Weekly Nome industrial worker. (Nome, Alaska) 1918-1919, 1918-12-21

ANY person who in the least under
stands world politics must be aware
that the security of the peace signed
at the conclusion of the present war
will be dependent largely upon the ar
rangements made with respect to the
East generally and the Far East IN
particular. BY the East is implied,
especially, European Russia, the Bal
kans, and the Turkish Empire in Eu-
rope and Asia; by the Far East, ST.
IBERIA, the Republic of China and the
Japanese Empire. 1t is because of
the obviousness of this that Mr. Will
son and Mr.. Balfour have been so in
s:stent in Their declarations that there
must be return to the status quo
ante bellum in Russia. 1t is because
of this that it is realized that the pas
sage of the Dardanelles will, in flu
ture, have to be neutralized, and that
protection of the most adequate de-
scription must be given to the Armel-
ians and all other Christian peoples
of Asia Minor But when all this has
been provided for, and it can be easily
enough provided for, there still re-
mains the danger of the Far East, and
if the conditions in the Far East are
not grappled with, and put on a bass
of absolute justice, there will remain
an opportunity for future wars which
will be almost inexcusable owing to
the political cowardice with which it
has been provided.
The Republic of China and the
Empire of Japan are both allies Of the
Allies. Tuan Chi-iui. the Prime Min
listed of China, is a typical statesman
of that country. He is perhaps some
what slow in Judging, but he judges
with peculiar discernment. and in ad-
diton to this he possesses a natural
ability for reading men and events.
as we'll as an innate sence of that in
teGrity in public and private dealing.
which is so characteristic of the
Chinese as a nation When he de-
termined to sever political relations
with Berlin, he made one of the most
momentOus decisions that China has
been forced to make in recent years.
He made it, however, after weighing
every consideration, and there can be
hot ,.;r
in the conclusions he then came to-
China, which has been a neutral ma
ton, became an ally OF the western
powers, and so by single stroke Of
he pen was placed on an equality with
Japan in the councils and the deter
limitations of those powers. Now it
is not too much to say that the rela-
lions of China and Japan leave some
thing to be desired on the part of
China. Little by little Japan has en-
croached on the sovereign power of
the President 1t has done this ter
ritorially in Manchuria, it has done
it economically at Hankow, and 1t
would of course be perfectly easy to
give numerous other examples.
II may be, it is no doubt, indeed,
perfectly true that Japan has not
treated China worse than the western
powers have treated those weaker
powers with whom they have been
brought in contact. But the diff
Guilty of Japan, in this respect, is the
difficulty of Germany. Germany pro-
posed to do in the Twentiern Century
what she herself and other countries
did with impunity in the Seventeenth
and the Eighteenth, and even in the
Nineteenth Century But early in the
Twentieth Century there was mani
tested one of those extraordinary
changes which take place in the con-
seriousness of the world. This does
not mean that the causes which pro-
duced he manifestation only began