Nov. 12, 'Mr, Winston Churchill in his speech at the 'Mansion House gave a pledge and a warning, When he declared that, should the United States become involved' in war with Japan, the British declaration would follow. within. the hour, That pledge to the United States is.in fact the culmination of the programme of parallel policies which Great Britain and the United States have been following in the Pacific in recent years It does not amount fo anything in the nature of an alliance, but it isan indication to the world at large' that as the United States have stood so boldly behind Great Britain in her war with Germany, 0 Great Britain will stand side by side with the United States should the Japanese Government be 50 ill-advised as fo precipitate a war in this part of the world. Mr. Churchill added point to his statement, when he prefaced it with the remark that, owing to British naval successes in European waters Britain, with additions to her fleet, was now
with heavy, ships and necessary auxiliaries a position to provide a powerful naval force for service in the Indian and, Pacific Oceans Mr, Churchill has made that statement fore, but its repetition in his Mansion House speech Is to be taken as an indication that the assistance which will be given to the United States should that be required will ind
American superiority in naval strength over very real and sufficient to provide Anglo-{he Japanese, Navy. That pledge to the Unit~ ed'States and warning to Japan is more than ordinarily significant coming from a man who is able to say with truth: " must admit that, having fought for the Japanese alliance nearly forty years ago, in 1902, and always having. done my very best to promote good relations with the island Empire of Japan, and always having been a sentimental - well-wisher of Japan and admirer of their many gifts and qualities, T would view with keen horror the
the English-speaking world." There are very spectacle of a conflict between Japan" and many who feel like the Prime Minister. The memory of an old friendship is not easily dissipated, even by such conduct as that of Japan in. recent years, and war with her, should she precipitate it, would be engaged fu. with heavy hearts, That heaviness would not be induced by any uncertainty as to the outcome of such 8 struggle, for the might of the English-speaking peoples is "far greater, their re-Sources immeasurably superior fo those of Japan. Ty may safely be said that neither Great' Britain, nor the United States entertain any doubt as to how such a struggle would end. Tt would result in the defeat of Japan, and her reduction to, second-class Power, It may very well be that though the China" Incident "has" thoroughly extended Japan's resources, they have not yet been irreparably damaged. "A war witt Britain and the United States would un-Goubtedly complete what the resistance of China has already done, and the Japanese have to face the prospect that if they do embark on war they will bring about the economic and political ruination of their country, There are some Japanese who realize St, but the extremists are anxious for a gam~ ble in which they hope—and it is indeed very faint hope,—to repair the damage to Japan's fortunes which has been inflicted upon them by the long, drawn out struggle with the Chinese.
The picture is no more intricate than that. Great Britain and the United States have set limits beyond which Japan cannot now pass without becoming involved in war. "Any attempt to pass them will pin the responsibility for whatever happens on the shoulders of the Japanese extremists, and the penalty for fallure—and, humanly speaking, failure appears inevitable,—will indeed be heavy. A Sofeated Japan will have undone the work of the past century, and the state of the ation will be even worse than it was when commenced the long upward struggle which has placed her in the foremost rank of the big nations of the world. It is easy fu the light of that to understand Mr, Churchit's keen horror of the possibility of war between the Japanese and the English-speaking nations of the world. Yet the fact is that a comparatively small coterie of rash men are heading Japan towards inevitable ruin while those moderates in Japan who Fealize the danger are powerless. It will be nothing short of a terrible tragedy it Japan orcs war in the Paeife, but the greater part of that tragedy wi those who bring it about.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.