Evening star., 1935-01-20

But because 1t was not possible there
Is no slightest reason to despair. We
have no occasion to go to war with
any one, but it is, nevertheless, true
that in a world Of suspicious 1t Is
possible and is our duty to take other
measures, even if they are unilateral,
which will rebuild the international
confidence so vital to stability.
Just Showing on"
First of all, we can refuse to be
either annoyed or worried by the
jingoistic and bombastic nonsense
that filters from the japanese press
into our own. 1t is all a phase of
the Oriental face-saving, and is closely
allied to what modern psychologists
call an inferiority complex. 1t is
showing off to improve ones own
morale. We can also avoid any imi-
tation Of this sort Of thing ourselves.
The real leaders of Japan, the great
mass Of the Japanese people, agree
with our own leaders of thought and
with the vast majority of the Amer
ican people in understanding that the
two nations should be close friends.
When the fanatics and the trouble
makers howl. there is all the more
reason for the sober majority in both
nations to hold fast to reality.
We can insist that our foreign re-
lations be carried on by the Secretary
of State. That duty seems recently to
have been usurped by Mr.. Vinson,
chairman of the Naval Affairs Com
mittee of the House of Representa-
tives. His strident warning, worthy
OF any japanese lingo, that America
would maintain the ratio at all costs
by building five ships to every three
constructed by Japan, was an invita-
ton to a naval race and was both
boastful and irritating.
So, in my opinion, was the an
nouncement of the decision of the
Navy to hold maneuvers of the coast
OF Alaska and the Aleutian Islands
decision which was unnecessarily
irritating to Japan.
But" said one of our admirals,
nobody is going to dictate to us where
we shall hold our maneuvers."
OF course not. But that does not
in the least affect the fact that 1t is
silly to do something provocative
when it would be just as easy to do
something else.
Coast Line Is Factor.
On the other hand, do not in the
least mean that we should show the
white feather. The reason for the
SIS ratio is that we have to defend
widely separated sea coasts on two
oceans as well as distant possessions,
whereas Japanese defensive naval
operations would be necessarily re-
Stricted to a small area. That is a
physical fact which implies neither
superiority nor inferiority.
I intimated above that these COM
parsons in naval strength all too often
suggested the idea of moral or racial
comparison. In the case of Japan,
we have accentuated the idea through
our indefensible Japanese exclusion
law. The Japanese take the law as
meaning that we consider them an in
ferior race, and many of them feel
that the 5-3 ratio in warshipS is only
another way of expressing our con-
tempt.
This may be foolish, another ex-
ample OF Oriental face-saving; but it
happens to be true. If we had never
excluded the japanese it is possible
that the naval dispute would not have
arisen; If we would now do the decent
thing and put Japan on the quota we
should be showing our own sense of
fairness and should be creating a
friendly atmosphere across the Pacific.
If the President were willing to make
the matter an issue with Congress
there Is no doubt of the result.
Another Suggestion.
Another purely negative measure
which would help would be to stop
talking so much about war.
The list of things to do and not to
do in order to create friendly inter-
national understanding might be in
only few. Every one of them should
tend to smooth the international
waters and increase national self-re-
spect. The boosters for great navies,
on the other hand, whether in Eng
land or in Japan or in the United
States, show that they are afraid. And
there is nothing to be afraid of so
long as we keep calm and try to under
stand the other fellow. So long, too,
as we determine to avoid controversial
topics, Of which armament reduction
mas become one Of the most explosive.
During the two years before the ex-
OF the treaty Is the time to
put our shoulders to the wheel, to do
our part and more than our part in
bringing about that good international
understanding which will render dis
armament conferences unnecessary.