Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-30
HOW ABOUT IAPAN--V.
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

built. There are only four nations on
earth who have tho capital to build
any considerable portion of those lines.
who Gan supply the engineers to ,ea
20 their building and turn out tho rails
ana the rolling stock necessary to their
operation. Those nations are Franc.
Germany. England and the IInjt.d
states Allowing for the share OF the
| smaller Industrial nations. IT is putting
| 10" estimate on our business acumen
10 say. that with our capital our
trained technical men and our steal
pants We would secure only one.fIfth
of tho business
we did secure that NTH. matters
would proceed somewhat In this fash
ION. me Chinese government would
issue railway bonds TO raise the neoe..
sary capital Those bonds would he
ohered for sale in the United States
Any man with $500 or $1,000 to in
vest could put II into a Chinese rail-
way bond, guaranteed by stable Chi
nese government II China aoated ST.
me United States. II would mean hr6t.
ooo.ooo.ooo worth OF railway bonds In
mat this country would draw an an
nual s5o.0oo.oo0 in interest alone. 70
be added to the wealth of the nation at
large
or the $1,000. 600. 600 thus re,s.d
in the United States, however. large
proportion would be spent in tho
Cnited states at once. All the ncces.
shry materials OF construction, all the
rams and cars and locomotives. would
he purchased In American mills and
car SHOPS Whole industries would re-
ceiVe big impetus. that would be re-
hected not only In those industr,e.
but throughout the nation. exactly as
lhe munition prosperity is being re-
hected to-day. Not only would employ
ment be given TO thousands OF work
ers in the United States, but many
or our young men would tind oppor.
tunity In the Chinese construction work
itself
The business thus started would b.
steady one. not bloom to flourish
and die The railroads would need a
continual supply OF fresh material for
npkeep and extension. The orders from
srch railroads as were financed in the
United States would come TO the J-pi,ed
states TO be Allied. year after wear.
Inc oroers would grow steadily. rot
diminish. The Chinese bonds would
give us more than market and n
golden stream OF interest Along with
similar investments they would do
much 10 render our financial position
impregnable
AS America grows in riches. she will
nave to adopt the same policy. China
IL the great opportunity. But at this
Juncture, Japan's needs force her TO
put forward different program She
Is 100 densely populated to bs a p.i-
marhy producing nation. She must
ehier Inc held OF industry. Geogra-
ph!cally. she has a strategic position
as regards China. Financially. she is
at present incapable Of building any
big portion of China's railroads In
dustr!ally. she has as yet not enough
facilities for turning out rails and
is capable technically. there is some
discussion. Japan's own railways, gov.
eminent owned. are said 10 be running
at A loss.
Caught between her necessity and
her inadequate resources for meeting
Western competition. Japan proposes
TO act as an intermediary between
China and the United States China
furnishes the field. America furnishes
the capital Japan is to do the work
and, incidentally, come in on the prof
its. To gain this end, she has to Put
China In a position where China can
not grant her contracts direct to the
United States.
From the American point OF view,
there are certain dra VIDA cks about this
program. If Japan wants to build
railroads in China. she is free to go
ahead. America will not Interfere On
the other hand. II America wants to
build Chinese railroads. she should
have the same privilege. II America
feels able to build railroads without
assistance, assistance should not be
forced on her, with an attendant split.
ting OF profits.
Over this vital question Of Chinese
policy. Japan and the United States
find themselves Numerically opposed
Japan's principle of the sphere Of In
huence. the principle OF political domi-
nation in the interest Of commercial
and industrial expansion, Is the exact
counterpoiicy Of tho doctrine which
forms the corner stone of our Orion.
tai diplomacy-the doctrine of the
open door Japan's actual methods
threaten to cut us off from tho Chinese
Industrial and commercial field at the
very time when we are In a position
to develop 1t to the mutual benefit Of
ourselves and the Chinese. Japnns
course and our course cannot coexist
One or the other must triumph. ono
or the other must ba flushed a.id>