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Show CHINA AND JAPAN. The Japanese mission has made a veiy good impression in the United States. We have been told that Japan has no territorial designs upon China and Mint the open door agreement fathered fath-ered by the late Secretary Hay will be maintained to the very letter. In return we' have been aslved to recogiiizo the paramountcy of Japan in the orient, the claim being made that the government at Tokio should be as influential iu that part of the world as the United Slates is in the westeA hemisphere. For our part, we would be willing to see tho Japanese aseume the leadership, so long as they live up to their promises and refrain from squeezing the life out of poor old China upon various pretexts. pre-texts. The Japanese are a very energetic people and we give them credit for having made the most wonderful strides in the direction of civilization in the history of the world. But we doubt if the Tokio statesmen have as yet come to a full realization of the fact that the present war, which is being waged in the name of democracy, has brought about a change in conditions which will have the result of protection protec-tion being extended to the weaker nations na-tions in the future and preveut the acquisition ac-quisition of territory and forcing of concessions by the strong. If this is not the outcome the war will have been fought in vain, except that it will put a stop to German aggression for a generation or two. In other words, Japan Ja-pan must be as altruistic as the-TJnited States and refrain from exploiting China, either during or after the war, if we are to have world peace. According to word received from Peking, the government at Tokio is endeavoring en-deavoring to gain control of the Chinese Chi-nese arsenals and to have Japanese military advisers employed by China. It is also proposed that China agree to sipply Japan with iron. The plan also contemplates a loan of 30,(100,000 yen to the Chinese, which is being engineered by a combination of Japanese munitions muni-tions manufacturers, formed for the purpose of equipping the Chinese army. The Chinese newspapers say the proposed pro-posed agreement is a revival of group five of the demands made by Japan some months ago, which showed double dealing upon the part of the Japanese government. It is also charged by these newspapers that Japan seeks control of the Chinese army. Suspicions of the good intentions of the Japanese government toward China will naturally be revived in this country and they will not be settled until some explanation is forthcoming. Perhaps the Japanese commissions' now here will be able to allay fears that China is being imposed upon. At any rate, we suppose the Japanese ambassador am-bassador at 'Washington will present. the state deportment with a truthful account ac-count of what is being done and what is intended in case the plan is put over. It may be that the Chinese are unduly un-duly alarmed and that Secretary Lansing Lan-sing has been cognizant of the matter from the beginning. It would be a. good thing for China and rhere would he less apprehension as to her ultimate fate if the various factious fac-tious would get together and work for the commou good of all, instead of fo- meriting one revolution after another, j thereby giving color to the assertion? of the Japanese that the Chinese have not the capacity to govern themselves and need a strong hand to guide them. The United States has been the only disinterested friend China has ever fouud in the family of natious and we are continuing to help them along the right road without taking advantage of their necessities or trying to exclude ex-clude the people of other countries from enjoying the same commercial advantages advan-tages as ourselves. But the Chinese shoidd do something to help themselves. If they would ouly bury the hatchet and a few mandarins and generals along with it all woidd be well. |
