The Rock Island Argus and daily union., 1921-12-30

doctrine that prolific people, liv-
ing III crowded country must have
some place to which its surplus
population can go, is one which
has feen put forward repeatedly
by aggressive and growing nations
and which has always attracted a
certain amount of popular sympa-
thy.
/ This doctrine o. irrepressible ex-
pansion was put FORWARD by Ger
many before the reat war and it
was sympathetica y received, espe-
clally in this country The same
claim to need for more room is
now put forward constantly by the
| japanese as reason why they
I should be given either more land
in Asia or immigration rights in
America and Oceania.
That this doctrine is wholly un-
sound seems 20 be agreed by all
serious students Of the matter. In
fact, its unsouIdness probably is
generally recognized by those who
put 1t forward, as well. Its value
is simply that i. is plausible sopb-
istry which always has it's effect
with the ignorant public.
The fact with regard to popula-
ton is that it tends to increase as
fast as the food supply allows.
When the food supply no longer
permits of much increase in a given
country. the increase automatical-
ly stops. On the other hand in
sparsely populated regions the in
crease is always rapid. In other
words, any people will expand in
definitely if given enough land in
suitable climate, but it is hard
to see why one nation should have
more right to such indefinite expan-
sion than another Thus Holland
and Belgium have long been the
most thlckly settled countries in
Europe and among the most thickiy
settled in the world. But we do
not hear from those nations a de-
mand thu they be given another
continent or two to populate. They
are not strong enough to make
such demand. Instead, these
peoples have stayed within their
boundaries, and their populations,
having reached the saturation point, |
have ceased to increase.
Japan'S Population.
IN point of fact, the very same
phenomenon has been observed IN
Japan, In whose behalf the irrepres- i
slble expansion doctrine is now
generally put forward. In the past
70 years Japan has expanded her |
territory about 20 per cent by the |
annexation of Korea, Formosa and !
Southern Saghalin. During the |
hrst 20 of these 25 years the Jap-i
anese population increased rapidly. !
For the past 5 years the increase |
mas been very small. In 1920 it /
was only about one-half of one
per cent. What does this mean? |
Simply that the Japanese popuIa-
ton Increased as much as its in
creased land area justified, and
then automatically ceased to in
crease
AS a matter of fact, Japan has
much land within her present
boundaries which is not used. All
1f northern Japan is thinly popu-
ated. The reason for this is that
he japanese do not like q cold
climate
Japan annexed Korea under the
Dretext that her irrepressible ex-
of population made it ne
AS matter of fact, Korea
already produces barely enough
'ood for its native population.
Japan has gained powerful
lold on Manchuria for the same al
eyed reason. There is land 10
pare in Mancnuria, but the japan |,
.se are not making much use of it.
Since 1905, when Japan first gain i
ID her present position in Man
.huria, about 100000 Japanese have
,one there, but only about 10000
emained in 1920. In a word, the
Japanese population has refused I
o expand irrepressibly in that di- ]
ection. The reason is again that {