Fighting Near Shanghai The measures being taken by the Japanese north of the Soochow Greek avd the Japanese ConsulsGenera's request tothe Council for ditional precaution during the Chinese New Year holiday season, appear to tend weight the" persistent repens that' Chinese "gueriat have' been very active in this vicinity Fecenty fud thet the Japanese expect further trouble in the near fulure. Within the last two. days re~ the totalitarian heart, sooner or later become inevitable, A counsel of perfection would be for the United States formally to align herself with the other democracies against the menace which has arisen in the world.
would be the greatest possible factor for peace, for the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo axis could make but a poor showing against the formid-table array which would be organized against them by such an arrangement. But while that cannot be done at present, and may never be, the fact remains that it only for self-defence the United States cannot long remain indifferent to any great outbreak of war in Europe, or for that matter anywhere else.
"The project for the fortification of Guam has still some distance to go, before it secures the approval of the full House. 'That has received the support of the Military' Affairs Committee, however, is signifteant] enough in view of all the circumstances. to suggest that it will also eventually receive the approval of the House and of the Senate. 'The Japanese seizure of Hainan Island, indicating an advance (o the south which must seriously threaten the safety and integrity of the Philippine Islands, has had an unmistakable effect upon the' decision of the Committee in this matter, The Japanese as~ Suranees that the island is only to be occupied temporarily, if they are not frankly] Uisbelieved, are certainly not accepted at] their face value, and that being the case, it is obvious that the most prudent course for the United States to take is to place herself in the best posture of defence in the Pacific against any such threat (0 the Philippines. To delay until it has been definitely shown what are Japan's real intentions would, in view of all that has happened during the past eighteen months, be foolish. The Japanese assertion that the fortification of Guam would be a direct menace to herself has no real] merit. The United States can never be accused of having at any time followed an agiressive foreign policy, and whatever deci sions may be made with regard to the} establishment of more bases in the Pacific Ocean they will be dictated merely by reason: of defence against aggression, such as it is feared Japan sooner of later contemplates in the furtherance of a policy which has already. been made much too clear to permit of any degree of complacency on the part of the United States, Groat Britain, France and the Netherlands. "It is obvious that, when deve~ lopments give indications that sooner or later the United States may become involved with Japan over the Philippines, the United States Government must place itself in a position defend its lines of communication across! the Pacific Ocean. The suggestion that in doing 80 a threat is lovelied against Japan, true only in one set of circumstances, when the aggressiveness of Japanese policy calls the potentialities of a base at Guam into operation. "It may never prove a menace to Japan, but that is so long as Japan does not seek {0 cause trouble.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.