The sun., 1908-02-21
The Hon. whitelaw Reid on the An
KlO-Japanese Alliance.

At a dinner in this town on Wednesday
evening the American Ambassador near
the Court Of st. James's expressed him
self as follows, according'to the report
-nfslis remarks which was printed yes
terday morning by the Tribune:
Il am not forgetting the nonsense you have
road In the Sensational press about the obligations
Of Great Britain 70 sustain japan In war against
the United StSsss- II all that ignorant and foolish
talk were not mSChievous you might dismiss Il as
merely another bis OF yellow moOnshIne.
The treaty between Great Britain and Japan sim.
ply provides that In case OF aggression JSpSns
recognized territorial rights In the East Great
BrtAin would sustain her. Nov. what grown
man. outside OF lunSto asylum. dreams that VIC
have such hunger for more land that we are going
TO cross the Pacihc and rob one of our oldest aud
truest friends In the further East"
TIE sun In aware that il has no right
10 speak for the sensational press, and
We hold no brief for the defence Of that
branch Of our profession when it is
charged at the after dinner table with
eccentricity Of conduct or extravaganza
OF statement. But we confess that we
are somewhat surprised at the facility
Of phrase with which the American Am
bassador near the Court of st. James's
disnisses that provision Of the Lans-
downe-H -Hayashi treaty Of August II.
1905, which was published to the world
about six weeks later and was exhibited
in black face type on September 81 lin
the columns Of the Tribune:
-ARr1cIH u.-shOuld either Of the high con-
tracing parties be involved In war In defence Of
It's territorial rights special Interests the other
party will onoe come 70 the assistance tits ally
and both parties VIII conduct a war In common
sud make peace In mutual agreement with any
Power or Powers involved in such war"
This is the exact text Of the article
which the American Ambassador inter-
prets as signifying that the Anglo-Jap-
anese alliance can concern US only in the
event Of our sending an expedition
across the Pacific with the avowed pur-
pose OF robbing Japan OF some Of her
territory; and that, inasmuch as the
undertaking OF war for so crudely pred
Btory a purpose is inconceivable, the
operation Of the provisions Of this treaty
in any way to affect the United States
is practically impossible.
We wonder II that simple and salts
factory construction of Article IT, is en-
tertained at Toxic.
IL is well known that the words "spe-
cial interests in the foregoing article
refer back TO the third clause OF the pre-
smble. which specifies as one Of the OBJ
Jects Of the alliance the maintenance of
the territorial rights OF the high con-
tracing parties in the regions Of eastern
Asia and Of India, and OF the defence Of
their special interests in the said region. &"
The fallacy Is apparent OF Mr.. REIDs
theory that nothing short Of hostilfties
frankly and openly prosecuted for the
acquisition Of Japan's territory can ever
put the martial provisions Of the treaty
into effect against the United States
Two allies, thus pledged, as the Tribune
has we'll expressed it, "to constrained
unity Of action ara not going to wait
till the war is over in order 10 determine
whether It was or was not intended as a
land grabbing war.
We look upon serious trouble between
the United States and Japan as an In
tsllectusl conception only less deteStable
than that OF the impairment Of friendly
relations between Great Britain and
ourselves. The Hon. WHIrELAw REID
does not abhor either idea more in
tensely than THE SUN does. We see
nothing In the future more likely than