The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1937-09-16
Brutal Japan

Brutal Japan
Washington. = More and more
newspapers throughout the country
are demanding that the President
invoke the terms of the American
nutrality act with respect to the
northumberland though it is-that
is raging on Chinese soil. These
editorial expressions obviously will
have considerable weight and will
convince very great number OF
American citizens that President
Roosevelt ought to invoke the neu-
trality act and, by SO doing, pro-
claim that Japan is the aggressor.
That, in simple terms, is what a
presidential announcement of ap-
plication of the neutrality act would
mean.
There probably has never been a
brutality comparable to the UNI
speakable outrage which Japan is
committing in China; certainly,
never in q modern times It is a
stain upon the name of the Japan
csc people and the smooth work.
ing of the japanese military ma
chine will never be able to offset the
hostility which the subjects of the
Rising Sun are creating by this dis
play of brutality.
Although the Tokyo government
has yet to say it is fighting a war,
the Japanese aggression in China is
just as much a war as though the
United States and Canada had
taken up arms against each other
and had proclaimed to the world
that they were belligerants. The very
fact that there has been no declar-
alton of war, however, complexities
the situation as regards the United
States and Great Britain. Unless
these nations, along with some 9TH
ers which have interests in China,
are willing to shoulder the respon-
sibility that comes when an outside
nation says publicly that two pow
erS are at war, neither nation can
afford to endanger its neutral posi-
ton by saying to the world that Ja-
pan is trying to subjugate portions
of China.
That is exactly what Is happening.
In spite Of the declaration Of the
japanese statesmen that their mill
tary machine is only protecting Jap
anese nationals, the whole affair
may be treated as pure hypocrisy
as q movement by the japanese to
gain control Of new resources, new
land, over which the teeming mil
lions from Japan may run as the
ihordes of hCinese are displaced. The
whole thing shows how long we
have been fooled by the persuasive
mess of the japanese statesmen.
You may ask: What can we do
about it? The answer is exceeding
ly difficult. I have fear that we
can do nothing because Of the In
ternational policies that the United
: States pursued during the admins
trations of Presidents Coolidge and
Hoover and those that are continue
4ing under President Roosevelt.
Only once in recent years did the
American government speak out
firmly concerning the apparent
japanese plans and on that occas-
ion the assistance given the United
States by Great Britain and France
amounted to little more than g
whisper.
So now the patience Of great
many people Is wearing rather thin.
/ think also, from what hear in
diplomatic circles. that the British
lion has begun to bare his teeth and
unsheath his claws. Again. to
what purpose I do not know, be-
cause the United States and Great
Britain thus far have discussed no
plan for acting in unison. Certain
ly, without concerted action between
them and including France, little
can be accomplished. It does seem
that they could get together because
of the community of interests but
either the United States lacks lead
ership in the circumstances, or there
are some bugs under the British
and French chips about which we
do not know. I repeat that in the
face of Japan's devastating actions
and the ever-growing threat Of her
overloardship in the Far East, these
three powers ought to work out an
understanding by which they can
trim the wings of the japanese war
birds.
- = -
Tough Problem
AS the fighting continues on Chi
nese soil as one disturbing act after
another is committed by the Japan
csc, I amagine many persons are
going to inquire why the United
States does not brave world diplo-
macy and invoke the neutrality act
In that eventuality, there ought tc