The Evening Star THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1937. AN OUTSPOKEN SPEECH.

Evening Star, Issue 22773, 7 October 1937, Page 10

The Evening Star THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1937. AN OUTSPOKEN SPEECH.

On the subject of the war that israging in the Far East, ‘ with allusion, also to th'e war that has been proceeding longer in the West, President Roosevelt has made an outspoken speech. His address was carefully timed, to be read by a sub-committee of the League of Nations while it was considering the Japanese hostilities. It. influenced the motion, condemning Japan and expressing a wish for member 1 States of the League to consider how far they could individually aid China, which was passed by the sub-committee, and it made a strong impression in several countries. The President proposed concerted action by peace-loving peoples to maintain justice throughout the world. He likened world lawlessness to an epidemic of a disease calling for quarantine. The necessity was emphasised of “ positive endeavours ” to preserve peace. It was a good speech, whose resounding note has 1 stirred the pride of Americans and caused some French papers to deduce that the United States is emerging from its policy of isolation and has decided to take an active part with others on the side of law and order in' the world. But that conclusion must not be overpressed.

If Americans as a nation were determined to reverse their policy of “no entanglements” with European troubles the worst troubles would soon be at an end. The United States would join the League of Nations, and the League would be as strong immediately as it is now weak. The strongest Powers would hesitate to defy it when it spoke for righteousness. But very few Americans are prepared yet to think of abandoning their old policy of isolation to the extent of joining the League, or even of co-operating with it to an extent that might involve the risk of war for America. Their own Press takes care to couple with expressions of admiration of the President’s speech warnings against such a risk. “ Bathin' combinin’ moral truth with phrases sech ez strikes,” as Mr Hosea Biglow puts it, may be the best of all

material for speeches; but, like patriotism, those are not enough to bring a disordered world to its senses. The State-controlled Press of Italy hardly reports Mr Roosevelt’s utterance. The Japanese will attach more importance to a statement which <he made only nine days ago when he said: “ I cannot help the thought that instead of spending, as some nations do, half the national income in piling up armaments and more armaments for the purposes of war, we in America are wiser in using opr wealth for public works.” That statement, also, it would be wrong to take too much at its face value, for America has not wholly neglected rearmament. But it represents what Americans would like to think, in its largest implication, true. A policy of sanctions, if agreement could be gained for it, would be the surest way of persuading Japan to moderation, but as that would involve the risk of war, and East and West the outlook is equally troubled, neither the British nor the American Government is likely to think seriously of such a recourse.

There remains the alternative of combined representations to Japan. It has been suggested that, when the last differences arose in China, she did not wish tq press them to the point of war, but that, as the situation developed, her rulers were persuaded that it was better to have major hostilities then and get them over before China, became more consolidated. Now every Japanese, apart from a small, silent minority, believes that his country is fighting an unavoidable war, unjustly ,thrust upon her and calling for all his patriotism. But the rulers may think that the time was ill-chosen after all. China, is sufficiently consolidated already to threaten a long struggle, if this war goes on. The Japanese make the plea now of the “ have nets ” against the “ haves ” to justify them in their aggression, but they are not likely to benefit soon from territorial acquisitions in China, which they say they do not want, and the loss of its trade threatens the greatest injury to them. The goodwill of the world is important to them. A conference of the Powers—including Japan—who were signatories to the Nine Power Treaty, which is now being talked of, might be able to devise some form of settlement that would “ save faces ” for both the Eastern nations. It is not a large hope, but it is the best.