The Evening Missourian., 1919-03-31
Dean Williams Tells of Con-
ditionS In Far East In
Church Address.
JAPAN IS FRIENDLY
Policy of That Country
Toward China Has
Changed, He Saws.

/
dress last night. Dean Williams
spoke of his travels and impressions
on his recent trip to the Orient.
THE enormous populations of the
Far Eastern countries, their awaken
ing into newer and more active
civilization, their unrest, their seeking
after higher things, their growing de
mOcracy-all make for importance,
he said Europe, the old world, ex-
hausted. famished. divided discOrd
ant, holds out its hands to America fol
help unto reconstruction. The Orient
prosperous, awakening, with new life
thrObbing in its veins. looks unto
America for economics direction and
spiritual leadership. The one nation
of the world that can best serve eco
nomically in the transition time unto
a new and better industrial life and
in the change in the abandonment OF
the old religion, is the United States
| of America"
Dean Williams declared that no un-
! prejudiced observer of the Japanese
can fail TO come to the conclusion that
there is any probability of war be-
tween the United States and Japan.
Those who would make the United
! States a military camp to resist Japa-
! nese attack must find a better reason.
he says.
Relations With Japan Never Better.
THE official relations between the
two countries were never better than
at present" he said. This is shown
by the Ishii-Lansing agreement. in the
exchange of diplomatic courtesies. in
the scrupulOus care in which Japan
has kept her treaty obligations despite
the prO-German attitude of some of
her military leaders in the early
and more critical periods of
the war. What is true of govern
ment relations is equally true of in
dividual and personal relations be-
tween Americans and Japanese. Not
only is there no feeling of antagonism
toward America in Japan but there is
an earnest effort to cultivate American
friendship and to placate the Amer
ican antagOnism."
In speaking of the question of race
discrimination. Dean Williams pointed
out that the Japanese are a proud.
sensitive. high-spirited race They
have made in the last half a century.
he said, progress such as no other ma
tiOn in the world has made in ma
terial things and in political prestige
This has given to them a certain
"cOckiness" and observation-disclosures"
which is reflected in demands made for
political consumption.
"Insistence against race discrimina-
ton" said Dean Williams. however.
by the japanese can and doubtless
will be met by assuring unto them that
which no right-thinking American
would wish to deny-equal and exact
justice before the law. Ii is not a de-
mand for social equality but a recog-
milton as a race entitled to political
and business equality"
Dean Williams spoke of Japan's re-
puted attitude toward the Allies men
tiOning the fact that Japan's govern
ment was modelled after the German |
system and that the militarist bulked |
too largely in Japanese political af-
fairs. The Japanese military system. |
he said. was made in Germany and its |
military offices were mainly trained |
there.
But japan Never FaItered.
But" said Dean Williams, "the |
japanese government officially and the |
overwhelming majority of public opin-
ion we're constantly with the Allies and |
she did her part in the war. When
one recalls what the victory of the Al
lies meant in the long run. a recast-
ing by a new rising tide of popular
sentiment of the present moderately
liberal constitution and the remaking
of semi-autOcracy into at least a con-
stitutiOnal monarchy more on the
British than on the former German
lines. one must be more willing to
credit the sincerity and faithfulness
of the Japanese in keeping their treaty
with the Allies. At no time can it be
fairly said that any considerable ele-
ment in Japan was prO-German al
though it may be said that a consider
able element was prO-Japan"
An interesting discussion of condi-
tiOns as they affect relations between
Japan and China was given by Dean
Williams. He spoke of China with its
400 million people. torn by internal
and fieeced by corrupt of
fcials. Japan, he said. had fifty mil
lions with One-ffth Of its land only
tillable and had risen to one of the
first powers of the world. The Japa-
nese overflowed into China, seeking
political as well as economic control
They bribed officials and conniyed. if
they did not actually help. in the in
iquitOus opium trade. They lent mon
ey TO certain groups of Chinese. made
secret treaties with some groups of
Chinese officials and when the worlds
back was turned toward Asia, said
Dean Williams. they ratified the shin
ing sword in Peking and sought to