The Dominion FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1908. AMERICA AND JAPAN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 127, 21 February 1908, Page 6

The Dominion FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1908. AMERICA AND JAPAN.

y The American Press, wlicl lias continuously ! kept tlie relations between America, and Japan in tie very forefront of public attention,, las given tie subject a. new and interesting It is now stated, according to a cable message received to-day, tliat " tie real question "rat'- tie two Powers-'is " not' tie' immigration difficulty, but the policy of Japan in Mancluria. ylt las been known, of Course, ever since' tie termination of tie war, 'tlat Japan lias been ' practically in complete military occupation of Mancluria, and laa been pursuing a policy directly opposed to tie " open door." On December £7.last tie Peking correspondent of " Tie Times, 1 ' wlo is of world-wide as a leading autliority upon Far Eastern politics, sent lis paper a message tliat threw a flood of light upon tie methods of tie Japanese. Tie southern half of Mancluria, he reported, was held by Japanese soldiers, and' was " subject to tie same military inspection as ' was exercised during tie war." A whole division of troops is stationed at a strategical centre in tie leart of Mancluria, wlile six battalions, of troops patrol tie railway. "At every station, by day and niglt, armed Japanese, soldiers enter every compartment'of tie train, to tie discomfort of European passengers, especially ladies, wlo complain of tie incivility and rudeness to wliel tliey are subjected." China is forbidden to continue her Peking, main line into Mukden City, and las been forbidden to construct a : Clino-Britisl line from Hsin-min-tun nortlwards. V As Dr. Morrison puts it: "Japan . . forbids Clina to extend ler own railway' into, ler own country west of the Liau valley. It is impossible to reconcile this prohibition, with any. rational interpretation of tie policy of tie open door." ■" ■ ■ ' ' : . 1 , ' Tlis message naturally attracted much attention 111 America, and on New Year's Day tie New York"Sun" printed interviews witli representatives of firms trading m-Clina and Mancluria. Tley leld tlat tie monopoly es-tablished-by the Japanese in Northern China under tie guise of tie open door was absolute. The Japanese were charged with laving entered territory wlicl did not belong to them, and over tie trade of wlicl tley exerted entire mastery, to tie complete exclusion of tie trade of otler Powers. Cases were cited in wlicl American trade lad declined by 50-' per cent. Japan contends tlat tie proposed Hsin-min-tun railway will come into competition witl the Soutl Manclurian Railway/ and so infringe tie Peking treaty.. On tie general question of tie "open door," tie Japanese-Press contends tlat, as tie open door was entirely Mue to Japanese exertions, tie world sliould credit Japan witl a sincere desire to carry out tlat policy. Tie immediate significance of to-day's message from New York lies, in its suggestion tlat a section of tie American Press is; determined not _to allow, tie fires of American lostility to Japan to die from lack of fuel. It must be remembered that practically all modern -wars originate in. commercial rivalry, and only rarely in racial sentiment. The of _ American dislike from Japanese immigration to Japanese policy in Manchuria is, therefore, not a little disturbing.