Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE FRIDAY, JUNE. 21, 1918. JAPANESE INTERVENTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14637, 21 June 1918, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE FRIDAY, JUNE. 21, 1918. JAPANESE INTERVENTION.

■r 'Tho 1 success of the couriter-i'evblii^n-ary movement 1 , leading to", tKe defeat of 'Bols^bvjki'; .'forces ■' at several ;ppints in • WWtei'njr Siberiay should give- encouragement "to tb& ■ proposal! that • the Allies 'should step in •ahdvhelp Russia to -rehabilitate* 'herself: It ■ seems incredible that • tKpse witching tfce- course. ,o£. events should be- so; ; 3low to . perceive ihe.gveat danger" 1 incurredi; b)r permitting Germany to "gaSii a footing* hit the Far Easti ' A J?Bcerit d^pateH from' ' Wftshingtcm ': indicated V.thaV those iii authority •' > there* as '-. \yell ias British statesmen -were just begihiiing rtof realise the menace presented ''by -the Teutonic .absorption of ifeu'ssia^ /' It 1 Was ' stated; that experienced diplomat* '\ji America ifttid SngtandV agree* with the view ( just i^ade public by tLord Robert •fiecil'lthat 'once Germany v^ere'firmiy estabHshediii Russia theiKafißer would be abte-to ngh* f #e^ world foiv ever." ; ''iPhe faefc ik'se^ms patent ' that*i»from- th© ; mpmertb 1 «f .- Rus-, sia's polla-pse, Qefiaimy'Q 'clHfif ' ofoj&ift nas: beeii' tho extension' of* her - poVre/ eastvrardv. and- th>ti-the Kais^'s-aspira-tioit for-' world ' p^wjei 1 ;, ? checkedi iri> tne West, may be^fbjfewardtrd by- the occUpa. tipn of Siberia Wid fheF'ultiniia.te«coinqiießt--6f China. < ; Thb^i^llies' ■ ttnly' ( < hope ; of ayei'fcihg «iich.'«.'lwopl(l;:' calamity, lies ■'•in thei flmpl^yrijent- -of the lull energies of oux* allyy ffapan; in the only-part 'of the wjorld; rwhVe'-v "effective Help'^ could be rendered; by that country^ '/Japan, it is undei^topd,^%ouid needl li©^urging.' Her statesmen are fully awake to. the danger £*idf. Jhftve 'altfeady completed' arrangeifietttiii with? Ghiha -Vi-fp'r 00-opeication; 'Japan has stayed her hfend', 'awaitingt'he approvalii o*' her J lAtllies/ 1 ; ; who ; have liesi- ' tatedUtb oonsent> to f . intervention; because tneJkAvere -..ttot cerjiain "of the* effect th^t its aVoUildi hav« 1 the Russian/ j«opt»la t ti^n. 'Peutonio influence was; of course, at work'' every where promotihg antagon'ihnv to the idea* of "a Japanese invasion of Russiani'territoryj and in 'the peculiar temper of the- Russian people 'the Allies feared > that v such a- movement f or \fche deliverance of- Russia^ would" be misconstrued by the >people : it wa^> designed 'to benefit. 'It> is> 'in-' our opirifo^,ia pity that the bold step was' nob taken and that so'mucli time- has beetv<lps^' Even iit the-- matter of' interventiotj at":Vladiy^sbock to prevent' the supplies acoumu-.late'd-there .falling -ihtp' the hands' of the' Gennaiis, 1 irfdeiDision aiid- inaction on • 'tn&'''.paH: of 'thJe/ JAJlies-;hds beferi 'most jniniical . "to r their 'mterests'.' " It" i§- tnie tliat there /tvast" a lanaing 'ati^lftdivoskjck I'of1 'of British! va'nd .Japaneise mariiiefe beoiil only to I preserve Oinier and'iipt • t<i some.Kponihs agoi but it appear! to have •cUvim i'itltj to tho vast stocks of^wai-like supplies. : It is rioxjK V definitely . established tha* the Kaiser, has' been getting these supplies'. The • manager of \. the Rtissian' branph r of the ■Internatioji^l Hai-vestbr • Company,* who reached San. Francisco last month, is not , the first ■eye-wiiness to- testify that Allies' sup~-T-Vlies, .-ya.lued'> at lililhons of pounds, aro' being sent -from* Vladivostock and pthe^ points in.. Siberia, 'to; Germaiiy. Japan, says' the San ■ "; Francisco Olirbnicle;' sa-w Svhati was happening and 'Syhat-^ would continue, to- hawpen in - teg^a'd ■'txy^those supplies, and* as a, Jdyalr'ajly offered to land -troopa in Sibprihr an4 prevent it, but, "though inviting the' oo r op©ra«ion- of her allies in order to make' the protective campaign- an • international enterprise,- she was pounced iippn by the i pro and- ' senii-pro-German » newspapers, in /ViTliOrica.ivithsU.cli severitythat she decided to -do iw miore tlrami protect ■' hea*' own anterests." Race prejudice was nsedv as'a means of firoufiing American, suspicion !to the effect that Japan was really j seeking to grab as much of Siberia as possible. • The Administration, swayed for I the moment by the argument, , dia[.comaged intervention, ana iai doing so

was most unjust to Japanv That? Japan is genuinely loyal is seen irt the fact that, , failing Allied encouragement, she has 4 not -pushed ahead in Siberia, while the -perfidy of the Bolsheviki in Siberia is '" demonstrated by their acquiescence in . the German seizure of supplies intended for Russia. Had the^Allies not i been deceived) by »prc-Germaril| propaganda, artfully disguised* as". race-hatred, they would not only have^encoiiraged bub given practical help .to { .the\ 'Japan-' ese in the plan to save the; supplies* from falling into Germain hands. Now ••the Allied 1 Governments are ' beginning -to see the necessity .for and* the wisdom of 'Japanese intervention!, /and ' we v are toldi to-day that in Japan jtself there is a growing agitation for • decisive' action; . The- sooner intervention takes place the ! better. • It is absurd' /tliat . the Allies shoiild .permit themselves to. be beguiled Iby "consideration. for. the feelings of the j Bolslieviki. Lenin .and Trotsky, who . govern that wild 1 mob, are in Geifnan 'i pay. There is :■ not the ; slightest doubt j that '. the entrance into Siberia ;of -a $ large force of Japanese would compel) the withdrawal by th© Germans of a sufficient number of their forces in France I'.,1 '„ to. offset it. There, are still , some' level-headed' men- in l Russia .who f would realise the •pure- motives •of '■> the Allies and wovi^d 1 welcome intervention to deliveiv tdie -country •■■• from* the: com--pletei-- conquest 'that , the Kaiser has planned!. Upon Japanese intervention depends the salety of. the world from the menace- of a. rejuvenated Germany, with ,ife tentacles" all over Russia, still dreaming of world Empire, and preparing, by the utilisation of Russia's i vast man-pow«r and; natural resources, ' once again for "der Tag." The Kaises ■; ma,v b©-beaten utterly in theWeSt, but ; if he is allowed to. retain his hold over i Russia he has won the war. Therefore I let Japan intervene. .'