The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1917-08-23
THE MISSION FROM JAPAN,

A Japanese mission to the United
States arrived sat Pacific port" about
ten days ago. The ambassador extraor-
binary, said they came tas comrades in
gigantic struggle which involves the
liberties and the sacred rights of man
kind" The ambassador did not mention
any of the other reasons they may have
had for coming, but it is not at all likely
that they came solely to utter a diplo-
matte platitude Japan feels that she
has entered upon what may be called a
national career. She is building a great
navy and great merchant marine. She
is in constant state of military prepar-
edness- Every year she is reaching out
successfully for export trade which other
nations have had. Japan not only wants
more business but she wants more terri
tory. She is sizing up the nations. We
have no doubt that the purposes of our
visitors are peaceful and friendly. Japan
has done mu.h in the last year to thwart
the submarine pirates. In the present
war she is our friend. She probably has
no intention of attacking us with armed
forces While she no doubt knows the
value of the Philippines she also knows
of other lands more easily to be acquired.
Her desire for more land arises from
necessity rather than from greed. Japan
now has landed possessions less than five
times the area of the State of Maine,
but has a population of more than half
that of the United States. She has land
enough for her present but not for her
future. Her average increase of popula-
ton for the last 35 years has been at the
rate of 5000 annually, and during the
last ten years the average increase has
been larger. The Japanese are an indus
trious, frugal people. If they are not in
genious and inventive they are in Won
derful way initiative, and this is one rea-
son why they are here. They want to
see how we do things, because they in
tend to compete with our own manufact-
ures in the markets of the United States.
They know that the tariff bars are now
let down and they want to ''size up the
political as well as the business proba-
bllitieS. The Japanese mission, now so
prominently mentioned by the press, was
preceded by another which came unher-
aided, 1t was a mission of Japanese
statesmen, most of whom are graduates of
American colleges and have been special
ly trained for craftsmanship. At present
they are mainly working to obtain the
trade in goods which we have formerly
obtained from Germany and from France,
but we may safely conclude that their
note books are in daily use and that they,
too, are ''sizing us up"
In the cotton mills of Japan rs per cent
OF the operatives are women and the
average wages for working day of II
hours is Is cents. The wages of men is
"a cents and of children, to cents.
In the manufacture of other kinds of
cheap goods about the same prices are
paid.
This country is welcoming the official
mission with true American hospitality.
Their visit will do doubt vastly strength
en- the friendship of the two nations in
their international dealings with each
other. But the little Japs in the flowery
kingdom are going to convince our free
fr;1 H. @1o4
neither unconstitutional nor undesirable.