Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1937-12-30
GETTING DOWN TO
TACKS''
Is THERE ANY
"YEIIOW PEIiIL?"

AS Christmas was being celebrat-
ID this year, we could not help won
Herring what parents who have boys
n West Point or sons who had al
ready been graduated from the mil
ltary training school and were do
Ing service as officers in the regular
army either in this country or on
Foreign soil were thinking about.
In the light of recent incidents such
Is the sinking Of the American gun
boat Panay by japanese bombers,
and the continuation Of conquest
against China, could they help but
speculate as to where their sons
might be by the time another Christ
mas had rolled around? VIII Russia
Join forces with China in an effort
to check the relentless and invading
Japs? Will other countries ally
themselves with Japan = will we
have another world wal in which
the United States will become en-
tangled? These are questions that
are on the lips of our people, and
Justly SO.
The Panay incident, so newspaper
reports tell us, is closed, at least
so far as diplomatic acceptance is
concerned. Secretary Hull. in a for
NAL reply to the final Japanese note
on Christmas day said THE govern
ment of the United States regards
the Japanese governments note Of
Dec. "a, of action taken of it, as
responsive to the request made by
the government of the United States
In this governments note of Dec.
H." Now that's just the Secretary's
way Of saying, 20. X" Full repara-
ton, however, which the japanese
government has assured, is not go
ing to allay the fears of the Ameri-
can people as to the danger of war.
Neither is it going to entirely sat
isfy parents of army officers that
their sons will not be marching at
the head of troops in another de-
bacle more costly in lives and mon
ey than any military campaign the
world has ever kncwn
Following the sinking of the Pan
ay all sorts of theories were ex
pounded as to what attitude Ameri-
ca should take. Through it all, re-
flecting on incidents leading up to
the World war, we could not hell
reading such headlines as, "Ameri-
can Ships Are Sunk or Twenty
Americans Killed. with a feeling
Of peculiar familiarity. The mind
quickly reviews the years past when
similar incidents broke like a thun-
der storm over the American hor.
lion. Bristling m~ilitarists now there
will be who will demand Immediate
appropriations from the federal gov.
eminent to increase the air forces
build more battleships and swell the
army. And it will probably arouse
wave of enthusiasm among those
who believe America should prepare
now for war in the Oriant-prepart
for preservation of the white rae,
against the yellow Peril"
That will be the cry instead O
"Make the World Safe for Demo
cracy.' Then there are those wht
openly maintained the American
gunboat had no business sailing III
the Yangtse river just in the in
terests of protecting properr5 Of tht
Standard Oil company, and that Tx
only safe and sane course is promp-
withdrawal of our armed force.
from China. Objection to that the
DRY is found by some commentator.
in the suggestion that that is pre-
cisely what Japan wants. In othe,
words. the two nations that tn,
Japanese government seems % fea.
the most is the United States anC
Great Britain. Should these tw,
great countries remove ali thei
dTll6u lOlCcS NUN Oiiud5 L4tCl, i
is argued. Japan would press OF
into the hinterland Of China witt
even greater intensity than has beef
demonstrated in the past-knowinl
that American or the British wer'
not going to interfere.
= 4
1t has seemed to the writer tina
one Of the questions we are goin.
to have to answer before we ge
through with determining just wha
our foreign policy is going TO be is
Gam | My Brothers Keeper" /
it were so simple a problem as I
merely order the withdrawal of GU
troops from China and let the tw
nations fight it out, that would b
an easy matter. But that il not tb
case. We still have to keep in min
what such nations as Russia, ltal
and Germany will do. And can W
fail to overlook the ultimate threa
that Japan, having conquered China
would be to our own country in b.