Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-03
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fight alongside of Japan If the lat
ter country made war against any
country with which Great Britain
had an arbitration treaty. In the
early days this exception was consid-
cred a sop to American opinion and
nobody in official circles had any
fears of an Anglo-Japanese naval
combination against America in
wartime.
But since the original Anglo-Jap-
anese alliance was written in 1901,
many things have occurred, notably
the European. war. Various parts
of the British empire which had
Heretofore allowed London free
hand in making foreign policy for
the whole empire awoke to ma
tional consciousness.
When thousands Of young men,
the flower of a nation, are sacri-
feed on the, field of battle for the
preservation of an imperial gov
eminent geographically distant from
the bereaVed homes, a spirit of in
terest develops at once. Canada had
lost in greater proportion than did
the United States; Australia's brave
troops were moved down at CALI
poll and on the western front. Small
| wonder that the various British
dominions rose up and demanded
a voice in foreign policy--in the
moves that might lead to future
war.
DOminiOns Wake Up.
Since the Dominions were given
representation in the assembly of
the League of Nations they have
been taking a deep interest in the
, foreign policy of the British Empire.
| For one thing, Austrilia's alert
| statesman, Premier Hughes, has
| been interested naturally in what
| islands in the Pacific were awarded
| to Japan, what was to happen to
| former German colonies under the
system of mandates or trusteeships
set up by the Paris conference as
a sort of substitute for direct an
| neXation of territory. Friction has
developed since the Paris conference
! oven the distribution Of those is
| lands-the United States for in
stance declining to recognize Japan's
right over the important island of
zap which controls cable communi-
cation between California and the
Far East.
| Australia isn't anxious to see
Japan grow more and more domi-
nant in the Pacific. Western Can
| ada, which has received many Japa-
/ neSe immigrants, has virtually the
same attitude toward the assimila-
| ton of Japanese with Anglo-Saxons
as have the people of California.
New"Zealand thinks about the same
as Australia. 1t was a stormy ses-
sion which the British government
had with the Dominion premiers.
Opposition to the renewal Of the
/! Anglo-Japanese alliance was unmis-
| taxable. America took no part but
| our government was happy to see
| the thing develop in just that way.
The Canadian premier pointed out
again and again that the Anglo
Japanese alliance was endangering
friendship with the United States.
Meanwhile, series of strange
newspaper stories emanating from
London came steadily to the Amer
lean press, giving the impression
that, of course, the British govern
ment and the Washington govern
ment were consulting each other
about the Anglo-Japanese alliance
and that, of course, it was going to
be renewed with the knowledge and
consent Of the United States. JUS
who was responsible for the spread
of that impression, nobody here
| knows.
u. s. Acts Quickly
But the American officials nfpped
| the thing in the bud. They made it
plain in many ways that the Brit
| ish government had not discussed
| the matter at all and that so far as
this government was concerned, 1t
had neither sought nor been given
any information about the Anglo
Japanese alliance by the British gov
eminent.
| Anyway, the objections to re-
newal of the Anglo-Japanese alliance
| began to accumulate on all sides.
Stripped of technicalities, a renewal
of the alliance meant to the United
States a working partnership be-
| tween England and Japan in peace
time whereby England's talents in
naval construction and war prepare
tons would be absolutely at the dis
posal of the Japanese. 1t is true
that, in wartime, England would be
obliged to remain neutral but the
last European war showed what the
difficulties of neutrality can be and
how benevolent neutrality" can be
transformed into PRACTICAL help.
Furthermore, the British dominions
couldn't bear to see their central
government working in such close
relationship with the Japanese. who
in other parts of the world We're
in constant conflict with the peoples
of the British dominions.
The words Of the Anglo-Japanese
alliance were vague and general, yet
the Interpretation placed on that al
lance by the Japanese military lead
ers and statesmen became far from
| vague The truth is the British
| business men of China in a formal
statement expressed exactly the
| viewpoint of America when they
urged that the Anglo-Japanese al
lance be not renewed because it
had only served as a menacing slim
ulant to Japanese political and com
mercial aggression in the Pacific
and Far East.
Thus we have had British citizens
in the Far East against the Anglo
Japanese alliance, an Australian
premier expressing lukewarm sup
port for it while his people were
openly antaeonistis. Canada boldly
proclaiming her hostility to the idea
and the British government in Lon
don assuring Japan on the one hand
Of how foif TW1 oil n
America on the other her permanent
friendship. The showdown has be
come inevitable.