Sees Size Of Ocean As A Peace Surety.

New York Times 100 years ago today, October 6, 1912:
Japanese Statesman Tells Why His People Will Not Fight United States.
IS DUBIOUS ABOUT CHINA
Y. Takegoshi Thinks Loans There Without Supervision Are Dangerous for Those Making Them.
    Y. Takegoshi, a leader in the Japanese House of Commons, has come here from the West, where he traveled for two months studying the Japanese colonies. He is well known abroad, especially in the Netherlands, as his views about the Dutch possessions among the South Sea Islands became once a topic of hot discussion. In this country his views of Japanese naval expansion have been quoted extensively.
    He says he had heard so much in Japan about the anti-Japanese feeling in the Pacific Coast States that he was agreeably surprised to find amicable feeling between the Americans and Japanese there. He personally was cordially welcomed by the Americans as well as by the Japanese everywhere he went, he says.
    He visited most of the cities and town in the West where his countrymen live in any considerable numbers, and says he failed to find any bad racial feeling.
    He sees, however, one weak point among the Japanese settlers — their determination to go back to Japan. He tells them they should consider America their home. He says, however, that he thinks the American naturalization law is unfair toward his people, who, he feels, should be allowed citizenship.
    He intends to publish a book with the title "The Yellow Men's Appeal to the White Women." In his book he intends to tell the American women it is their mission to emancipate the Oriental people in this country.
    "I don't think the American women are fighting simply to get the right to vote," said he. "Their ideal is high. They are fighting for humanity. When they know how handicapped the Japanese are in this country, because they have no right of citizenship, the American women will fight for the Japanese for the sake of humanity."
    Mr. Takegoshi has been termed "the Japanese Hobson." When he was asked if he thought war possible between this country and Japan, he smiled, and said:
    "I think I am right in saying that some Americans are talking about war between two countries without thinking much. If they will study geography and learn how wide the Pacific Ocean is they will doubt the possibility of such a war and if they will study further and learn how much coal a battleship needs during a voyage from Japan to the Pacific Coast, they will come to the conclusion that Japan cannot attack America until the globe is remolded, because she has no coaling station between Japan and America.
    "America has a coaling station at Hawaii, but no battleship can load enough coal to sail from Hawaii to the Japanese coast, fight, and sail back to Hawaii. These two countries are so situated that they cannot fight before political geography is changed."
    Mr. Takegoshi made an extensive trip in China before he came to this country. He has pessimistic views about the future of China. "No one can know the future of China," he declared. "It may be divided into many sections, which will try to be independent of each other. Lending money to China without supervision is sheer madness. The outside world thinks China has a stable Government. There is no such Government there at present. The financiers who are willing to negotiate the Chinese loans without supervision are taking great chances."
    This is the third time Mr. Takegoshi has visited this country. He came here first ten years ago, and his second visit was in 1907. He says America is making progress along all lines much-faster than other countries.
    "America, is the wonder of the world," he declared, "and New York is the wonder of wonders."