The daily times., 1921-10-12
JAPAN SUGGESTS 1T
Japan Contends That Ameri-
can Fortifcations in the Phil
iPpines Are Purely OHfen-
sive; One Set of American
Military Men Think Money
Spent on Island is Wasted.
(Ry David Lawrence).
Copyright, 1921, by The Daily
Times

Times)
Washington, Oct. 11.-Tokio cable
grams saying Japan would like to
bring up the status of the Philippines
when the conference on Far Eastern
questions is held here next month
has brought out several informal ex-
pressions of opinion at this end which
Indicate that even that problem will
not be insuperable.
The Japanese contention that
American Notifications are regarded
| by Japan as purely offensive is not
seriously regarded in Washington
where a division of opinion has al
ways prevailed as to the real value of
fortifying the archipelago. One set of
military men in our government
thinks all money being spent on
Philippine Notifications is wasted not
only because the United States does
not intend to become a military ma
tion and of course will never keep
an army overseas big enough to justi-
| fy the maintenance of Notifications
| but because the Philippines are ac-
cessible to an attacking army from
| too many places.
| This school of army thought be-
lieves that any fortifications which
are ineffective had better be given up
and that reciprocal1y Japan might be
induced to stop fortifying some of
the Pacific islands under her control.
F., Those American military and naval
men who favor large Notifications in
the Philippines argue that even ad-
mitting that the Philippines cannot
be defended from an expeditionary
attack of considerable size, it would
.be helpful to the United States to be
able to hold the Philippines in an
emergency until the navy could bring
reinforcements. 1t is further con-
tended that Manila could be used eff
/ fectively as a naval base.
/ Here again the question of how
large a fleet the United States wishes
to maintain, or rather can afford to
maintain in the Pacific, comes into
discussion. With the American navy
divided between the Atlantic and
Pacific, the building of a naval base
simply to care for the vessels now
in the Pacific is not considered al
together sound. On the other hand,
an immense expenditure would be re-
iquired for a really large naval base
sufficient to do the work expected OF
the American navy in an emergency
, in the Far East.
So there is a divergence of view
: even among our own military and
f naval experts as to what ought to be
done about fortifying the Philippines
, and it would not be surprising to see
. our own delegation finally persuaded
to offer to halt further military ex-
lpenses in the Philippines if the Jap,
anese curtailed their naval and mill
tary program too.
AS for the suggestion from Toxic
2 that the Philippines might be giver
their independence and placed under
International control, that of course
is domestic question which the Uni
8 ted States need not discuss with tht
& Japanese. The prevailing view inside
+ the Harding Administration is tha
= the Filipinos are not yet ready to b.
= cast off to shift for themselves ant
= that it would be best for the Filipino
= if America retained a guiding han'
s. for a while longer. Great Britain in
j. cidentally would not be happy to Sc
* the principle of self-determinatiol
- adopted too close to Indian and ther
+ are other powers with Far Easter
possessions which would prefer to Sc
!. the status quo maintained with re
d spect to the Philippines.
vi There is good ground for the be
II lief that the japanese themselves ar
Continued on page 81