ASIA AND EUROPE

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 935, 30 September 1910, Page 4

ASIA AND EUROPE

Gbave fears were expressed a few years ago that Japan's victory over Eussia in 1904-5 would incite a dangerous spirit of insubordination among the subject' races of Asia and Egypt towards white rule. How far. these fears can be said to have been justified by subsequent events in India and Egypt we cannot pretend to say. _ Indian sedition and the Nationalist agitation. in Egypt may not -hdve had .their'genesis in Manchuria and on the Sea of Japan, but tboy followed on- ovents in the Par East. At the present time it is' difficult to foretell how these movements, will eventuate but that 'fcha situation is comulicatad aiuA dafl.

gerous is admitted. The failure of British rule in India would mean disaster to India and peril to Great Britain and the- world at-large. A leading American authority has expressed the view that if Great Britain withdrew "India would become a cockpit for its own hostile races and religion's and a prey to Russian or Japanose or German ambition— who knows ? Can a handful of Babu lawyers hold together an Empire of 300,000,000 people!" India, under such circumstances, would become a lake of fire; a problem too dangerous for any European Power to experiment with. On the other hand, the position in Asia, has, vastly im-/ proved, since the signing of the Itusso- Japanese Agreement which may be looked upon as the latest of a series of international ententes and that works decidedly for peace. The agreement was concluded Between the two Governments with a view ,to the consolidation, of peace in the Far East, both. parties, agreeing to extend to one another'their friendly co-operation in developing the trade: of. the country for mutual-advant-age. The compact was received., in Germany with sullen disapproval, one responsible organ of opinion stating that it freed Russia from all anxiety with regard to the "dangerous enemy in. the Pacific and enabled: her to turn with all her strength to the two spheres of interest which she has at heart in tho Near East, the Balkan Peninsula and Persia.',' This is precisely what, Germany does not want, for in these countries particularly has. German diplomacy been > feverishly active within the past few- years. The wisdom of a peaceful understanding between Russia and Japan is ' very nvi-' dent when certain important, facts are taken into consideration.' .Com-, parative "statistics of the growth-in population of ;Russia and the, other countries concerned are sufficient to • silence ' pessimistic prophecies of Europe- 'laid . waste *by invading . Asiatic swarms. The middle of the 'century; will see the Russian' Empire •at the present rate of -increase with a population of 300,000,000, and. the German. Empire with- a population - of 100,;000,000. China will not be in a: position to. assume the offensive, before that time, -and then her.':near-.: est'white'neighbour will be able to musterV an opposing , force'more nearly approximating her own. Europe is: not likely ,to be, submerged - by the yellow; race, but it is doubtful if Russia -can ; hope to retainSiberia when a rejuvenated Asia awakes to the.necessity of;extending the bounds in • which her: teeming millions : are-,-,!at- .present confined. Russia must continue to be as. in the past - the; -. buffer : 1 between Asia v and" Europe. ' Another factor; contributing to the maintenance of peace ,is the relative, weakness oi the. Japanese' Navy. In- a recent comparative, table of. the. strength of. the -leading navies of the. .world,;: compiled (with: a ..view-.to offensive purposes against' or on the part pf Japan), by: the_ London- Times ..Tokio . correspondent, it was made- clear that Japan's posi-. tion is such' as" to", occasion the Mikado's' Government a good deal_of uneasiness.'. In ,1916 Great Britain, according to the-table referred to, will have . seventy-eight: first-lino fighting ships, Germany forty,. the United States thirty-eight, and Japan fourteen. Extending' the period: of calculation to -;1920 the -ratio in Japan's favour becomes con-' •siderably less, and taking_the Baltic Squadron's -feat: as: a basis - of ' assumption,'it' is p robable that a:-Eurorf pean Power could send, a largo pro.portion: of.: its. fleet to the Far East ■should.'.the necessity, ever arise. Reviewing the. position generally, peace in 'Asia can .oe ..regarded .as almost; a certainty for a quarter of' a century., to come. This '.circumstance,, may havo a not unimportant'bearing on , the settlement of the unrest in India and Egypt. -