Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-18
WHY JAPANESE
ACTION SEEMS
DANGER SIGNAL

The possessions of the United States
in the Pacific Ocean in order from
the continental mainland westward
are The territory of Hawaii, Midway
Island, Guam in the Ladrones, the
Philippines.
German possessions in the Pacific
are the Marshall Islands, the Caro-
lines, the Ladrones, the New Guinea
colony, including the Bismarck Ar
chipelago, and Buka and Bougain-
vile, the most northerly of the Sol
ONION Islands, and in the South Ger
man Samoa.
Should Japan and Germany not
compose their difficulties which have
led to the delivery of an ultimatum
by Toxic, all these lands would lie
open to attack and possible seizure by
Japan. This would establish an al
formation of American and japanese
interests athwart the Pacific. Count
ing westward from Hawaii, the first
wedge would be Japanese Marshalls
between American Hawaii and Amer
lean Guam. At Guam would be jap
anese Ladrones across narrow
channel. Between American Guam
and American Philippines would be
interjected another wedge in Japan
ese Carolines.
It is scarcely to be supposed that
Japan could declare its intention Of
interjecting itself into a European
war on the score of it's British al
lance without having obtained the
approval of Great Britain. In like
wise it is not conceivable that Great
Britain would approve a course which
on its face would be regarded as
|. H., would
be regarded with extreme disfavor by
its own dependency of Australia. It
appears probable that in diplomatic
exchanges between London, Toxic
and Washington, Great Britain must
have given the United States salts
factory assurances that the sphere OF
a possible japanese activity would
not include those islands which, at
the beginning of the war in Europe,
We're in German possession. This
would leave as of interest to Wash
ington only the question of the open
door in China and the integrity of
that new republic, a question, now
of little more than academic interest.
Kiao- Chau, the Chinese port whose
possession has become the issue on
which depends the possibility that
Japan may be drawn into the gigan-
tic conflict of the European powers,
has been a German protectorate
since 1897. Leased from the Chinese
Empire in that year because of the
German claim that it's possession was
needed to safeguard German inter
ests in the Far East, and taken by
Germany in spite of Japanese pro-
test, the virtual German ownership
of the port and the territory sur
rounding it has since been a real
thor, in tho eide af Tanan
The Japanese practically regarded
it as belonging to Nippon by right
of conquest-a part of those spoils of
war which should have come to ia
pan as the reward of the Island EN-
pire's success in the war with China.
But Germany and England and Rus
STA had other ideas about Japan s
aseendency in China, and the Nip
ponese had to forego not only Kiao-
Chau but Port Arthur as well, and
had to stand by while Germany
seized Kiao-Chau, England took Wei
Hal Wei, France occupied the Bay
of Kwang- Chu, and Russia LEASED"
Port Arthur and Talliewan.
Russia was the first to relinquish
later the territory thus gained at the
expense of Japan, when Nippon sue
eeeded in that Russo-Japanese con-
fiict of a half-dozen years ago. Ger
manys star has since been climbing
in the Far East, and that Japan
should move now against German
influences there and demand that
China be given back Kiao-Chau is to
be expected.
Later territorial negotiations led up
to the celebrated "open door" dec
laration. While England had long
urged the policy of equal opportuni-
ties for all nations in Chinese trade,
the United States accomplished the
first broad recognition of that prin-
ciple. AS a result, Great Britain,
Germany France, Italy, Russia and
Japan, early in 1900, acquiesced in
guaranteeing the treaty rights of the
United States, and thus, through the
most favored nation clause, the
treaty rights of other nations in
China should remain unimpaired in
the territory, except military or ma
val stations, acquired or leased by
each power, and that goods Of the
treaty powers should continue to be
admitted on equal terms with those
of the nation newly in possession.
Great Britain and Germany supple
mented this, on October is, 1900, by a
definite agreement between them to
uphold the policy of an open door in
China, to abstain from seizure OF
territory themselves, and to influence
other governments. as far as possible,
to the same end. The Anglo-Japa-
nese alliance of February, 1902, Tor
the protection of their respective in
terests in ChiRa and Korea, was an
other factor - great Importance. =. =