Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-07-04

Vr7AsHINGTON. D. c.. June 24.-The statesmen of
wv Japan have announced that the ambitious
" Japanese program for military and naval ex-
pansion is fixed and unalterable 1t is beyond human
power change or amend, because the late Emperor
sanctioned it, and now that the Emperor is dead, no
may modify line of it,
The people of Japan take this for adequate
PLANTATION of the governments The intel
ligent may see that nation already staggering
under bigger debt than she carry that the people
are being limit, and under the projected
program will have to be taxed still more-but when
the statesmen called to account, they have only
fall back the sanctity of the Imperial approval
their battshps and battalons. The incident is
significant worth careful consideration because
it brings condition running all through Japanese
society," constitutes of the principal safeguards
the Japanese state in its present form, well as
one of the greatest any nation which will
ingly or unwilngly, is forced to oppose Japan
No country whose relations with Japan promise to
be as complex and delicate those of the United
States can afford to be ignorant immense part
played Japanese life by the sentiment of loyalty
to Emperor. 1t is than loyalty it is worship
the worship to a hero but the worship
give to god The Emperor is direct descendent
from Heaven. He not be said to rule by divine
right, ia the old European of the term, for he
himself is divine. Japanese loyalty to the Imperial
line has all the combined forces of patriotism and
religion Japanese citizen exists for the
glory Emperor. Service of the people is pro-
gram for a Japanse politician Service of the Emper-
be the main plank in his platform
possible to the people by lowering taxes,
by introducing industrial reforms. by sticking to
policy of peace and quietude Such program makes a
poor of glory for the Empire and the Mikado To
magnify him before the nations of the earth, carry
his flag supreme the Pacific make his army
and his navy nvincible to make him the wonder and
the master the Orent-that is the sort of thing
makes Emperor's glory and a consideration
Japans history, since she grew big enough
fight shows that she has stuck it closely.
She has fought three in the last two decades;
her arms have never serious reverse. Her place
has been won by She gotten great
of new territory, she has taken q high place among
the nations that have be reckoned with in world
politics she annexed observation-disclosures
kingdom she has startled the world, in way
today if stayed at home and attended to busi
ness The people consulted. Their we'll
being never consideration 1t the glory of
the Empire This creed of loyalty the AIikado is
a pacific creed 1t is a creed of militarism it has
proved again and again
The exatation of loyalty the chief of the vir
tues has other significant results. 1t explains
many things about Japan. 1t throws light the
velously rapid way in which Japan look all the
trappings of western civilization and the time
certain doubt the old idea that her
in western entities her to infinite credit.
Japan took up industrial culture of the Occiden
because the little group of men who ruled her fifty
wears ago. had the intelligence to see that she must
either ion the procession or be tramped under foot
nv IT, The people never consulted. The ignorant
and supersttious regarded railways and tele
oranb lines with all the hostility that might
have been expected from them They offered
recable opposition they had been trained for
centuries as other people have been trained in the
custom of yielding authority. The relation of
rank TO every other rank fixed and ironbOund
Retainer owed allegiance to his lord and the lord bowed
70 the mandate his overload. At the head of the
complex system the Mikado, whose
law When that forth, disobey
only civil and political crime, but moral onense