Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-02-07

newspapers to exageerate everything
connected with the relations of the two
into crises. scares and sensations.
1t will be recalled in this connection
that some Of the opposition newspapers
have insisted that President Roosevelt
and Secretary Root were seeking to
impress California senator's and rep
resentatives in Congress with the idea
that their course has already brough.
the two countries dangerously near to
war and that there is probability that
Pacific slope sentiment will persist in
it's stand against the Japanese though
it means war with the island empire.
Washington advices declare to be un-
qualifedly false the assertion that
President Roosevelt has summoned to
Washington certain officials connected
with the San Francisco school system
war between them now or in the fu-
ture. Moreover it is stated that the
administration regards with undis
guised Impotence the efforts OF some
in order to scare them by dangling
war skeleton before their eyes.
Under the circumstances, however, it
is perhaps not strange that our mill
tary authorities have taken some cog
military and naval journals have dis
cussed the situation from various
standpoints. Here for example is a
possibility growing out of the alliance
between England and Japan which
| would compel either one to go to the
support of the other in the event of
war as discussed by the Army and
Navy Journal:
What Great Britain would do in case
her ally, Japan. should become involved
in war with the United States is a
matter Of considerable speculation In
Canada as we'll as in this country.
/ opinion that if Great Britain should
join hands with Japan in such a strug
I gle Canada might easily become the
1 II
poet which is distinctly distnsteful to
our northern neighbors. In the course
Of thoughtful discussion of this mat
! ter our excellent contemporary, the
| Canadian Military Gazette, remarks:
THAT Canada should be made the bat
tleground of such struggle, simply
because the United States had offended
Japanese pride, or less simply because
Japan coveted what the republic held
in the Orient, seems absurd, or would
seem so but for the existence of a
treaty, an explicit term OF which might
at any time bring just such a state of
| things about. With her immense from
tier adjoining the United States; with
her million sons within its boundaries
with the hundreds of thousands of
Americans coming into Canada to set
tie her waste places and develop her
great natural resources, this country
has a right to be heard. At the com
ing colonial conference our rcpresen-
tatves could not do a better stroke
for the empire as whole and for
Canada in particular, than quietly but
firmly to urge such a modification of
clause as would place the whole OF
AINtflcd DcSoIu lie SpIelt VI It's op-
erations."
Some authorities are inclined to re-
gard with uneasiness and suspicion the
existence Of an alliance of this charac-
ter between Japan and Great Britain
but we are Inclined to regard it as one
of the greatest possible safeguards that
could be devised to prevent hostilities
between this country and Japan. 1t is
to be taken for granted that the Uni
ted States would not declare war upor
Japan and it is equally certain that
England would do everything possible
in her power within reason to prevent
the precipitation Of just such a situa-
ton as our Canadian cousins are con-
fronting in connection with the posi-
bility Of war under an alliance which
makes them help to fight Japan's bat
ties.
So long as Came dian territory is Ii.
able to become a battle ground in {
fight between Japan and the United
States, as strange as that may sound
so long will Great Britain use every
recourse in her power to prevent sucl
an outbreak