The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-11-23
CAS- TODEC|DE
FUTURE WARS,
EDISON SAYS
Inventor Defends China's Right
To Sovereignty Dsprecates
Foreign Control.
BY ALLAN L. BENSON.

ny ALLAN l.. bENSON.
Copyright 1921, by International News
| ORANGE, N. j., Nov. 23.-Thom-
as A. Edison is opposed Ito seeking
trade in China at the cannon's
mouth" He told me so, in those
words, in his laboratory here today.
"If we cannot get business in
China, in competition with the rest
Of the world" he said, I'VE should
get out. Every nation that is in pos
session Of Chinese territory Of
spheres Of influence in China
should also get out.
Chinese Rights Defended.
China should be left alone. Other
nations should help her with money
and credits. and. IL desired. advice,
but there should be no question of
| China's right to exercise full sover.
, eighty over her own territory.
IF ! were running Japan ! would
| no more touch Chinese territory than
| would touch a cobra. Japan, more
| than any nation In the world, should
want to see China intact and indie
| pendent. China Is a vast market at
the doorstep of Japan. japan Ia better
| situated to supply this market than
any other country.
This il because she does not have
to pay ocean freight rates over long
| distances. She has everything to gain
| by keeping out Of China herself and
1 urging every other nation to keep out,
| because she needs only an even chance
| to beat most of her competitors. 81
Japan can buy our cotton, make II in.
to cloth and sell 1t for less than we can
put cotton cloth into China, japan
should get the trade.
Land Purchase Suggested.
| Japan should strive to be the Eng.
| land Of the Far East-a great manu-.
| featuring nation prospecting on foreign
commerce. IfShe needs moro land for
her people 10 live on let her buy
| ii from Russia. Russia has more
land than she needs or can use. and
buying land is a cheaper way to get
| 1t than going to war"
Mr.. Edison In of the opinion that
| the next war will be q good thing to
keep out of. He spoke of the great
progress that has been made in manu-
facture OF poison gas since hostilittes
in Europe ceased. 1t would only be a
question OF time, he said, until the
Germans would learn Of these dis.
coveries. and, II they should care to
DO so, they could fly over to Paris and,
in five minutes kin everybody with
gas without breaking a window pane.
Gould you kill everybody In a great
city In five minutes?' / asked. II
think could" he replied. II could, at
any rate, after I made a few more ex-
| periments."
Future wars are going to be
waged almost exclusively with air
planes, submarines and gas. Battle.
ships Will not count for much. Guns
are very spectacular instruments for
killing-they make a great noise, and
explosive shells blow great holes in
the earth-but guns do not carry
| destruction over a broad area.
Gas to Supercede Cannon.
"A bursting shell kills only those
who are within a few feet Of II. A
single charge of such gas as chemists
now know how to make is sufficient
| ly deadly to kill every man. woman
and child In an area equivalent to
five or six city blocks.
THAT is why l say 1t would not be
difficult to send flock OF air
| planes over a city and kill every in.
habitant within five minutes with.
out breaking a pane of glass. All
that In necessary is to make a gas
that is very poisonous and very
heavy. Heavy gas settles on the
earth so that no one in the vicinity
can escape It,"
At this point I recalled remark
I had heard attributed to Mr.. Edi-
son ten years ago, to the effect that
II the United States ever got into a
tight pinch he would put the Gov.
eminent in possession of a destruc-
tive agency so terrible that nothing
short of impending national disaster
could cause him to disclose II.
asked him IL he had been correctly
quoted. He replied in the affirma-
tive. I asked him IL the weapon he
had In mind was gas. The only
answer I received was a broad smile
and a gesture that indicated the sub
ject was one on which he could not