The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-10-30
THE GREAT EDITORS IN.
VESTIGATIONS IN EUROPE
AND THE ORIENT
The Horrible German
"Frightfulness''
A Large and Appreciative Twin
Falls Audience Is Taken to
China and Japan; and the De-
wasted Districts of Europe.

The embodiment of intellectual ac-
cumen, of energy and of human SYM
pathy, in the person of Mr.. S. s. Nc
clure, the noted American (although
of Scotch descent, Mr.. Mcclure uses
no hyphen) editor and publicist, was
last Friday night appropriately and
gracefully introduced to a Twin Falls
audience that crowded the high school
auditorium, by Superintendent Hal. G..
Blue The stack of printed and writ
ten documents to which the lecturer
so frequently referred and from
which with a wonderful, unerring
skill he extracted in each instance the
precise one, attested the mass of orig
inal information acquired and also
bore witness to the fact that it had
been so thoroughly digested as to be
at his fingers, as well as at his
tonges, end
Remarking, prefatorily, that he pro-
posed to give two lectures; that he
should talk for at least an hour and
half, and that if any persons be-
came weary they were at liberty to go
out at any time, Mr.. Mcclure an
nounced Japan and the American fear
VI d JGllOW pei II db lilo IL 81 oaPJOCe
He went to Japan a few months ago
he stated, to see for himself as to the
situation there and conducted his in
vestigations fairly and carefully but
with an open mind. If you desire tC
know what to expect from any ma
ton, he continued, you can not de
pend upon the statements of this one
or that one, high or low; you mus
~. 4 t. tl,n ol OnndifInl
what are the necessities of that coun
try and people. Japan is an islant
nation and therefore has small nat
ural security. e., is open to cas-,
attack by other nations. 1t is also {
poor nation; it's chief source of sup
port being agriculture, with only one
half the arabic land to be found il
Nebraska alone from which to sup
port sixty millions of people. Thi'
phase of his subject was enlarged
upon, with numerous striking com
parisons-the total area of Japan be
| ing about that of California and lesl
than that of Texas, with only one
sixth of the whole susceptible to cul
tivation. The farms hardly averaging
two acres, poorly support a single
family, and there is no land left fol
| the next generation.
He then referred to its mineral de
posits, or rather to the lack of them
since copper alone is found in othe
than negligible quantities. Both irol
and coal are very scarce, so that ray
material must be imported for almos
all manufacturers. Tea, silk and pot
terry are its chief exports and the bal
ance of trade is ever on the wron
- - IaA TTndnr those cir
cumstances, the safety and prosperit
of Japan depend absolutely upon tn
freedom of the seas; and since sh
can not herself command a larg
navy, must depend upon friendly re
lations with maritime nations-upo
the navies of England and the Unite
States. She can live only by carry
ing on her shipping and if she shoul
become involved in a war that woul
drive her vessels from the seas, stai
vation would Immediately ensue. Th
statesmen of Japan know these thing
and therefore are sincere in their pro
testations of friendship for the Unite
States.
Japan has the worst newspapers 0
earth. The press is absolutely unr'
liable. Most of the Americans VIII
have studied the Japanese questio
have drawn their conclusions frol
the papers, but these do not represeI
! the thought of the nation. What the
,, has caused the great illusion
Americans and Europeans as regard
the far eastern question. Any natio
can invade China In China toda
any man with 1000 or 5000 soldier
|, can go to almost any city and loot
, A year ago the United States was a
most in that condition. 1t was an il
credible and absurd condition. 1t VIZ
easy with these conditions to mai
, people anxious in regard to aggre
sion by Japan. When l was in &c
many last year | was frequently II
formed and from sources that no
the highest respect, that the Unite
States was bound to enter war vii
Japan. Now, l am not prepared
say that there could not be cond
tions under which Japan would
able to give the United States serioi
trouble, but / think it is not with
the bounds of any possibility or pro
ability that the condition will ever
such, as far as we can see the futur
THAT Japan can ever, if she wanted
cause any serious embarrassment
the United States.
Japan was represented as a we
governed country. High tribute vi
4, paid to her people and especially Il
ruling classes-her present premic
Count Terauohi. being given very hif
rank among the great statesmen
the world In the wisdom of the