The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1921-11-30
THE CORE OF THE QUESTION is
CHINA

Egyptians. the Babylonians, Persians
and Romans, on down the line through
| the period Of the modern European
nations, expansion of national domain
for purposes Of trade has been at the
| bottom of the cause of wars. The lat
est great tragedy was the result OF
commercial rivalries between the great
nations Of Europe. President Wilson,
in an idealiStic dream which failed OF
realization largely through partisan
politics at home, sought to remove the
incentive of expansion by fixing the
boundaries of the nations Of the world
and forming a leage Of nations which
would guarantee that these boundaries
! be kept intact
President Harding has called con-
terence of nations on disarmament to
prevent the cost OF preparation for
war Success of his plan is again en-
dangered by the same old lust for pow
er and riches. China. practically the
the world that is not able TO take care
OF itself either by arms or diplomacy,
is the bone Of contention. Japan, its
miiitaristic neighbor. England and
concessions from the vast but helpless
Celestial empire which they refuse to
give up, but which all the time creates
the spirit Of rivalry and distrust which
70 flc nf lo, Il
organization. The United States, in
self defense and as a protection Of its
own interest sin those spheres, is
forced into the same position Of rival
ry.
Should the four great powers con-
sent to act fairly by China, the Far
Eastern question would be solved and
Japan at least would have no need for
great naval armaments. Likewise our
need and that of Great Britain, making
the three rival naval powers at this
time, would he diminished and the cost
Of naval armaments automatically re-
duccd At the bottom then, after all,
the question Of naval disarmament
rests upon the question of an honest
settlemcn OF the Chinese situation.
The question Of land armaments is an
other matter
clear explanation Of the Chinese
question is found in an article by
Bishop Warren a. Gambler, of Atlanta,
found in Sundays issue of The Allan
ia Journal, part Of which follows
Why not all disarm, then, and go to
work instead Of trying to be always
ready to so to war; lii one word
strange as it may seem, the answer
i3, China Why does China stand in
the way Of disarmament? Not for any
fault of China. but because The nctions
CT Europe and the empire of Japan have
teen for years treating China with in
justice. Their wrong TO the Chinese
has been, ana is, & most costly crime
AS far Lack as 1912. when China at
tempted to pat an end 10 the ncfarious
trade in opium, by which her people
were being dcbauched, Great Britain
came forward to forbid the abolition of
that horrible traffic. The sale OF opium
meant millions to British traders, and
so war was declared on China. Tho
issue Of the opium war" was certain
from the first; China was beaten an
indemnity OF s42000,000 was eXacted ;
and Great Britain took over Hongkong.
Seeing that money and land could be
taken from China so easily France
soon stepped In and annexed Cochin
China, and then extended n protect
crate" over Cambodia. Still later the
same power provoked an unjust war
with China and took Toxin and Anam.
Of course, Russia wanted something
while getting was easy" and she in
turn took the Amur river, with all it's
commercial advantages, and annexed
the entire coast Of Manchuria to the
frontier Of Korea, and built the fort Of
Nladivostock with its valuable port.
Then Germany came in for her
sphere of influence" and, making a
nrctcxt Of the killing of two German
missionaries, by Chinese fanatics, she
threatened China with war unless the
harhor of Kiachow were leased to the
Kaiser's Empire for ninety-nine years.
Such a grab game was bound to
arouse the cupidity and fears Of Japan,
and she began to take notice with a
view to having hand in it. At first
she professed great love for Korea, and
gave sympathy to a Korean revolution
.Or independence, which brought on the
war between China and the Empire of
the Mikado. China was beaten in the
contest and largo indemnity was ex-
torted by Japan. China having been
thus put out of the way, q war with
Russia vas brought on, and AZ the end
Of that contest, Japan annexed Korea
with never thought OF Korean inde-
pendence for which 81 professcd such
concern when she went to war with
China. Besides anncx.ng Korea. Japan