The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-02-18
A Ncw Japanese war scare.

Ambassador Takahira has arrived with
peaceful words upon his lips He thinks
war between the United States and Japan
would be crime against civilization. and
declares war talk ninteligible 70 him.
| But when he said this Baron Takahira
had not read the newspapers. for If he
had he would have heard OF a number of
more or less ineligible reasons why we
may be compelled to fight Japan The
/ baron had In mind that little controversy
over the immigration question. nov hap
PLY settled. and. OF course. affording no
cause OF war. II IS not immigration that
We are TO quarrel about. your exceIlency.
but Manchuria What war clouds may
We not conjure up over Manchuria, The
/ japanese, one paper tells us are bound
I 20 gain possession Of Manchuria by dip
lomauc subterfuge" if necessary. and
when they do. China viii call on us to
Dust the foreigner. Luckily for us. the
( ileet viii be- right where il can be used
and, OF course, we shall clear decks for
action.
Now. we should be the last to say that
trouble may not come out of Manchuria
some day. There is no question that Man
chuia has infinite possibilities as a
/ trouble-breeder. But why should we Dor
row any Of the trouble? Three powers
Z are acutely interested in that vast Chinese
/ province-Russia. Japan. and China. As
( Russia stiIl holds the northern portion OF
/ it. Japan is not likely to acquire pos
| session of the whole OF the province
without fight and the Chinese are per
/ tinaciously holding their ground where
/ they have re-established civil government.
/ Suppose. however, that Japan is unwill-
/ ing to give over control OF that portion
/ of Manchuria adjacent TO the railway
and that she seeks TO extend her sphere
/ Of influence; what interest have we in
either Of these developments? II is said
/ that the powers. including Japan. are
verbally committed to the late Secretary
/ Hays policy of preserving the admins
/ trative entity of China. and that the
| division Of Manchuria would be a viola
ton Of this agreement. to enforce which
we should be willing TO fight.
The absurdity Of this idea becomes
manifest when We recall that the term
/ administrative entity" is one Of those
DELIGHTFULLY."- indefinite phrases by which
! diplomatic exchanges are so often cbarac.
/ terized. and by means Of which Mr.. Hay
was able to obtain an international ac-
I cord impossible of achievement on 2
/ more definite basis Mr. Hay averted III.
! possible Acknowledgement Of China. but Al
| the very moment Russia was i'm practical
/ possession of Manchmia, and shortly
/ thereafter began her aggressions beyond
the Yalu, which led to the Russo-Jap-
/ anese war and the expulsion of the Rus.
! SLAMS from Southern Manchuria. Ruseia's
/ adherence to the Hay policy did not
! loosen her hold on that province. MOI
was there any thought then of our COINS
/ 70 war for the purpose of ousting her
I Why should there be now any talk OF
| oustins Japan if China calls on Us 10 dC
so? Is the administrative entity of China
any worse Off to-day than it was wher
| Mr. Hay interviewed? II anything II has
/ been strengthened, so that China is bet
ter able to resist aggression than ever
before.
We judge il Will be long time before
we so 10 war with any country on the
ground that the administrative entity o,
China is threatened by the tripartite con
/ test that is going on over the control Of
Manchuria. But Baron Takahira should
not be alarmed if ne hears a good deal OF
newspaper talk about it, The war scar,
now hovers over Manchuria. and Shang
! hal rumors fly thick and fast,