Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-06
ONCE IN, JAPANESE ARE
NOT LIKELY TO COME OUT
Writer Wonders if World Would Be
Willing to Enter Another Great
War to Save Siberia.
GLANCE FAR INTO FUTURE
Possibility That the Interests of
Japan and Germany in Far East
May Become Identical-World
Must Face Facts.
BY FRANK II. SIMoNDS.

~ fhANh II. SIMONDS.
Copyright 1918, by the Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate-)
i There are two phases of the present
Japanese proposal, which must be faced
frankly and squarely, both by the
United States and the other nations al
lied against Germany. The first is that
if Japan chooses to intervene in Siberia
there is no power in the world that can
today prevent such Intervention. The
second is that if Japan occupies Nladi-
vostok and the Pacific coast of Siberia.
there is small prospect that she can be
persuaded to evacuate that territory un-
less the world, after having defeated
Germany. feels able and willing TO un
dertake such another war as ejecting ia
pan would involve.
The truth is that Russia has broken
down just as Turkey broke down two
centuries ago. just as Poland broke
down century and a half ago. and the
consequences of the breakdown are again
to be found in the action of the adjoin-
ing nations. Russia is the biggest
single stretch of European territory
which has been opened to invasion and
partition since the Roman empire fell.
and. today Russia is in the same posi-
ton as the Roman empire, when at last
it was no longer able to defend itself.
| Germany and Austria are invading
western Russia. they have already occu-
pied Poland and the Baltic provinces:
they are now cutting still more deeply
into what was Russia before the first
partition of Poland For. Turkey Ger
many is demanding Kars and Batum on
- 1.,r- Aott~ l.x,ss
illuminating in the invasion and oceu-
patton of Finland has long been fore
shadowed and may begin at any time.
! japanese Policy in World War.
Japanese policy during the world war
has been simple if not entirely to the lik-
ing of the allied nations. The Japanese
| were ready and willing to join with the
British in ejecting the Germans from
China. Every European nation removed
from the Chinese field represents step
in the direction Of the realization of Jap
anese ambition. which is to dominate the
far east and eliminate all European and
American rivals. But when the question
became one of sending japanese troops to
Europe to aid the allies Japan did not stir
and will not stir. unless the compensations
offered are sufficient, and the compensa-
tions have always been the surrender by
bases in the far east
Today the Russian collapse offers
Japan the chance to continue the work
! which she was compelled to Law aside
in the Manchurian war because she
lacked the financial strength to push
that war and faced both bankruptcy
and defeat if she continued. Now, with
little real fighting and with no serious
opposition from the great powers. she
can resume the work of occupying
Russian territory in the far east and
Pacific to Lake BaikaL That she will
surrender what she takes now save
under pressure too great for her to re-
sist, is unbelievable.
Further than this. by occupying east
ern lands, once Russian. Japan will ar
rive at place where her natural in
terests may easily become the same as
the German and the Austrian. For if
Germany and Austria are able at the
close of this war to annex much of
western Russia. then they will be
vitally interested in preventing the
later rehabilitation of Russia, and
Japan, holding eastern Siberia, quite
as much Germany holding the Baltic
provinces and Poland. will be opposed
to anything that would contribute to
the restoration of Russian strength
because this would mean a return OF
Russian pressure on all her frontiers
1t is well TO face the facts A new
eastern question has been born out of
the Russian revolution. Russia has,
through the bolsheviki, been reduced to
the condition of Poland in the latter
half of the eighteenth century And
once Poland had become helpless there
began those partitions which ended in
erasing roland from the map of Eu-
rope After Poland had been erased.
then 1t was the common policy of all
three of her despoilers, Russia Ger
many ana Austria. to prevent any stir
ring OF Polish national spir,t and to
suppress all Polish aspirations.
| Chanoe
Now Japan. if she occupies any por-
tion OF Siberia. will inevitably come Tn
have common policy with the central
powers provided they are able to keen
possession of Russian soil And the ad-
dition of Japan to the German alliance
not IN the present war, but in the fu
ture' Will mean one of the profoundest
changes IN International relations which
IL Is possible to imagine. But this is a
chahge which German Writers and
statesmen have long forecast and oman
ly sought, notably in the Zimmerman
proposal before the United States en-
tered the war Gil
. Were the allies ahle to ya,o -
nese action, it is plain that their wisest
posSlple course would be to prevent ~
BUT theS nave no power, and it is idle
to pllhh the fact that force has become
the soie test of policy at the present
hour. III Japan insists, and she has
every reason for insisting then protest
will be futile. and there is nothing bn,
, protest left for the allies. who arc f,,,I,l
. occupied elsewhere oiiS
The single possibility. which holds out
measure or reinsurance, particularly
for the "a United States. is that the ex-
pense and the effort which Invasion
CONQUEST and organization of eastern
Siberia VIII insure may absorb all Japa-
nese eHort for the next genera tion at
the least, and thus remove the possibiI.