| the wishes and policy of Japan. The
solution of each of these deadlocks. it
has been significantly and explicitly
stated. is merely postponed. The pres
ent status in each case has been def
1nitely qualified as temporary-once by
Japan. and once by the United States.
The former case is that of negotiation
on the anti-a1ien land bills. where ia
pan dropped the matter with the stipu-
lation of resuming it later; the second
case fs that of Japan's remarkable and
unprecedented demands upon China.
The United States, in a note of May 16,
1915. informed both governments that
this government could not recognize
any agreement to which they might
come binding. under the circum-
stances. If it infringed American rights
tas several features of the new con-
cessfons forced from China do). And
there the two matters rest. Each must
be settled somehow in the future.
In neither of these cases can the
United States well recede from its
stand. The citizens of this country
cannot give up their right to say who
shall and who shall not enter their
territory Neither can the government
we'll consent to the closing of the
open door" in CHINA violation of a
policy distinctively American. on which
all our present interests in the Chinese
republic 8 well the immense posi-
bilities of our future there depend. On
the other hand, consider Japan's posi-
tion.
Take the matter of immigration. or
emigration. Emigration is to Japan a
national necessity. With
U. S. Unable population of about
54000.00o. living BAT to
W 1eeeue' the square mile in
islands largely mountainous. intensive
ly cultivated to a high degree. the Jap
anese are increasing at the unbeliev-
able rate of almost 100000 a year.
Not only is the population increasing,
but the rate of increase is increasing
also. It is a case of steadily rising
pressure. If there is no safety valve,
sooner or later the boiler is bound to
toward the continents whittier her peo-
pie are ready and willing to emigrate.
she comes inevitably into conflict with
America.
America and Australasia. Whether or
not it be true. Japan believes
that the Asiatic exclusions legis-
Iation of Canada and Australia
is patterned on that of the United
States She seems to feel that in meet
in he M
arily with the United States. Not only
does she feel that the British colonies
have followed Americas lead in this
matter. but she knows that any attempt
to coerce those colonies would be met
by the united might of the British
empire.
why does not Japan colonize in Asia :?
The answer is that she has tried and Is
still trying, has
Fails to Form for the most
Colonies in Asia. Is naF' nhe1y is,lf1 aaa ,a
fail in the future There is
little doubt that Japan's Asiatic
policy, by which she acquired Chosen
and a virtual protectorate over Man
churia. was dictated by her need for
OoiI. Dut -" HCh put " tIc tCSt, thcSc
regions proved of little use to the
japanese. They cannot compete with
the Chinese and the Koreans. Their
fellow orientals outwork and under
live them, even they themselves
underlive and outwork the occidental.
So Japan turns westward-to find
herself excluded from the United States
and the British colonies. There is
plenty of wild land left in the world,
but the Japanese are poor pioneers.
The emigrants are in their element only
in small farming or as the workers of
an organized community. Japan sees
America standing before the door of
what are to her only lands of oppor-
tunity.
She is attempting to dominate China.
She plays her cards at a time when
all the world except the United States
is busy elsewhere. Whether her pur-
poses in China are imperial. some
fear or whether she is simply seek
ing to establish preferential market
for her goods that she can compete
with the better equipped industries of
the west, Is unmportant She is try
ing to dominate China.
Now and again the drift of world
forces sets two nations into inevitable
opposition. Such opposition may or
may not lead to actual conflict. Amer
leans know how pacif1cally they them