The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE TUESDAY, JULY 29, 1919. REALITY OF YELLOW PERIL.

Taihape Daily Times, 29 July 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

TUESDAY, JULY 29, 1919. REALITY OF YELLOW PERIL.

With which jas incorporated “The Taihape Post and Waimarino News-”

In post,-war polemics there is, we *be-‘. -lieve, no question rfraught with «SO? much importance as that which concerns "the situation in what is termed the Far E:ast——in China and Japan. It ‘ will probably be found that in Japan and China, perhaps linked up in some way with Eastern Siberia, and even a clvagrincd Germany that is still, seeking revenge, will be discovered the‘ next terrible menace to the peace Of the world. If society, and even the civilisation of the world, is not inflthe melt-ing-pot it is not now far removed from it, and any.hasty_. untoward act may at any nronient precipitate it therein. The peace of the wdrld is menaeed from two sources, may be three, but obviously'two, ‘the Far Eastern, and that which would‘ rapidly develop in Russia if Allied help in restoration of, that uphlappy corinltryr. is wiithdrawrn. (Any Allied act that operates towards leaving Russia at the mercy of Germany would .-doubtlessly open the way to another war atavcry "early date. Realising this, it is quite understandable why the Allies are maintaining a small armyiin Russia. That army is to prev.ent,any efi‘.'ort by Germany at peaceful penetration. It will be obvious, that Anierca,is as much interested in the Western menace to peace as in that of the Far East, which has given American peoplethe most severe shock of national nervousness they have ever experienced. They are aware that a war _with_ Japan will be no repetition of that ‘little picnic they had with Spain, and they are terribly anxious. The most disastrous development would be a “combination of the two great menaccs to the peace of the world, but with ordinary care the one may be averted, while the other seems to be a cancer on civilisation that has every present appearance of being incurable. We have it forced upon us with terri~' ble emphasis that Japan is eptly imbibirig Western. dishonesty, treachcy, swashbucklery, militarisni, and diplomacy, as she is all that is noble in Western civilisation, and no nation has more cause to know this than the Americans.‘-' So far as New Zealand and Australia are involved in the looming maelstrom, they have little to fear at present. Japan is too well aware that until she can command and exert sufficient force to stem American and European arms, it would be inviting disaster to divide her inadequate force over an area that Cxteirdr. from a long way north of the equator to far down in the seas of the South Pacific. Japan has established a replica of the British Navy, and a faithful copy of the German military syst"'é"ln dvown‘to the minutest detail. Japan is feverishly extending her military stimrgtli and also her naval strength, both as regards personnel and the number of barttlcships, «cru'i.sers, and ]!lostl'o_\;errs. Japan has launched upon the establishment of a great air force, commencing from where the great nations of Western civilisation found themselves when peace was declared. Japan is, diplomatically and otherwise, forcing Western nßiionS into helplessness in opposing Dl‘oDal‘afiolls for a veritable Armageddon that are fiercely, fiendishly, being rushed forward. "New Zca‘l'and need not anticipate any considerable trouble from Japan until that stage is renclied that the Kaiser thought Gernrmry llflrd attained to when he~signed the fatal docllmellt precipitating war; but when that time—’chc Japanese “der tagv"— (1003 come Australia will, without doubt, be amongst the countries first involved. -It m.~._x;-‘ be questioned. whether the Japanese have’ any aggressive warlike intentions, but when We ask ourselves why men build guns, make and buy powder and shot, we conclude that they intend to sh-oot something 01‘ somebody, and we know the thing to be shot is commensurate in importance with the preparations made to shoot it. V‘ Let us not deceive ourselves on thatpoint If Japan was being m-enaced by any of her neighbours the rush for increasing already huge military and naval’ services would be understandable, but the reverse is what obtains. Japan is flionestly

aggressive; Korea has bden seized and

the POOPIe reduced to ‘little short of’ actual slavery. Mgmdljuria is an Open sesame to Japanese ambitions and now trouble 3001118 imminent in connection with Jalmnese occupation of Shantung a Chinese province having some 50’000,000 of inhabitants. It will be remembered how all applauded Japanese determinaiivon to stand-V-by the Allies against German aggression, but none knew that Japan was in the war pure. 13' as a mercenary; that her assistance Was bought in one of the most dishonest and nationally degrading bargains civilised People could make. Britain, With her Allies, agreed to give Shantlln'B'.« most val'.uabl.'e-, ‘densely popul13«t0<_i, highly strategic Chinese terril«‘ol'Y§ to Japan as the price of her entry into the war. Truly may it be asked, “What Tight had Britain, or any. other country: to trade away the territory of another 11ati0I1‘?” But the Allies did trade it away, and thereby disclosed to Japan the hollowness of British protestations about self-determination and sacredness of the territory of helpless nations. Japan knows Western ethical protestations are all a sham; that Western acts are mostly dictated by greed and lust for power; that Germany never had, nor has, any monopoly of such barbaric propensities. Our chief concern, however, is the Japanese motive in demanding Shantung, as the price of her assistance against Germany; and of equal importance is the‘ dual, concerted, action of Britain and Japan in maintaining China in so helpless a condition that her multi-millions are-enslavablo by Japan at any moment deemed desirable and zopportlinc. From Shantung Japan can pursue a system of peaceful penetration until military power is called upon to replace it. From Korea, Manchuria, and Shantung many millions of fighting mcn are obtainable; by such propaganda as Japan has eptly learned from Germany how to use will cloubtlessly flood India and all neighbouring Eastern countries, large and small. It is where the truth of the situation is realised that the full‘ force of the “Yellow Peril” looms up before us‘ in‘ all its hideousness. ‘President Wilson has informed American Senators" that he was compelled to consent to Shantung going toJnapan, otherwise Japan would have withdrawn fI'O111!3’C-lie Peace Conference Japan was at the Peace Conference for the purpose of making Britain and France pay the ‘price-——Sh:antung—of her entry into the war. Japan was not actuated by love of peace in being at‘ the Peace -Conference; Britain and France had promised she should have a slice of another country’ they had no moral right toétradc away, and Japan was there to see she got it; if she did not get it there was no peace for Japan. That is the situation as disclosed by the facts. The motives and intentions of Japan stand fully revealed, and we now have to wait to see what ‘Western nations will do to combat the self-established evil they are confronted 'with. i No doubt . remains about the attitude of Japan, for President Wilson told SCn:a’fol‘S that when. Britain and France asked him to deal with the situation, he found it necessary to keep the Franco-Britisli promise to Japan. What was the altcrntativc‘! Japan would have exercised force in seiz.ing the promised province, and Asiatic hordes may at this moment have been on their way to these Southern seas, mainly to turn the str/learn of meat, wool, buttel',“cllccSo, and’ Whofll from the Westward to‘ Japan and China, It is questionablcr whether Japan is strong enough for such a campaign, but when it is remembered that not one amongst us ever dreamed even that Germany controlled such military and naval force prior to the war; “"3 may well be sceptical about what the 3,gtual power is that Japan can in-.-ttantly exert. We do I*’-HOW; bo<3'3“S° he has plainly told us, that President Vvflson found it necessary to knuckle down to the yellow men and concede them all they demanded Of allotllol' nafionrs tc,.,.ifol.y_ However much the spirit of “Menroeism” tl‘ollbl'Cd HlO 17;-esidcnt, he had no alternative but consent to tnadillg “Way anothe" na.tion’s territory in tenlPol'iSi“g fol' peace. The attitude of Ja133“,~ desllile the Russian problem, iS @llO mO-it Sol‘i' ous present visible menace to the peace of the World. .V