The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-08-06
Russo-Jdpdnese Alliance
 Is Of Great Importance to
 Great Western Republic
By PHILIP PATCHEN

London, July 15.-It has been 1ong time since any encouragement or read justment of relations between two great nations has been so important to the interests of the United States as the recently concluded Russo-Japa- nese alliance. If there is Japanese menace for America, if Japans expan- sion in China and the Pacific is calcu- lated to conflict with the rights and aims of the United States, and it un- doubtedly is, the new arrangement is of great importance. First of all, 1t takes Russia off Japan's back. Japan can now turn her undivided attention to her affairs in China, wherein those portions already under Japanese con- trol the "open door, has been nailed shut, and to her plans for expansion in the Pacific ocean, plans which are ambitious. No longer need she fear the war of revenge from Russia, for the defeat of 1905. which the whole far east has been talking about for years and for which the Transsiberian railway was double tracked work now completed
 MASTER STROKE
 The new alliance is a master stroke for Japan. Russia, with her armed hordes, her doubled facilities of com munication between Europe and her far eastern possessions would, after this war, have been something for Japan constantly to worry about. With her armies of trained veterans Russia could again invade the east and fight Japan for an ice free outlet to the sea and domination In North China.
 The published terms of the alliance are two brief and simple articles, the first agreeing that neither country shall enter into any political arrange ment or combination against the other, and the second, that in case of tue territorial rights or special interests in the far east of "one of the contracting parties recognized by the other con- tracting party being threatened" the two will consult on meA sures to he taken for safeguarding and defending those rights and interests.
 These articles have been published. They are not all. as the agreement itself indicates. There are other se- cret articles; perhaps another secret agreement What has been published shows that beyond all doubt, even if | there were no other reasons for be- | lieving so. The text speaks of the territorial rights and special inter- ests" of each party recognized by the | other" yet there is no publication ot what those rights and interests are | They have been defined somewhere. and probably in more comprehensive | manner than ever before--probably, l too. they comprise claims on China In
 excess of any that have been publicly put forward. The partition of China is
 thing that has long been talked | about as somethinf that would some | Anx Enr 1tu1 <1>r (, s<
 has actually been taking place for the
 last five years. This new alliance is
 further step in that direction. Ger
 tainly Russia and Japan have reache1
 a decision momentous to China. The secrecy with which 1t is surrounded
 adds to its significance and impor. ! tance. t9s 4FS 1 WHAT HAS RUSSIA RECEIVED ! It would be interesting to know what Russia has received from Japan In re-
 turn for Russias invaluable participa-
 tion in this new arrangement. Russia
 has certainly not given this great boor
 for nothing. It is likely that the states
 men of the two countries have taken 2
 map and drawn across North China g
 line. marking out division of interests l control and ultimate ownership which
 the two nations shall have. Such a lint l was secretly drawn in 1912. It began al
 point just south of Vladivostock
 crossed Manchuria and went into Outel Mongolia, which Russia was then in thu process of grabbing, ending at place lcalled Ta-lai-huhsu. That line was drawn I know, but 1t has never been officially admitted by either side.
 Again. in 1912. there was a conference l in Paris of the banking interests oi England, America, Germany and France forming what was known as thu Quadruple Group, engaged in China anG then arranging an enormous reorganiza 1 ton loan to the new republic. A veal later President wilson withdrew his gov
 ernment's support from the American