The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-28
'|S MUCH DISCUSSION AS ID D|SPATCH|NG JAP ARMY ID EUROPE Movement On Foot to Dis patch Volunteer Corps
 10000 Strong VARIED OPINIONS
 EXPRESSED IN PRESS Some Declare That Japan Should Wait Until Assistance Is Asked By
 Allies. While Others Urge
 Proffering of Aid

Allies, While Others Urge
 PrOffering of Aid
 Ioklo, February 1.-tCorrespondence oi the Associated Press.)-- question oi sending an army to Europe to assist the allies continues to be vigorously discussed by the Japanese public Meantime con siderable interest has been caused by the issuance of a manifesto by the promoters or movement to dispatch a volunteer corps. The ambition is to send an army corps comprising two infantry divisions ana one artillery corps as We'll as cavalry about 10000 in all. The promoters claim to have 400 men enlisted already and have sent out call for funds.
 What is said to interest the allies, how ever, is not the question of q volunteer corps, but the dispatch of an. army ot 4co,o00 or 5O0,o0O by the empire, and this question is still an open one.
 The manifesto of the voluntary promo ters follow:
 Manifesto of Promoter
 Peace is coveted by all nations of the world; war is the object of universal hatred and is a curse to the world. The war in Europe has turned the whole european continent into q great battle field and the disasters occurring from the conflagration are spreading unavoidable calamity to humanity in every nook and corner of the world. Each and every liv- ing soul who is anxious about the peace or the world and the welfare of man. kind is worried about this state of things Great Britain, France Russia and Bel gum are fighting for the common ob- Ject to extripate the root of the menace to the worlds peace and reinstate the world in the condition of happiness and tranquility.
 We, Japanese, who are bound with them by alliance or by convention, though living in distant climes and of different race. cannot but entertain profound sym pathy with those nationals, who are bravely fighting for the cause of human ity and civilizatlo History furnishes neny noble examples of patriots who helped other nationals fighting for the lefty cause of independence and liberty such as Lafayette in the American Inde- pence, Lord Byron in the Independence of Greece and Garibaldi in the Franco lrus- sian war
 ''We. the sons of the land of Yamato
 
 nation) have been and are known as a nation of chivalry, loving justice and righteousness for which we are always Willing to sacrifice ourselves and all our own. We feel it our duty to assist our European compatriots in their hard task to chastise the disturber of the world $ peace, and to accelerate the termination of the war and thereby restore the world $ peace as speedily as possible. With this object in vf~w we have decided to or gsnize volunteer army corps and join the allied armies to support their noble work for the extirpation of the sources of the menace to the worlds peace. By this, We believe. we will be discharging our duties for the cause of humanity and Justice. Also we wish to show the world the chivalrous spirit and bravery of the Japanese nation.
 Tn this sense we appeal to our fellow ccuntrymen. who are anxious for the happiness and welfare of humanity and the restoration of the worlds peace to come and join us.''
 Strongly expressed opinion both for and against sending Japanese army to Eu- rope Is found in the Japanese press.
 Varied Opinion By Newspapers
 The Osaka Mainichi remarks that al- though it has repeatedly drawn attention to the impossbility of sending Japanese troops to Europe it is to be regretted that there are still not a few who seri- ously favor the project of actively help ing the allies. The paper continues:
 What most troubles us, however. is the apprehension increasingly entertained in England and in France as to our mo- tiFes in the event of our assisting the allies. This apprehension is largely due to the reckless and ilnprudent manner Tn which some of us have insisted on Japan sending an army to Europe
 To our thinking, those who consider 1t necessary to help the allies at the present moment do not represent the real opinion of our people and ignore the posi- ton which we occupy in our relation to other nations. Should the allied na- ticns really be in need of our arms, their respective governments will communicate formally with our government. It is not tho attitude of patriotic people. with the peace of the world at heart. to cause ill feeling among our friends by insisting on the necessity of assisting the allies. Japan is confronted with several impor- tant questions relating to tho far east which await urgent settlement and the allied nations would do well to remember that she cannot afford to send her troops to Europe"
 The Tokio Yorodzu. on the other hand. prints an editorial in the French language and points out that Japanese participation would be accepted with joy by France, which has never raised or troubled itself with the question of races. England and Russia. far from opposing the scheme. thought the newspaper would be equally happy at Japanese assistance. The writer dds: 'On the day we decide to act in Europe we will receive from the allies a formal guarantee of advantages which will in- 1emnify us for all sacrifices AS to the question of transports that has certainly already been settled for the Ang1o-Japan- ssc alliance has always suggested the pos ,ihilfty of Japanese intervention in India IS an ally of Great Britain" The journal points out that Japanese participation would hasten the end of the great war, which is so terrible even for neutral countries where stagnation of business increases from day to day and general misery is piling up.
 It concludes that the military interven- ion of Japan is not only possible, but necessary for tha good of Japan and he good of the World.
 Worth Trying
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