New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-16
GREAT BRITAIN, JAPAN AND
AMERICA.

The revision Of the Anglo-Japanese
treaty Of alliance, which should be sur
prising only in the prOmptness with
which it has been effected, is highly
gratifying from at least two points OF
view. 1t should certainly serve to re-
assure those timOrOuS souls who nave
seen in the alliance menace to Amer
lea, involving us In war with England
the moment that the wicked and am
bilious Japanese got ready to undertake
the conquest Of Wake and Guam, and,
incidentally, of the Philippines, Hawaii
and California. There has really been
little more danger Of such compiled
ton than there is of wholesale capture
of larks through the falling of the sky
The prospect of war with Japan is too
remote for rational speculation, while
the possibility of England's entering
such a war If ii occurred is somewhat
less than infinitesimal. Nevertheless, 1t
is agreeable to have even the technical
Potentially of the thing eliminated, as
has now been done.
In the second and larger sense 1T is
gratifying to have this revision effected
because thus the immensely important
principle is established of the superiority
of arbitration to alliance. The treaty
Of arbitration between the United King
dom and the United States will be para
mount to the treaty of defensive alliance
between the United Kingdom and
Japan. That means that diplomacy fol-
peacemaking is superior TO diplomacy
for warmaking. The value of that tc
the world is obvious. 1t is objected, II
is true. that any nation might use this
principle as q means of evading the
obligations of an ally simply by making
treaty Of arbitration with the power
with which its ally was about to engage
| in war. That seems largely fantastic
but so far as it may be practical we
should welcome it rather than deplore
I il. for surely no nation ought TO enter q
war in which it has no heart and no In
lterest. If the result Of this Anglo-Jap
anese example shall be TO move nations
generally TO forsake offensive and de-
| fensive alliances in favor of compacts
/ for the peaceful adjudication or arbitra
tlon Of disputes the world will be the
gamer.
1t is fitting to recognize the fineness
and beneficenCe Of the achievement
which is to be credited to British dlplo
macy. and to that consistent and con
| tinuous British diplomacy which stands
superior to domestic party changes. II
was once said that the advent OF delnoc
racv in England a generation ago, had
made governmental policy unstable and
had thus impaired the diplomatic pres
| tige of the kingdom. Yet here is an I'M
1ortant treaty of alliance which had
been maintained and confirmed ana eA-
tended under three separate ana radl'
callv differing administrations. a poicy
which was begun by Lord RoseDery,
continued by Lord Lansdowne ana re-
newed and extended by Sir Edward
Grey has an assurance or staDlilty
which could scarcely be elsewhere sur
passed. The value of that policy III
maintaining peaceful and equlta Dc
status 0uO in the Far East could hardly
he overestimated. The revision OF the
treaty which has now been made re-
tains 10 the full all the benetcent char-
acteristics Of the original convention
while il makes changes which material
! " strengthen the influences Tor peace
and friendship between the slgna'orieS
and other powers. 1t is a noble wore
for the doors of it and for the worlo.