Evening star., 1939-08-02
Sees Tables Turned
In Far East Pact
Says Germany Is Incurrine
Potential Trouble With
japanese Alliance
By Dale Winters.

II told you so," is all too frequently
said when the other fellow cools a
blistered finger. However well justified
that statement may be, there is no point
in the reminder that the throbbing digit
got that way because its owner spurned
advice if the counselor himself exposes
his own hand to the same offending
flame.
In the World War, when England
courted the friendship of Japan, Ger
many warned that such an alliance would
eventually only play into the hands of
the japanese. A white nation, Germany
counseled, should at no time enlist the
aid of yellow race for the destruction
of another white nation lest in the end
it itself come to grief
Pooh-poohing what Germany then
termed the yellow peril England con-
cluded a military alliance with Japan
against the central powers. Strange bed
fellows they were, those assistants, slant
eyed, yellow-skinned, sleek soldiers of
the Orient. But they were good fighters
and England's only concern was i'm
mediate victory over the Germans-the
future would take care of itself
But the future didnt-at least not so
far as the Orient was concerned. The
saffron soldiers, having helped ruin Ger
many, turned their cunning against the
English. Britain suffered one rebuff
after another. Today her Chinese trade
is being very quickly and very effectively
bottled up by her erstwhile japanese
ally
England has discovered to her great
dismay, that the japanese lantern was
indeed ball of fire, just as Germany
had predicted.
During the 20 years succeeding the
World War when the white nations,
losers and winners alike, struggled to
regain at least some semblance of sta
blllty and strength, Japan enlarged her
domain by seizing Manchuria and slicing
off huge territories of China. Now
British Chinese concessions are threat
ened. No doubt Japans present aim is
the complete elimination of the extra
territorial rights now enjoyed by Eng
land, and to a lesser degree by France
and America. With these privileges
transferred to Japan, and the Chinese
ports under her military control, England
stands to lose half billion dollar in
vestment, together with tremendous
loss of trade and prestige.
In addition, she will have looming be-
fore her an amazingly strong Japan,
whose conquest of China might well
mean Englands decline The fact that
the best England could do was to muster
a protest against the closing of Chinese
ports by the japanese serves to indicate
Japan already has the upper hand.
Thus tables have turned. 1t Is Britain
who now fears the yellow peril" and it
is Britain who reasons that for white
nation like Germany it is undignified to
align herself with a yellow race. Re-
liable reports have it that Germany, in
response, reminds England that what
was good enough for England is good
enough for Germany. Furthermore. they
gibe, would it not be undemocratic to
make racial discrimination?
And so, having learned to play the
game the oxford way, Germany smiles
and pooh-poohs at England's fears and
benefits from her alliance with Japan,
as England had benefited 20 years ago.
Although England's predicament, un-
der the circumstances, may be source
of pardonable satisfaction to Germany,
joviality over British discontinue seems
without point so long as Germany her
self remains allied with Japan. The
fact should not be overlooked that Ger
many's alliance with Japan might come
to the same unfortunate conclusion that
the English alliance did