New-York tribune., 1921-03-04
By Nathaniel PETER

RI summarize these articles and ven-
;ure few conclusions.
First then, it should be impressed
an all Americans that the most i'm
portant country in the world to them
and TO their children to-day is Japan
The question that demands the highest
tbourht of the American people and
tho first consideration or their govern
ment's forelsn policy is the Japanese
This cannot state TOO strongly, even
at the nerii Of being called a sensa-
.;onaljst: The tide of events is now
toward war Every calculation of rea-
san is agslrst it; the people of both
Countries Go not want war; economic
ccnslcerat.cns on both sides forbid it;
no ISSUE vital TO national existence
surders the two countries. But wave
of e-sotlcnalism is being piled up be-
s6re wnIch all reason Will be swept If
ever il is released.
The 4 d'states OF logic were all sgainst
war before 1914 also 1t is urneces-
sarv now to recall al those impress
siye marshalings of arguments why
England and Germany could not go to
war. and why, if they did. the war
could not last six months And the
var came. and it lasted four and a
quarter years. Between the position
Of England and Germany IN the first
wears of this century and the position
Of Japan and America now there is a
sinister parallel that it needs no Far
Eastern eXps TT or penetrating student
cf history u recognize.
There lie between the two coun-
tries two issues-Japanese immigra-
ton into the United States and Amer
can suspicion Of Japanese imperialism
n the Far East.
United States Provokes Resentment
America attitude with respect to
the first is to the Japanese a gricvous
injury and has produced resentment
that makes the atmosphere in which
wars breed. 1t has two aspects. The
first is the right OF the Japanese to en-
ter the United States without restric-
ton. Tha, the Japanese stand ready
- waive. The second is the treatment
If those alreaoy IN the United States,
,ega, y ana socially. The right to per-
feet eudali.y with other aliens they
csnno; dem aid, for it is our privilege
tc 40 n .Icse respects as we like;
out thew csnnot waive it or accept its
ge.usal without q sacrifice of self-re-
spect &c decent people could make.
That aspect of the issue must remain
scr i long Cine insoluble. it is no
loGger possible to pretend that it is an
c,'r me question. There are not
enough Japanese in the United States
maSe it economic. It is racial. AS
such /, is on a phase of the larger
question of Anglo Saxonism. The Jap
anese do not realize that they are meet
Ing an old problem, that the Anne rican
sttitude toward them is not g. specific
erand Of inferiority on Japanese but
merely the application to them of the
Arglo-SaXon's attitude toward all nom
white peoples and in a lesser degree
toward all peoples not Anglo-Saxon.
That can change only with time, edu-
cation and the increased comming ing
Of races. In the mean time, suppose
they ought to be patient and phi
lcsophical-which nations seldom are if
they are strong enough not to have
10 be.
Emigration Not Heavy
| have already said | am not quail
led to discuss local conditions in Cali
tofnia and other Western states.
know that the japanese who go overseas,
rot only to the United States but to other
far Eastern countries, are not a very
Algh type Of Japanese. But | doubt
whether they deserve the erection Of
.he pale now being built around them
IN the United States Dangerous as it
IS under present conditions TO raise
any new racial complications for Amer
lca, they are not numerous enough to
threaten complication, and it is
agreed their numbers are not to be
uaded TO- In my opinion, at least, they
are not numerous enough to warrant
.he hyStera now apparently sweeping
alnerica--exclted governors messages
urasflc legislation in states where
fhere are q few hundred Japanese
lorclble oustings of a couple Of Jap
snese farmers from Texas, and all that
Two hundred thousand Japanese or sc
m lOo,000,O00 are not serious enough
10 warrant Il challenge to a powerful
nation, even If they be little unpleas-
An, nht to US Perhaps we might be &
'''(ie patient and philosophical, too
Certainly, this must be understood
AS Japanese official who has served
"a Washington and is admittedly pro-
fAs"eIican put 1t to me, "You cannot &C
y" s!applng us and slapping US where
PACK some day and that always starts
Ight whether we want it or not"
me question to Americans is whether
.ne!i .ni undouhted legal right to exercise
s.;.i sne,r racial prejudice is worth wal
WIN all It's human cost For myself
~ not think so If we must fight
snouid IKE myself to see it in some
cause that has in it intrinsicallv more
Of moral right.
Inc second issue is that of Japan's
ttnperiallst aggression in the Far East
nave seen Japanese militarism and
Imperialism at work in Corea and
shiha. 1t is a sinister, hideous thing
menace to the peace of the Far East
anu OF the world, admitting of no com
Militarism to Die Slowly
But there is growing up against Il
W. " Japan itself counter force
"aether this will work through democ.
nrss:n r~Ss3ation or social upheaval is un-
r,lleuictable and for US immaterial. but
,na; ma! its result will be the negation of
f.asafism and imperialism in its worst
in 'aas daS. Is inevitable. There is no profit
reiaaihg ourselves that this will come
twa'sulateiy two 1t may take decade,
I'rtII IIecades, generation or even more,
d.. .n u comes Japan will remain a
Far e factor to the peace of the
wIa naSt and of the world. The men
,"o s,a make that its course are too
cIlrped rolrppd IN their tradition to change
10 dlactlcally, what are we Americans
can ~ nt ABOUT it? What cen we do? We
nos n, malt or we can fight. Surely it is
ID "a" "olth war. Our interest in China
to nsu remote and our stake too small
insss~~ssus price in human life, especially
vast wucn as the sacrifice would be
war Nothing would be gained by
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