The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-01-16
JAPAN CANNOT MAKE
WAR upon Us.
She Hasn't the Money and Car
not Borrow Any.
OUR NAVY MUCH STRONGER
Besides, 1000 Miles of Ocean Inter-
venes-And Even in the I'M
@. probable Event of England As
sisting Her, It Would Fail.

..
Washington, D. C.-The Admins
tration is not concerned over reports
from Havana that five Japanese have
been taking measurements and photo
graphs of the Notifications of Havana.
The fact is the Government rather
expects this sort of thing. It is.well
known that other. countries have
measurements and plans Of all the
Notifications, both here and In the
outlying possessions, just as the
United States has measurements and
plans of the Notifications Of other
countries. That is what general
stats are for.
So far as Japan's alleged desire to
60 to var with the United States is
concerned, there isn't a clear mind in
che Administration that does not
scout the idea Japan cannot goSto
war with anybody She is in debt a
Sillion dollars, with no place to Dor.
'ow more
The idea that England would as
5ist Japan in an assault on. this 'coun-'
Try Is preposterous. The people who
have given, study to the problem .ad-
NIT, for the sake Of argument, the
,upposition that England would join
with Japan in a concerted movement
IN both the Atlantic and Pacific
Coasts Of the United States. Then
what? They might bottle up this
country, although there would be an
argument on the Atlantic Coast and
another on the Pacific before that:
happened. But the people who look
at the facts as they are, going further
n the argument, concedet the bottling
up. Then they point out that the
United States Is the only country IN
The world sufficient to itself, and If
England tried the experiment OF
oottling up this country she would
tut herself off from a very large pro-
portion of her own food supplies.
Meantime the United States, in
The extreme contingency that It lost
It's fleets, would build other fleets and
go out and regain it's prestige. The
United States has money, men, food
ind everything else to mtafntain1a
placid existence with all the fleets of
all the seas on its coasts, and would
also Immediately go across the border
and seize Canada, whfchis the choic-
est bit of suburban real estate Great
Britain has. There isn't an Amer
icarf living who thinks the Urited
States would ever capitulate fniacir-,
sumstances like these, and there isn't
IN American living who doesn't know
that, even if the Philippines and
Porto Rico and ports in Alaska and
sea coast cities were taken, the United
States would eventually get them all
back, and more, too, by force Of arms.
OF course these ~conjectures ara al
most fantastic, but the statements
hat call them out are the basis Of! the
talk that has been going on for the
past six months Of an invasion Of this
country by Japan, and the theory that
Great Britain is the hard and fast ally
Of that country.
So far as Japan herself Is con-
cerned she does not want fight with
anybody. Her public debt is. almost,
If not quite, as large as that of the
United States, and her territory Is
about as big as the State Of Califor.
mia. The greatest problem Japan
has now is, not to conquer any coun;
try, but to provide for the rapid In
crease in Japanese populations which
increase is 5000 a year.
Japan's navy, when you analyze It,
is not to be compared in any way
With any half of the American navy.
The alarmists say that Japan's navy
is in the Pacific and the navy of the
United States is not. That is perfect
ly true, but that portion of the United
States navy which might be needed
in the Pacific would be sent there.
Furthermore, the proposition OF
Japan bringing an invading force of a
size to do any particular damage
1000 miles has its %grotesque features
that apparently do not appeal to tho
people who are continually finding
war clouds over Nippon way.