The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-01-08

would result in a stalemate onl
triton, costly, bloody and long,
Even Great Britairs. they declare.
with q fleet much superior to that
OF Japan, could scarcely dispute Jap
anese supremacy In those waters.
Notwithstanding her top-notch bases,
actual and potential, at Hong Kong,
Kowloon, Singapore and in New Gull
nea ana Australian harbors. Dis
lance would still count in Japan's
favor.
Viewed from this angle, the rea-
son for Japan's active reshaping OF
her fighting forces involving vastly
increased air squadrons. fast cruis-
ers, lcng-radius submarines, mine-
layers and other important naval
auxiliaries becomes significant al
most to the point Of being sinister.
Steel Barrier
Japan is fixing things so that over
night. pretty nearly, she can stretch
a barrier OF high explosives, subma-
rines. airplanes and 80 on about her
i in such a sway that once she had
seized Guam and the Philippines. our
potential bases out there, she would
be well night invulnerable from the
sea--an elongated Gibraltar stretch
ing from Siberia to Sulu.
GET OUT YOUR MAP AND
HAVE A LOOK AT THAT ISLAND
| CHAIN.
Hiding behind this bristling wall,
she could keep open her own lines
of communication for supplies from
Asia and at the same time bar the
way to all others.
Meantime her submarines-some
seventy of which abe now built or
planned and her fast, new cruisers
turned into commerce raiders, would
take q leaf from Germany's book
and start playing havoc on the high
seas.
Germany was able to send out
only four or five of these commerce.
destroyers, including the Emden and
the Moewe, but IL required every
ship the allies could muster to round
them up. At that, it was not until
after they. had sent to the bottom
so many ships that the complete list
looked like q who's Who OF the
sea.
Could Defy U. s.
Japan could send esit several
times as many Of these corsairs as
Germany -probably as many as
twenty-five, in the opinion OF the
British. These scattered to the four
points of the compass, could defy all
the vessels the United States could
bring to bear, indefinitely.
This is not taking into account the
activities of Japan's twenty-three
new fleet submarines. built or build
ing, which are capable Of crossing
and recrossing the Pacific. Admiral
Simms says the next war wilI see a
revival OF the German U-boat prac-
tice Of sinking anything and every
thing on sight!
World War experience demon
strated it requires about five fast
cruisers to cope with one surface
raider. And Britain alone employed
against the U-boats some 5000
craft. laI told. That is ratio of
100 to one, for at no period had Ger
many more than thirty subs at sea
at the same time. Britain, too. it
will be remembered, was fighting
losing battle. against these under
sea pests until America came In with
additional thousands OF ehasers.
All In all. and given the circum-
stances Of distance and no bases in
the western Pacific, British critics
pretty well agree that Japan would
call the tune. If she went to war
with us, and America would have to
dance to the music. They say our
job would be well nigh hopeless.
Honor at Stake
Yet the honor OF the United States
is as much Fat stake in the Philip
pine Islands as it Is In Alaska. Both
are American territory Also, for
the past twenty-five years we have
boosted of our Hay doctrines Of
the open door" and equal oppor-
tunity for American citizens the
world over as much SO as we have of
our Monroe doctrine for the Ameri-
cas-. Uncle Sam has no obligation
in the Far. East which he can shirk
without dishonor and loss of pres.
tige.
Thanks to Japan's abundance Of
naval bases in the western Pacific
against our none, and her superiori-
ty in long-radius submarines, fast
cruisers and aircraft bases ashore
Japan today absolutely dominates
that part of the world.
THE United States has placed its
interests in Che Far East completely
at the mercy Of foreign state upon
whose good will it must benceforth
depend" says Hector Bywater- to
quote a British observer again. And.
he adds:
..The task OF defending them
would have been difficult enough at
best. AS things are. their defense
by warlike action, at any rate-has
to all appearances become irnpossi-
bic"
Next: Has Japan anything up her
sleeve?
49, r =
Alleged Slayer Appeals
Bn Time I, .ecsu.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. Jan. 81.
Judge Charles P. Book today had