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Show , . ! WAS JAPAN FALSE? With considerable mental reservation the following from Admiral von Tirpitz's story of the war now appearing in eastern papers, should ! be read, as the disclosures, if true, should prove a source of deep re sentment : Only the transmitting to Germany of the threatening notes of President Wilson, when he inveighed against my submarine campaign cam-paign during the latter stages of the war, prevented Japan coming com-ing to us in a great German-Japanese alliance, which would have ended the war at once. But when Japan saw how we bowed to these notes of Wilson, ! she probably abandoned all idea of coming into an agreement with us. The Japanese are a rapacious and a greedy people. ! and, ergo, they form a rapacious and greedy nation. In this re spect they are verily a primitive people they want to grab everything ev-erything in sight. But now that they have obtained, through their participation in the war and through theii shrewd diplomacy, the dominating position in Eastern Asia, it would be foolishng for them to quarrel quar-rel with the United States about a few South Sea islands or the racial question. The main point of any conflict between Japan and America ought to be China, for the markets of China are po-k- tentially rich and powerful. I America has had good luck in seizing a great share of the Chi- j nese trade due to the enterprise of the country, for one thing 1 and her apparently disinterested policy for another. So here we have this situation: America does not intend ever to lose the trade of China again, while the Japanese hope to rule the Chi- ' nese as the Manchus once did. I do not believe the Japanese reckon with the awakening of China for China will awaken in the near future. They will aim to grasp China so firmly in their grip that she can no longer i be a menace to them, but instead, under the well schemed Jap anese diplomacy, she will become nothing more than a tributary state. There is one great drawback to this scheme of the Japanese, J however, which will either wreck their plans completely or bring on another war. If the Japanese were not such opportunists in the policies of the world they would realize that their treaties with England and the United States will not avail them anything in the long run. For, no matter how strongly they seem to have closed their hands on helpless China and, for the moment, have her firmly in their grasp, their power must ever rest on an insecure basis so long as they do not produce the best possible international situation against the day of their reckoning with America. My belief is that Germany lost her opportunity to secure herself her-self against the world war when we neglected to include an alliance alli-ance with Japan prior to 1914. This at that time was certain" ly feasible. If the alliance had been cemented during the war, it would have ended fighting abruptly. Japan must be warned in time if she is to adopt a policy thai is not antagonistic to America. After her victory over Russia, Japan found herself in the greatest financial difficulties. In this respect, at least, it was a Pyrrhic victory and the bourses of the world bore it witness. There were two important reasons for this fate. One was the personal obstinacy of the czar, who had in a well developed form the characteristic trait of sullenness, coupled with passivcncss. except when aroused; the other was the mediation of President Roosevelt, behind which the skilful diplomacy of England was J cunningly concealed. The Standard rejects the statement that Japan was disposed to play I false with the allies. Just At present is to the advantage of the Teuton to create distrust of this kind. There is a great agitation going on this country, intended to cast suspicion on everything Japan does, and The Standard advises against the people of the United States forming a hasty judgment as to the sincerity or fair dealing of the Japanese. I We should not allow ourselves to be made the dupes of those who aim ; to bring friction into our relations with Japan, regardless of whether ! Japan is guilty of double-dealing. We must be careful to avoid doing I Japan an injustice, and also see to it. that we do not lend our support ! to scheming diplomats who hove il designs. Above all we must ! guard against much of the propaganda that is now flowing out from the central powers. |