Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-02-04
JAPAN AT THE PEACE CONFERENCE.

japan is a heather nation so called in Christ
ian countries, but it sets an example OF mgh
standards of national ethics which may well
put the Christian nations to shame IN statlng
it's demands for indemnities and concessions
growing out Of the war. Japan was one OF the
early beligerents in the great world war IL
promptly followed its ally, Great Britain, ~
declaring war against Germany. It polced the
Pacific ocean for the allies It landed an army
in Kia Chua bay and Wrested the Shan luhg
peninsula from Germany at considerable cos1
in life and money to itself That territory was
taken from China by Germany as part q lhe
Boxer war indemnity by Germany. IL was neld
by the latter country a nlnety-nlne year
lease from China, and the Germans made no
secret Of their intention to keep t forever aiiu
make it base for further exploitation OF emma
in the future. The Japanese have announced
their willingness to give up this territory they
won by CONQUEST from the Germans to the or
iginaI owners of it, the Chinese. They ask Tor
no territory as a result Of the war anywhere,
except few small and comparatively worthless
islands in the Pacific, north of the equator
which they took from Germany during the war
and which are of some value to Japan as coal
ing stations for their Pacific fleet They ask
for no territory from China and none from Rus-
sia They profess their willingness to AID Rus
sia in military way, but only on the invitation
of Russia itself The Japanese attitude at the
peace conference is moderate IN the extreme, ana
apparently much more unselfish than that OF
most of the Christian nations there represent
ed. We have always thought that the Japan
ese should have more territory to expand on
in Asia They have nearly fifty million people
crowded on a little island not any larger than
the state of California. It is not capable OF
supporting such a population except IN poverty
on its own resources. That corpels the Japan
ese to be trading nation and manufacturing
nation if it would increase its wealth to point
where its people may live in comfort and pros
perity. 1t must follow the example Of Great
Britain and live BY commerce and trade with
the world if its people are TO prosper and grow
rich. 1t would be far better for the United
States and Great Britain, which are also man
ufacturing and trading nations if Japan had
northern Manchuria or some other thinly set
tied country, to keep its surplus population busy
creating new wealth from the soil rather than
to force them into competition with ourselves as
q manufacturing and trading nation. We DO
this if we try to prevent their territorial eX-
mansion and annexation Of undeyelOped areas IN
Asia The true policy of the United States 50
far as our selfish interests dictates IS to encOur
age Japanese territorial expansion IN ASIA rath-
er than to discourage it.
So far our policy has been the reverse of this.
We have taken sort of dog in the manger at
attitude toward Japanese territorial expansion.
japan is a sea power and a colonial power, like
Great Britain, only in very much smaller way,
of course. If she is to grow rich IN the future
and the economic condition OF her citizens be
vastly improved she must make money by ocean
carrying and by manufacturing goods and sell
ing them to foreign nations. She cannot grow
rich on the products Of the soil OF Japan. There
is not enough Of it, even under the intensive
cultivation and utilization that prevails in Jap
an. to do more than provide a very meager exist
ence to its teeming population Japan is there
fore driven to the sea as means Of adding to
its wealth, and to manufacture and foreign
trade by the urge Of economic law. 80 tar as
we aid in keeping Japan cooped up IN her pres
ent crowded quarters SO far as land Is concerned
we are forcing her to become more active com
petitor with ourselves for the trade Of Asia and
the world. She is driven To it BY the law Of ne
cessity The modest demands Of Japan for z
few small islands in the Pacific should receive
the support Of the United States, and we should
urge on China tnat III gratitude for her rescue
from the hands Of Germany by the Japs, and the
return Of Germanys stolen loot, China should
~ cf+ +Ia ~