The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-28

NASHlNGION, Dec. 2S.-The doc
trine that prolific people. living in
crowded country, must have some
place to which its surplus population
can go, is one which has been put for
ward repeatedly by aggressive and
growing nations and which has always
attracted a certain amount of popular
sympathy.
This doctrine of irrepressible ex-
panslon was put forward by Germany
before the great war, and il was SYM
pathetically received, especially in
this country. The same claim to a
need for more room is now put for
ward constantly by the Japanese as a
reason why they should be given more
land in Asia or immigration rights III
America and Oceanic.
That this doctrine is wholly unsound
seems to be agreed upon by all serious
students of the matter In fact. its
unsoundness probably is generally rec
ognized by those who put it forward,
as well. It's value is simply that it is
a plausible sophistry which always
has its effect upon the ignorant public.
NV hNNI WIN lcSdlu lD pODuldIIOH
| is that il tends to increase as fast as
the food supply allows. When the
food supply no longer permits of mucn
increase in a given country, the in
crease automatically stops. On the
! other hand in sparsely populated re-
! gions the increase is always rapid. II
other words. any people will expand
| indefinitely if given enough land in q
| suitable climate, but it is hard to see
! Why one nation should have more
right TO such indefinite expansion
than another. Thus Holland and Bel
| GUM have been the most thickly SET
/ tied countries in Europe, and among
the mostly thickly settled in the world
But we do not hear from those two
| nations a demand that they be giver
another continent or two to populate
! They are not strong enough to make
such demand. Instead these PEG
pies have stayed within thei-' bound
aries, and their populations, having
| reached the saturation point, have
ceased to increase.
| Japans Population.
In point of fact, the very same phe
nomenon has been observed in Japan
in whose behalf the irrepressible eX
pansion doctrine is now generally pu
forward. In the past % years japan
has expanded her territory about Y
per cent by the annexation of Korea
Formosa and Southern Saghalin. Dun
ing the first 90 of these % years tn
Japanese population increased rapid
i ly. For the past five years the IN
crease has been vey small. In 1920 i
was about one-half of one per cent
What does theis mean? Simply tina
the Japanese population increased a
much as it's increased land area just
fled, and then automatically cease,
to increase.
AS matter of fact, Japan has nue.
land within her present boundarie
which is not used. All of northern ia
pan is thinly populated. The reaso,
for this is that the Japanese do no
like a cold climate.
Japan annexed Korea under the pre-
text that her irresistible expansion c
population made it necessary. AS
matter of fact Korea already produce
barely enough food for it's native popr
lation.
Japan has gained a powerful hol
on Manchuria for the same allege
l | ltdSOI. lubI = Is ldlltl W spare III hcti
churia, but the Japanese are not NAL
, ing much use of it. Since 1905, whe
.. Japan gained her present position i
Manchuria about 100000 Japanes
have gone there, but only about 10O
, coo remained in 1920. In a word, tn
Japanese population has refused to e,
pand irrepressibly in that direction
The reason is again that the climat
is too cold to suit the japanese, an
in addition, the fact that the Chimes
and Koreans both are able to "unde
- cut" the Japanese in labor by the
=, lower standards of living, in exactl
the same way that the Japanese al
able to undercut Americans in Cal
fornia.
: Thus Japan's claim to an irreprc
= sible expansion is refuted in two way
: In the first place, her population
really increasing very little. In ii
second place none of the territory ST
has seized, or obtained a hold on /
| concession or lease, has actually bee
used to any considerable extent as a
, outlet for surplus population. 1t a
= pears that the irrepressible eXpansiC
/ doctrine has been used with regard
V these Asiatic countries as a cloak fl
l. Japan's economic imperialism-that i
t her desire to exploit them CONNIE
cially and to strengthen her milital
and naval position by her control ov'
them.
:. Japan's claim for the right Of Il
4 Japanese to emigrate to America ais
t has been based generally on the irr
q pressible expansion idea. Since the
2 is no irrepressible expansion of Jap
: nese population. it falls to the grour
T. in this case, too. There is no douI
It but that Japanese would come to tn
L country in large numbers if allowed