, 1921-10-14
DON'T ENDANoER FRIENDSHIP.

The most silly nonsense that occupies mace in the
press Of the United States is the constant twaddle re-
specting friction between Japan and the United States.
There is not the slightest reason for thought Of frie-
ton The United States has no ambitions that con-
aict with any legitimate Japanese interest The
United States envies Japan neither territorial expan-
sion nor commercial development. Whatever sue
cess Japan can attain through her natural resources.
the energy and thrift Of her people, the soundness Of
her economic policies, or the encouragement Of her
government, win be as pleasing to us as to them. It
was the United States that induced Japan 10 abandon
ner isolation and this country VIII rejoice at every
evidence that our act was beneficial not only to the
rest Of the world but to Japan.
There are some things, of course, In which we could
not acquiesee. We could not without protest permit
Japan to encroach upon our rights growing but Of the
victory over the Central Powers in the great European
war. We played our part in that conflict part far
surprising, actually and relatively. anything that was
done by Japan We have sought no special advantage
as a result Of the war, but We do insist upon recogni-
ton of those rights in the Pacific which Germany con-
coded to all the allied and associated nations, without
discrimination.
We do not pose as the dictators Of international
ethics in the far east. We do not set ourselves mp
as imperial Judges over the acts by which Japan has
claimed certain rights in China. Our opinion Of her
course is not exclusively our own-it Is the opinion
shared by all honorable men everywhere.
Japan needs additional territory to relieve the con-
gestion Of her population We shaIl be glad to see
her acquire additional territorial rights through agree
ments entered into by nations acting without duress
Of any kind There is an abundance of undeveloped
territory in Asia to which the energy ofths Japanese
| people could be applied with results equally BENEFIT
cial to Japan and to the regions now neglected. Let
Japan turn her efforts to expansion in accordance
with such a roicy and success win undoubtedly crown
her labors without giving offense or breeding an
tagonism-
Japan desires larger privileges in the matter Of emil
grafton to the United States, but this we cannot con-
cede- In the attitude VIC have taken, we are not set
ting up a special cxclusiveness Of our own-we are
merely adopting the policy UNI ,ersally upheld by Eng
hsh speaking races wherever the question of Japa-
nese immigration has arisen.
All these are facts within the common knowledge,
wherever international relationships are studied. We
are not imperialistic. We have no ambition for world
power. We do not covet the possessions Of any other
nation. Reluctantly we went into a conflict with
Spain which threw upon us'a burden which we could
not honorably have repudiated when fate put US in
possession of the Philippines. 1t is our desire, our
hope and our expectation to develop the Philippine
Islands and their people to the condition which will
assure n stable self government and we shall then
set them free as we did Cuba.
All this being true and known in Japan to be true.
there is not the slightest reason, so far as we are con-
cerned, for any Ill feeling between the United States
and Japan. So far as danger Of American agrees
sion is concerned, Japan could safely disband her
army and sink the last one of her ships Of war.