"THIS APPROACHING WAR."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15101, 25 March 1911, Page 5

"THIS APPROACHING WAR."

I By F. G. Ewnwrox

The above ominous warning note is taken from a very important military book recently written By Homer Lee, a v United States military official, who is earnest in his desire to areuso his compatriots to a sense of their imminent, unsuspected danger. It has two introductions. One is by Lieutenant-general Adna R Chaffee, late of the staff of the United States army, and the other is by Major-general J. P. Story. Botib of these soldiers allege that the book i 6 an important one, dealing with an impending crisis respecting the United States ana its altered status in the North Pacific owing to Japan's elimination of China and Russia as contestants'for the mastery of the Pacific. The great and grave lesson of the book • for us New Zealandere to thoroughly understand and lay to heart is this: the Japanese are bent upon the mastery of that vast region the Pacific, and 'they are methodically preparing for war to defeat 1 the United States. It is not a petty question of Japan seizing this or that particular little island as a vantageground-. She is alleged to be going to seize the Philippines, Honolulu (it]ie capital of the Hawaiian or Sandwich Islands), Alaska, and some important strategical positions in other Western States of the Union. The calm, reasoned, deliberate

conviction of the author is that if Japan takes advantage of the irremediablo un-, preparedness of the United States she can conquer them, and that, once established in the Western States, 6he could never be dislodged. He shows that the 'United States has not gotf. ships for the transport of soldiers, that they hare not got soldiers, and it will take three years to make them; that the people are unmilitaiafc, engrossed, in money-grabbing, lacking lofty ideals, and are grossly ignorant of Japan's strength, policy, ambitions, and indomitable martial spirit and ability. Of course,, those who aro valorous through ignorance will laugh at all this. Let the poor things laugh; they will not laugh long. History iteems with unheeded warnings. People do not like to be warned. Noah was- hooted, Jeremiah the prophet was thrown into a well, Apostles were done to death. Edmund Burke was disbelieved. So was General Butler before the Boer war. The sailor aboard H.M. Orphens was soornfully unheeded, and the consequence was the loss of the ship and 6cores of valuable lives on tho Manukau bar. Military men in the United States who have studied this ques. tiori do not make light of it, and it is only those who are utterly ignorant of the whole matter -who affect to think the warning needless or mischievous. They : say: " The United States has the money and the Japanese have not." They say: "•The United States have the population, and although' they may lose at first they will win at last"; and bo on. Our author has weighed all those considera- > tions, and his verdict is that the Japanese will contjuer unless almost by miracle the United States instantly and adequately wake up. It goes without saying that if the Japanese become masters of tho Pacific, and they become our, neighbours at Efomolulu, it will he necessary for us and Australia to put our houses in order and> prepare for strenuous crucial times. New Zealanders will say: "We are preparing. Look at our volunteers, consider our compulsory training scheme, think of our forts!" Yes, think of them all, and remember that- there is not a single instance in all history where a popular rising has succeeded in repelling invasion by the regular army of a martial people, and remember, too, that volunteers and militiamen are utterly unable, through no fault of their own, but of the system, to stand up successfully against regulars under modern conditions of warfare. All honour to our volunteers, when they do their best; but the conditions of modem warfare _ render them physically and morally incapable of successfully resisting warriors. like the Japanese. As for our forts, it is recognised now that fortifications of seaports are no good if they can bo assailed by land as ours can. The United States know something of volunteers in_ warfare. When the war broke out with Spain volunteers were immediately called for, and it took the . States about four months to raise 216,000 men, and during the Clivil War there were nearly two hundred thousand desertions from the Union army between 1861 and 1865. One man out of every 12 who enlisted became a deserter. .The Union army lost four times as many men from desertion as were killed on the battlefields. Tho6e are the words of Homer Lee, who was writing of his countrymen and who had to brook the criticism and ill-will of those about him. In these days when Labour representatives and Socialist leaders inveigh against inen fighting even in defence of New Zea- . land, and when men are ostracised from trade unions in the United States if they join the militia, we may judge whether volunteers and militiamen, inadequately trained, could successfully resist such dauntless specially educated and tried patriotic warriors as (the Japanese. Hence the importance of oiir waking up to the real gravity of the situation of having the Pacific dominated by a race of nnconqnered Asiatic fighters lik, the Japanese. Do not let us live in a fool's paradise. But is it worth (the while of the Japanese to fight the United States? It ■ 5 s .fen' while because of the important issues at stake and the immense prizes to be won. The Philippines for Japanese hands are deemed absolutely essential to their national safety, and the Hawaiian Islands are deemed almost essential. When the United States annexed Hawaii Japan protested « sa 'd would never a£e U» .t, and those who know her liistoj an! ?/ ] 0 ™ Ver IL The secret! and steady rising of the tide of Japanese unofficial invasion of Hawaii aaid of New Sl o°bi^i W W biter Vlm h not the real objective but a mere temporary van tege place, proves that Japan is going to up her protest, Moreover, thei s the wealth of Alaska, so rich in coal I S "ft, precious metal; and there also the gate of the Pacific," San Francisco, all of which. Japan is prepTr mg to wrest from the United Sattes. tion Sil> ; S: t " HaWaii ' in eonjuncSrV ,° Stra^ g ' C P 03 ' 1 ' 0 " 8 hmt °- fore described; can be considered the most important position in the Pacific. Not only would it be imposible for any nation to hope for_ sovereignty over the Pacific without being in possession of these islands but no power could undertake without them any continuous naval operations or maritime expansion. Their great value is due to the, fact that, they are Situated almost in the centre of tho Pacific, and that the ports nearest to them are distant over 2000 miles. They sever the North Pacific from the South the East from the West. In this segmentation lies their mastery." Mr Lee adds: Tho value of such a position is not due to its own productivity, but to the wealth of all the nations whose trade routes pass its turreted shores." When the war breaks out„ it will proably come without any declaration of war. Modern international ethics do not require that there should be a formal de-

claration. "Of the 120 wars that were °y l » lli e Occident between 1790 and }■Sr were begun without notification. Mr Homer Lee writes specifically about tins approaching war," " the coming war, the seizure of San Francisco," and gives particulars as to the

probable duration of the war and its ultimate outcome. My object in this article 15 to arouse interest and attention and to make receptive the minds of those who love New Zealand and.take an intelligent view of

world movements. Unless men's minds be alert and receptive, they cannot appreciate important matters, and now, having as I hope, aroused people, I' will in my next concluding article show what Homer Lee's military work discloses about the tremendous war that will, he believes, break out soon between Japan and the United States. Seeing that Japan is an ally of Great Britain, and that if a third Power joins in on the side of the United States and Great Britain would be compelled by treaty to go to the assistance of Jarian. whew is the man deserv-

ing citizenship in New Zealand who can afford to be indifferent to this impending crisis?