The following table shows the imports from the United States, those from the United Kingdom and the total imports from all countries into Japan in each year from 1888 to 1898: 1897. 1868 40,001,097 62,707,572 277,502,158 NOTE.-Value of yen on January 1, 1888, 75.3 cents; 1889, 73.4 cents; 1890, 75.2 cents; 1891, 83.1 cents; 1892, 74.5 cents; 1893, 66.1 cents; 1894, 55.6 cents; 1895, 49.1 cents; 1896, 52.9 cents; 1897, 51.1 cents; 1898, 49.8 cents. Japan is, by reason of recent events, the nearest neighbor to the United States aside from those whose territory is actually con tiguous, Canada and Mexico. Her compar atively recent exchange of mainland territory to Russia for the line of islands stretching northwardly from her central group, brings her territory within about 500 miles of that of the United States in the Aleutian chain of islands, while at the south her newly-acquired island of Formosa lies within less than 200 miles of our own newly-acquired territory, the Philippines. Thus not only are the United States and Japan neighbors" territorially, but their insular possessions combined stretch along the entire Pacific coast of Asia from arctic to equatorial waters. CHAPTER XXXI. THE RELATION OF THE UNITED STATES AND JAPAN TO THE PROPOSED "PEACE CONGRESS OF THE HE smoke of conflict between Spain and the United States had scarcely passed away from sea and land-Protocols and Commissions of the victor and of the vanquished were forming and convening to formulate a final "Treaty of Peace" under the terms of the surrender_ when there comes upon the stage a new unlooked for messenger accredited to all the nations. That messenger comes bearing a "white flag," sounds a "parley" along the lines of hostile armies and a grounding of arms of all the great Powers! It may never attain its ostensible object, but when Russia, the mightiest in territory and armies of all the Powers of the globe, and with a record stretching far back through the centuries, of alleged absolutisms in Church and State, and marked by political death-penalties, often without trials, or by living matyrdoms in the mines and dungeons from Poland to Siberia-when such a Power calls for peace, it is high time to ask the watchman on the walls, "what of the night? Is it after all only the play of diplomacy à laTalleyrand, or is it a sincere and courageous conversion, like that of Saul of Tarsus, who ceased his persecutions of the saints while on his memorable journey to Damascus and became the world's greatest Christian hero and disciple, echoing "peace on earth and good will to men?" To such an invitation of this old and mighty Empire, even as we write, all the Powers have signified an acceptance. That such a movement should begin and be adopted within ninety days from its initial date, may well challenge the earnest thought of popes and priests of Rome, and of all Protestant Christendom, as well as of emperors and kings and presidents of republics, and parliaments and congresses around the world. It is a forerunner and a harbinger of the better times coming, at least, whether from its convocation peace universal will result or not during this generation. The United States has been forced by the fortunes of war with Spain, to discuss her relations, political and commercial, in the Far East-the possible colonial or territorial policy of the future, growing out of her recent foreign war, and the acquisition of territory from the conquered Power in Manilan waters. In that proposed and august assem |