The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-10-24

Many an American who has been
watching Europe during the past year
has had his attention suddenly divert
ed to the Far East. At the present
time, the action there, so far as we
are concerned, is of diplomatic and
not of a military character. But, in
the opinion of many an authority, the
question of whether this country is to
remain at peace or go to war will be
answered in that vast Oriental land
that lies some 5000 miles away from
our Pacific Coast.
We now have very different Far
Eastern policy than we had year
or two ago. We are taking a firm
stand with Japan. Our efforts at ap-
peasing her are apparently over This
new policy could have been forecast
when the President appointed Mr.
Stimson to the Cabinet. When Mr..
IStimson was Secretary of State under
President Hoover, he tried to effect a
Joint English-American policy which
would have stood squarely in the way
of japanese empire building in China.
The English, however, refused to come
in, and the effort failed.
There are many conflicting argu-
Iments as to whether our current policy
lis right or wrong, necessary or foolish.
Those who support it say that if we
give Japan an inch she will demand
many mile-that every concession
made her simply paves the way for
new and stronger demands in the fu-
ture. And, with England at war in
Europe, we possess the only check
rein that can be used against japanese
Ambitions to dominate and control all
Asia, and thus to establish herself as
a world power equal or superior to the
United States and Britain. Further
more, they argue that we have an
economic stranglehold over Japan
that if we refuse to buy from her and
sell to her she will no longer be able
to obtain the resources that are neces-
sary to building an empire. And last
ly, they quote naval authorities who
have testified that if war comes, and
fleet is pitted against fleet, we can
wipe out Japan's navy in matter of
months.
On the other side are those who
ARGUE that we have no business in the
Far East. Our investments there are
comparatively small, and belong prim-
Iarily to few very large industries.
The Philippines are, in the view of
isome, practically indefensible, and
should be abandoned, along with Guam
and other lesser 5utposts. So far as
the natural resources of the Dutch
East Indies are concerned, they say,
we can use substitutes or find and de-
Ivelop other resources nearer at home.
Lastly, they believe that we cannot
afford tn gamble that war with
Japan would entail-it would mean
that our naval power would be con-
Icentrated in the Pacific, almost half
a world away from our shores, thus
leaving the Atlantic coast undefended
and open to attack from Europe if
England collapsed.
Whether this will become a telling
political issue in the short time re-
naming before election is still another
factor. Mr. Willkie, like Mr. Roose-
welt, is in favor Of helping China and
combating Japan. But, going by his
speeches, he feels that this can be
done without taking chance on in
.volving ourselves in a war which we
might lose-and which would be i'm
mensely expensive, in both dollars and
materials, even if we won. Hugh
johnson, one of the leading columnists,
leading war party and Mr.. Willkie
a peace party, and said that in his
opinion this should be the decisive
issue of the campaign. 1t is true that
some men supposedly in the know are
saying that there is an even chance
of us becoming actively involved in
war within few weeks, or by the end
of the year at the outside. Navy Sec
retary Knox, on being questioned by
newsmen concerning this, has simply
said that he didn't know
At any rate, we are today working
hand in hand with England in the
Far East. 1t is felt certain that
Britain will throw open her great
naval base at Singapore to American
fighting ships if we ask it-whoever
controls Singapore controls India and
the far-hung lifeline of the Empire.
Japanese statesmen have said that
they would consider American use of
the Singapore base a declaration of
war, and that Nippon would fight to
prevent it. However, of late Japanese
official declarations have been more
moderate in tone, and some think that
Japan may be slowly backing down.
One thing is almost certain-we are
closer to war now than at any time
since 1916. We can't go actively to
war in Europe, for obvious geographic
cal and strategical reasons. So if we
do fight, it will be in the East. And,
if that happened, we would be auto
matically at war with Germany and
Italy, under the terms of the recent
AXIS agreement. Then new World
War, far greater in extent and pur
pose than the first, would at last be
underway. The armor-clad figure of
III l. I H. IL