Evening star., 1941-09-28

Amid the storm Of present-day events
little attention was paid, few days back,
to the 10th anniversary of Japan's inva-
sion of Manchuria. Yet from the seizure
of Mukden, on the night of September
1919, 1881, has developed in logical
sequence the entire series Of aggressionS
which has set the world aflamo.
There is no question that MuSsolini was
encouraged to attack Ethiopia by the
failure of the League of Nations to check
Japan in Manchurla. There is equally
little question that the subsequent in
ability CT the League to check Italy
encouraged Hitler to start his carefully
planned conquests. The successful ag-
gressions of Italy and Germany in turn
encouraged Japan to proceed from its
Manchurian victory to the attempt to
subiUgate China as whole.
The elimination of this 10-year cycle
of aggression was reached when Russia,
itself an aggressor in China and Spain,
and more lately against Finland, Poland,
the 2altic states and Rumania, was
unexpectedly subjected to German at
tack as completely cynical ard opDor-
tunistic as the treaty which had earlier
made these two relationships partners
in crime Nor is the stage now reached
necessarily or even probably final Just
10 years after the seizure CT distant
Mukden every one realizes that there is
no community anywhere on this nl9net
which can consider itself secure unless
L,- rio
fenses.
Aggression Could Have Bccn Avcrtcd.
The promising peace system estab-
liShed with so much thought and effort
sfter the last war is thus completely
shattered And simultaneously the much
older and often indicated. structure of
international law has been torn to shreds.
The relations of oroanized peoples one
with another, is back on the level which
controlled in the days Of the Goths and
Vandals. The only essential differences
are that men today are wholly dependent
on an integrated civilization. yet have at
their disposal tools Of scientific destguc-
tion beside which the weapons of the
primitive barbarians seem like bodkinS
This cycle of aggression. which in
single decade has brought immeaSurable
physical and moral ruin, could in all
probability have been averted at the
outset. That tragic lesson cannot be too
often or too emphaticallv emphasized
Just 10 years ago today it was well within
human power to prevent all the un-
necessary horror and misery which have
cumulatively developed since that time.
To realize that is to take the first effec-
tive step toward better future.
. There is definite reason to believe that
10 years ago today the japanese mill
tarists would have been stopped by a
trivial fraction of the effort. and less
than per cent of the expenditure, cur
Gently poured out by Britain and Amer
lea for war purposes. And if Japans
aggression in Manchuria had been made
improbable it is most unlikely that the
subsequent series of attacks would ever
have started, particularly if this country
had addressed itself to the judicial set
tlement Of various wholly soluble inter-
national grievances.
Principle of Insurance.
Never in history was the principle of
insurance more profoundly vindicated
and never has indifference and apathy
been more Savagely punished And the
croWning irony is that this country has
today in operation against Japan all
those embargoeS-moral commercial and
flnancial-which We so signally failed to
invoke at a time when far less pressure
would have been much more effective.
1t has been frequently charged that
the blame for this failure rests with the
British government of 10 years back
In the assertion that the United States
would have acted more boldly had the
British then shown more zest for CO.
operation there is some, but by no means
complete. justification. But in any case,
nothing is gained by such recriminationS
now. A large share of the responsibility
unquestioaably rests on the United
States and it is with that share that the
American people should be concerned.
A short decade ago this country con-
t...lz :.