Evening star., 1923-09-09

powers of Europe, to rob Japan of the
fruits of her hard-won victory. Then
came the war of 1904 in Manchurla,
where Japan was victorious all along the
line. At length. at the instance of the
European powers, who remained aloof.
the United States intervened in behah
of peace and. on its invitation. con-
gress for the ending of hostilities be
tween these two great empires OF the
mikado and the czar took place at
Portsmouth, n. H. in 1905. That con-
greSs was a cruel disappointment Tor
Japan. For. largely through the clever
the late Count Sergius Witte. and to
European influences which were brought
to bear on the situation, the conference
eliminated in a treaty, almost forced
upon the Japanese plenipotentiarfes and,
according to the terms Of which Japan,
with the approval Of the European pow
ers, was once more robbed of most of
the hard-won fruits of her brilliant vic
tories. Naturally the bitterness Of japan
was so great that her plenipotentiar1es
when they returned home and, Of
course, sought to excuse themselves on
the ground that the Influences which
had been brought to bear upon them in
the United States had been of such an
overwhelming nature as to prove ire
sistible.
l.
of the United States as the most fav
ored nation in Japan ceased, and it can
not be denied that popular prejudice
took the place of former sympathy and
good will. each passing difference being
magnif1ed until it had assumed a mag
nitude altogether out of proportion to its
Importance. Everything was envenomed.
so much SO that at one time a foreign
power was encouraged thereby actually
to venture an approach to the United
States with a view to an offensive al
lance against Japan and her then Eng
lish ally, in the event of complete
break taking place between Washington
and Toxic. The offer was discouraged
in such a manner as to lead to It's in
stant withdrawal as faux pas" which
might never have been made but for the
misinformation and encouragement of
anna teur diplomats and buffers in"
The splendid manifestations of
friendship, Of whole-hearted SYM
pathy and of real brotherhood which
the entire American nation has dis
played from the very moment that 1t
learned OF the disasters which had over
whelmed the island empire. will, how
ever, have the effect of obliterating all
the prejudices that have cropped up
among them against the United States
during the last ten or fifteen years.
and which persisted throughout the
great war. even though the navy of
Japan, as one of the entente powers.
undertook the policing of the Ameri-
can trade routes across the Pacific
and the protection OF the Pacific
shores of the United States. of the
Sandwich Islands and of the Philip
pines. leaving the Navy Of the United
States free to guard It's long line of
eastern coast and at liberty to convoy
its immense Army across the Atlantic
to France. The Japanese have. until
now, complained that, because the
Californians did not wish to see their
entiye state monopolized by Japanese
Industrial and commercial enterprise
and wholly peopied by'JapRnese immf-
grants, America resented the idea of
the admission Of japan to the brother
hood of western nations. This cata-
clysm In the far orient has shown that
popular sentiment In Japan has been
mista ken in this assumption, since 1t
has served to call for the most elo-
Quent manifestations Of the fact that
the feeling Of brotherhood does exist
in this country for Japan, In q way
never to be forgotten In the island
empire. -.-.s
+ + + +
My four years, on and OF, in Japan.
80 ~