The Washington herald., 1921-10-30

Great Britain, France and Italy,
which will assure US OF overwhelm-
ing strength. but in return for as
sistance in the Pacific commit us
to all the old European engage
ments from which we have Just
fed shrieking.
Wars are occasionally accidental,
but with few exceptions they arise
from the collision between the con-
ceptions which two nations have Of
their own just rights and need within
the same area. Few nations ever
deliberately desire war. Even the
German maintains with a sincerity
which at least arrests attention
that he did not want war in 1914.
What he did want, his explanations
discloses, is that something which
was only obtainable by war,
namely. a position in the world
which could only be had at the ex-
pense Of another.
Refuses to See Tokyo View.
Japan does not want war: we
want war even less. for we think of
II lees directly and Immediately.
But millions Of Japanese would pre-
fer war to the surrender Of the ia
pouC6C Vi DlCdCe
the world, their rightful place. And,
ineluctably. 1t would seem. we are
being drawn into a challenge Of
that position. We repeat the well
worn formulate that we want moth
ing for ourselves. that We seek only
what is fair and right and above
all reasonable for ALL But like the
British. we refuse utterly to see that
what seems reasonable to us seems
something quite different to sixty
millions of people of another coun-
try.
When we hear protests in Japan
at our course we say, as did the
British, that they come only from
the militarists and the chauvinists.
We are so sure we are right that
we believe all but the wilfully blind
in the other country must see as
we see.
What is fatally lacking is a real
perception of what our course does
actually appear to be, not to the
blind, but to the best eyes in ia
pan.
Ignored German Standpoint.
When the storm broke the Briton
could never understand the Hymn
Of Hate. the German fury and pas
sion directed at him. He could
never understand why the German
believed and ever will believe the
war was made In Britain. He
couldn't understand because he
never even took the trouble to ana
lyze either the German standpoint,
itself, or the extent to which II
was held. He thought that one
good day the German would come
to himself and see the facts as they
really were, that lis, as the Briton
saw them. ,---.
But that time never came nor
ever will. 1t Is idle to suppose that
one great people can accept the
view Of another as to its rights, its
needs. its destinies. Yet, in the
last analysis that Is precisely what
we are asking the Japanese to do
and inviting the rest of the world
to assist in persuadinR the Japanese
to do.
FaiI to Recognize Risk.
And 1t is because we are so sure
that we are right that We are not
even willing to recognize the risk
WHICH 10 iuNOiNCO
In international affairs what is
important is not the question as to
what Is actually right or wrong,
but the question as to what the ma
ton with which you are dealing be-
lieves TO be the right and the wrong
Poor Mr.. Wilson discovered this
when he appealed from Orlando to
Italy over Fiume and discovered
that Orlando was no more than all
italian. Mr.. Wilson decided what
was the right and what was the
wrong and went ahead. but the end
was ruin It IL not the deliberate
choice Of wrong but the. acceptance
of what to another nation seems
wrong as the actual right, which
leads most frequently to war and
1t is the gravest danger now when
the Washington conference impends
fC.rw~f~lf roer