Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-03-05
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS REVIEW
BY GEORG STRANDVOLD


increasing news position held by the
systems known as fascism and mill
tarism and since the last observations
were made, the force of these sys-
TENS has been quite emphatically ex
emplified by a series of events which
are likely to have far-reaching eff
| feet.
From the viewpoint of the head
lines of the daily newspapers, the
most important items concerned them
selves with rebellion in Japan and
an amazing Italian advance in ETH
opia, but as for potential Importance
these happenings are overshadowed
| by the ratification of the Franco
Russian alliance treaty, voted by the
French chamber of deputies.
Paris and Moscow.
About ten months ago plenipoten-
tiaries of the French Republic and
the United Soviet Socialist Republics
initiated a treaty which calls for mu-
tual military aid in case one of the
signatory powers be exposed to what
was carefully described as IAN I'M
| justified attack by some other power.
In reality, this was a revival of the
old Franco-Russian treaty of 1898,
broken when the Russians went their
own way as a result of the revolution
of 1917. 1t has been held by nearly all
historians who enjoy the possession
of a halo of reputation that this par
ticular treaty was one of the prime
causes of the world war. What of
the new one?
In itself, the combination is
strange, for it establishes a great de-
gree of intimacy between the only
| Communistic nation in the world and
an extremely capitalistic government;
they find in their silent and secret
| hostility to Germany point of con-
tact. And right here is where the
potential Importance comes in. For,
| the rebirth of the notorious Dual AL
lance seems very likely to pave the
way for similar rebirth of the Triple
Alliance, that is, the solemn under
standing between Germany, Italy and
| Austria existing prior to the world
war days; there is even now talk
| about an expansion of that coalition
by adding to it the mighty power of
Japan. There is also lot of talk
about the strengthening of the Fran
co-Russian alliance by the inclusion
of JugO-Slavia, ROumania, Turkey.
Czecho-Slovakia, Bulgaria and Greece.
So, one may be fairly sure that Ger
many will strike ck-diplomatically
at least. When to the fact of the al
lance is added the circumstance
that all the great powers of Europe
are arming to the teeth, one may we'll
be filled with black misgivings, off
set only by the hope that in the end
common sense will prevail. 1t just
so happens that common sense too Of
tations of great-power diplomats.
| Japanese Revolt.
| To what extremes the idea of mill
tarism may lead groups of people was
illustrated by happenings in Tokyo
during the last few days. Background
material necessary for the under
standing of these events is found in
the recent parliamentary ele; items
taking place in Japan, for they re-
suited in popular vote of confidence
to the somewhat liberal-minded gov
eminent headed by Prime Minister
Keisuki Okada. Resenting the advent
of possibly even more liberal and mo-
derate policies a group of army Off
GERS, deeply disguised with the idea
of anti-militaristic policies, at a pre-
arranged signal swoOped down on the
residence of several cabinet ministers
and others high in government affair,
and killed them in their tracks. The
small group of officers, evidently in
tent on carrying out militaristic
coup-detat, persuaded some 900 pri-
Yates to follow them, and soon a num-
Der of the government buildings we're
in the hands of the rebels. Immedi-
ately the government ordered out 10y
al troops, assembled warships with
guns trained on the buildings occu-
pied by the rebels, and declared that
a state of war existed throughout the
empire. Soon thereafter the revolu-
ton, incipient as it was, collapsed.
but-as it now appears-nOt without
exacting promises from the govern
ment to the effect that more ag-
gressive policy than heretofore would
be followed in regard to the five
North China provinces now coveted by
Japan, and also with respect to the
alleged Russian aggressiOns at the
border between Siberia and Manchu-
kuO. One curious incident in connec-
ton with the Tokyo rebellion was the
reported death of Prime Minister
Okada; three days after it became
known, proof was on hand to show
that his brother-in-law, Colonel Demo-
Matsuo, had sacrificed his own life
in order to save that of Okada. What
bearing the recent Tokyo events may
have on the future East Asiatic poll
cies of Japan is undetermined at the
moment of writing, and will be for
some time to come.
| Italian Advance.
While Russia and France embraced,
to the bitter CONSERVATION of Germa-
ny, and while the problem of Japa-