Evening star., 1919-11-30

IAPAN'S career during the past
fifty years has been without
parallel in world history.
Japan has played a part of
extraordinary usefulness to the al
lied cause in this war for civiliza-
ton. Japan's friendship should
he peculiarly dear to the United
States and every far-sishted pub
lie man in the United States should
do his utmost to keep a cordial
working agreement of sympathy
between the two nations. These
three facts should be continually
in the minds of every good Ameri-
can; and especially at this precise
moment.
Japan's sudden rise into fore
most position among the occidental
civilized powers has been an eX-
traordinary phenomenon. There
has been nothing in the past in any
way approaching it. No other ma
tion is history has ever so quickly
entered the circle of civilized pow
ers. 1t took the yellow-haired bar
barians of the north who over
threw Rome six or eight centuries
before the civilization they built
up even began to approach the
civilization they had torn down;
whereas Japan tore down nothing
and yet reached the level OF her
western neighbors in half CEN
tury. Moreover. she entered the
circle of the higher civilization
bearing gifts in both hands. Her
appreciation of art and nature. her
refinement of life and many of her
social conventions. together with
patriotism. convey lessons to us OF
America and Europe which we
shall do well to learn. Every
thoughtful American who dwells
on the relations between Japan and
the United States must realize that
each has something to learn from
the other.
X x X
In this war Japan has played a
great and useful part. That she had
her special and peculiar griev-
ances against Germany goes with
out saying. So had we. She took
these grievances into account pre-
cisely as we took our grievances
into account But she ranged her
self on the side of humanity and
freedom and justice exactly as we
did. Her duty has been. first OF a.l.
to drive Germany from the racine
and to police and protect the orient.
hi nYHh-
able that at the present moment
British and American force would
he besieging Kiachow and that
our commerce would be suffering
from German raids in the Pacific.
Great Britain and the United states
are unable to keep their meets OUT
of the Pacific at this moment oe-
cause the Jananese fleet Is tnere.
Rut she has done much more than
this Gradually. as the war "has
crown. she has extended her as
sistance all over the globe. Her
volunteers have appeared In that
most hazardous Of all military
branches, the air service. at tne
extreme fighting front. Sne mas
sent her destroyers to protect eng
lish and American troop shlps anu
cargo ships in the Atlantic ocean
the North sea and the Medlter-
Japan's part has been great; far
eraster than anything that she
Was called upon to do by her al
lance with Great Britain. she nrsi
captured Kiaochow. and sank an
the Austrian and German SHIPS
there. She then drove the the GERMAN Snan
hereafter she lent three of her
cruisers to Russia to strengthen
bay f1eet in the Baltic. At present
her destroyers are WORKING TO-
eether with the British and Amer
jcan destroyers. in the Mediterra.
mean sea and off the coasts OF
England. Spain and France: Her
submarines have been working IN
company with the Italians. me
transports from Australia and New
Zealand have been conveyed safe
ly bv Japanese warships. Our own
war vessels are free for conveying
our troops across the Atlantic
largely because of what Japan has
dome in the Pacific. She supplied
eno-r~ous quantities Of arms and
munitions to Russia. She 'ent Rnr-
sia heavy guns. and loaned her mil
lions of dollars. She has given 70
the allies quantities nj corner She
has sent medical units to England.
France. Pu.sia. Serbia and Ru-
mania, She has offset the German
jrt-i9ue in India. One in twentV-
eight of the people Of Japan be-
long to the Iapar"se Red Cross:
one in four Of the Jananese in this
country are in the American Red
Gross. Two thousa .T"nanese are
fehtine in the Canadian army
Japan has done everything she has
been asked to do or permitted to do
in this war. and this statement
will be questioned by no human
being who is both honest and ac-
auainted with the actual facts.
*
Yet, at this very time. when ia
mans sons are fighting beside ours
;n % the waters of The Mediterra mean
and the Bay of Biscav and the
North sea and in the air over the
western front there are blatant
Americans who have served Ger
many against America, who have
rlaved the German game to the
limit. by striving to make trouble
between Japan and the United
States; by seeking everv way to
rouse susDicion and distrust OF
Janan in the United States, ard by
doing all that malevolent and un-
scrupulous baseness can do to
taunt Jaran into hostility to our
country. There are in thi- country
certain demagogic politicians. GER
tain agitators seeking notoriety
and certain constituencies and
sensation moneering newspaper
owners and writer's who are WILL
ing to make money or obtain pre-
Torment for themselves by anv ap-
peal to distrust and suspicion. no
matter what infinite harm 1T does
TO this country. These sordid crea-
lures have worked hand in glove
with the scarcely more sordid crea-
lures who are paid by GERMANY in
downright cash to advance Ger
manys aims. whether nv striving
to provoke an ill-will that might
eventually nroduce war between
the United States and Japan or in
anv other fashion. They have been
guilty of conduct so shameful that
it cannot be too strongly con-
demned.