The Elk Mountain pilot., 1917-10-25


ship of the United States because she has not
other friend in all the world because she occupies
"A position of cruel and dangerous isolation Her
statesmen, when they look forward to that day
of the congress of nations which shall remake
tortured world know that things stand now
they Will find at the council board suspicion
where they desire sympathy. They know that
there Is none to whom they can turn with any
comfortable certainty of support-unless 1t be
America. Can they win the friendship of Amer
ica, friendship based on mutual trust and liking?
Only such friendship will avail them
Official Records Ignore Isolation.
The story of the isolation Of Japan, of the
paradox of the member of the great alliance
against the central powers who is without a
friend is not to be found in official documents,
but Its truth is nevertheless indsputabe.
When war came. three years ago. the states
men of Japan believed that Germany would be
defeated In six months. In other words, they
played" the allies to win. and win quickly, and
they acted accordingly. They demanded the
uation OF Shantung by Germany. they invested
and took kiaOchau and they made naval dispO-
stions In the waters of the far East which were
of undoubted assistance to the British admiralty.
The aggregate effort involved was relatively small
but 1t ranged Japan, as her statesmen thought, on
the winning side. and they felt they could afford
Indifference to the bitterness and the hostility
thus caused In Germany.
Japan's Early Part In the War.
Then, the months went by, with their ever
recurring stories of German success on land, the
statesmen of Japan were haunted by the fear that
they had backed the wrong horse. Little by little,
therefore, they allowed the ardor of their cham
pionship of the allied cause to weaken. The gov
ernmcnt of Japan did not move much as its
little finger when powerful section of the press
over which 1t exercises complete control became
openly contemptuous of the chances of Entente
victory, when the attacks upon Great Britain grew
daily In volume and bitterness, when the Anglo
japanese houted and strong pro-German
tone became everywhere apparent. Nor did the
government of Japan associate tself-save in
tnrdy and lukewarm way-with the commercial
measures against Germany which the allies con-
certed and carried out. Japan in those days Of
fered the extraordinary spectacle of country mt
war with Germany, but notably prO-German In
feeling Small wonder that, as this condition of
affairs and its inner meaning came home to Great
Britain and France, they grew suspicious and re-
sentful.
Developments outside Japan We're not of sort
to aay this suspicion and resentment In
Kiaochau and throughout Shantung 1t soon be-
came clear that Japan intended long stay. and
proposed clSo that much more than the lions
share of the benefit of that stny should accrue to
her The British and the French found n hundred
little hindrances there-nothing large enough In
any single Instance to make dignifed complaint
possible hut enough all told to exert very pow
erful effert
In China generally. the allies of Japan had to
realize that their preoccupation with the conduct
of the war furnished opportunity which Japan
promptly and very cynically took Japanese ng-
creSSiOn became more marked tnhn ever JapaIleSe
demands upon poor. disrupted China were unend-
ing The nations of Europe and with them the
United StateS. could nothing in this but
desire on the part of Japan to make profit out OF
the embarrassments of others-a selfish and un-
inst profit said the cmbittered critics. The states
men of Japan Indifferent to this criticism
They saw German victory approaching and they
wore strengthening themselves against that day.
For they had another card up their sleeve
They had before them the possibility-indeed, 1t
was at one time probability-that separate
peace would be concluded between Germany and
Russia and that Immediately thereafter Ger
man -Russian-Japanese alliance would be con-
cluded a pact between countries contiguous in
territory a pundcrbund to ne conducted Oh the
autocratic principle TO which all We're loyal
MachsvelIianism Astray.
And the months wore on however and 1915 drew
to n close this faith in full German victory weak
ened The strategy of the allies was Increasingly
coherent and effective, the Britain they had con-
de,nned WIS making gigantic enort anu was
nchicvinr IN unexpected and admirable national
cfic'- there was anNiet! Ill '''e eou">''.
,.,r ant? ~onized Germany, they had