Evening star., 1924-12-13
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

If the maneuvers of the United
States Navy had been planned for any
other year or occasion they would not
have made a ripple on the surface of
Americas relations with Japan. Com
ing as they do after japanese public
opinion has been estranged over the
action of Congress in passing restric-
tive immigration legislation, the
Nays plans are being. twisted and
distorted into a significance that they
do not have.
The Japanese press. or at least that
section of 1t which is keeping alive
the friction between the United States
and Japan. sees in the maneuvers only
practice for an eventual conflict
with Nippon. Even some of the peace
societies with a membership of Amer
leans and Japanese are asking that
the maneuvers be cancelled as an evil
dence of friendship and mutual trust.
Position OF Japan.
But the United States Government
has no intention of giving up the
maneuvers. Japan has not asked it
in fact. there is every reason to be-
lieve the Toxic government would not
view with favor voluntary cancel
lation of the plans by the American
government. For one thing, the Jap
anese have just finished their ma
neuvers. which have been held in the
Pacific, and they do not wish to see
a precedent established which would
interfere with the right of any coun-
try to exercise its military or naval
forces in home waters. The American
maneuvers will be held, it is true, at
considerable distance from the con-
tinental shores Of the United States.
but Hawaii is an American possession
and is by no means close to the Far
East.
The only point on which criticism
has been raised by some Japanese
who admit Americas right to ma
neuver in the vicinity of Hawaii is
the talked-of plan to have the United
States fleet visit Australia. For what
purpose, 1t Is asked, does the Amer
lean Navy go clear across the Pacific
to Australia? The answer Is that the
Japanese feet recently visited Aus
tralia, and that the Australian gov
ernment, through its commissioner in
the United States, indicated a desire
to have visit from the American
tars
Discussion Not Sanctioned.
The discussion in Japan of the
American maneuvers has not been
sanctioned by the Japanese govern
ment; in fact, the navy department at
Toxic, through its admiral, has COM
mended the American plan, and has
declared preposterous the idea that
the maneuvers were anything but the
USUAL practice operations of big
fleet.
President Coolidge has been aware
of the agitation in Japan, and took
occasion therefore, in his recent mes
sage, to insert a paragraph which.
while not mentioning Japan, now is
understood to have been designed
especially for the Japanese people.
He said:
while we propose to maintain de-
fensive and supplementary police
forces by land and sea, and to train
them through inspections and maneu-
vers upon appropriate occasions in
order to maintain their efficiency. I
wish every other nation to understand
that this does not express any un-
friendliness or convey any hostile
intent. I want the armed forces of
America to be considered by all
peoples not as enemies, but as friends
as the contribution which is made by
this country for the maintenance of
the peace and security of the world"
Had Excellent Effect.
The foregoing had an excellent
effect in Japan, according to Official
advices received in Washington. 1t
ends the talk Of abandoning the
maneuvers. The incident illustrates
how delicate IL the situation today. as
compared with two years ago, when
the Washington conference limiting
naval armament together with the
generosity of America after the
Japanese earthquake placed Japanese
American relations on the best plane
they had, attained in Is years.
Almost overnight the era OF good feel
ing vanished. And it WIS not because
tho Japanese would deny any nation the
right to restrict immigration--the Jap
anese do 1t thsmselves-but because
America refused to treat Japan n an
! IConfinued on P1Te q Column 1.Y