Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-07-10
British Victory Offer,
Promising Future
For East Indies
Long Peace Forecast
If War Results in
Allied Triumph
BY FRANK sMOTHERs,

Chicago Daily News Foreign Correspondent.
BATAVIA, Netherlands East In
dies.-The Dutch here are awaiting
the outcome of the European strug-
gle, plus the respective decisions and
abilities of the United States ard
Japan, to ascertain their fate.
Were the Allies to win, the future
of the Indies for a considerable time
to come promises to be fairly simple.
In that case a restored Holland
doubtless will carry on here. Sta
bility in the Indies and -- unless
Russia comes to grips with Japan
more peace In the East generally
than it has known for years can be
expected to emerge.
The British, in case of victory,
would not be menaced by Nazi
Germany and Fascist Italy and
would be in a position to reinforce
America on behalf of orderly prog
ress in the East. Far from being in
a position to attack the Indies,
Japan, in the face of an English
victory in Europe, would confront a
potential united opposition so strong
that the early liberation of China
would, in the opinion of seasoned
Far Eastern observers, become a
probability
Possibilities of Victory.
Certainly neither the British nor
Dutch empires in the Fast will go
unchanged il the British win. The
trend of past years to varying stages
of self-government or freedom in
the British Empire can be expected
to continue. If victory prepares the
way for new surge of democracy
in the West, the East will also gain
and the Dutch presumably will
be more inclined than before to pay
attention to the aspirations of Indo-
nesians in the Netherlands East
Indies.
The very fact that the war will
have driven home to all concerned
the helplessness of the Dutch to
maintain their empire without the
backing of America, England and
France may we'll increase the pres
sure for more liberal Dutch regime
provided liberal principles advance
elsewhere.
No f1ourishing Indonesian democ-
racy need be expected to develop
overnight in land where the native
population is as easy going, so
largely illiterate, SO apathetic in
politics, as is the case today in the
Indies. Nor can the Dutch, who,
generally speaking, have conducted
humane empire as Eastern empires
go, be shouldered with all the re-
sponsibility for the paucity of native
civil rights, in view of the relative
weakness of native pressure for
those rights. But the Dutch could
aid gradual Indonesian advance
ment by applying to education some
of the attention they have long
applied in public health work in
the Indies.
However, continuation of Dutch
rule certainly would be a great deal
more enlightened than could be
expected If either the japanese or
Germans took over.
United States Only Protection.
Should Germany win the war only
the opposition of the United States
appears to have a chance Of pre-
venting the Indies from changing
hands. But it is not established
who would get them.
Japan, by reason of her naval
power, seems clearly to have much
better chance than Germany. Yet
1t Is conceivable that a German.
1talian-Japanese division of empire
spoils might assign the Indies to
Germany as part of her share. Or
1t is conceivable that Germany
might elect to keep Holland as a
nominally independent, vassal State,
leave the Indies under Dutch rule
and rule them in reality as part of
the Nazi empire. The question of
direct German acquisition would be
left open for the future.
Nevertheless, the chances of
Japan, so much nearer at hand with
strong naval power and yearnings
so deep for possession of the Philip
pines, the Indies and as much of the
British empire in the East as she
can swallow are much more obvious
as regards the Netherlands East In
oles than are Germany's chances.
unless she considered herself barred
from effective action, she could be
expected to fight against German
attempt at a coup.
'Copyrisht, 1910, Chicago Daily News, Inc)