THE BEARTHAL CRAWLS

By her restrained protestations, Russia, in the last few days has once again attracted world-attention to the aggrandizement activities of the cocky Nipponese in the Orient. The Muscovites claim that Japan is attempting to scuttle away with their Chinese Eastern Railway, and informally Tokio rather complacently admits complicity with such schemes. As this news climbs to more important levels on the front pages of the dailies, militarists are gleefully clapping their hands at the prospects of a first-class imbroglio, although the possibilities of the scare reaching war proportions seem very vague indeed.

The Russian position will be definitely along defensive lines, since the internal stress, coupled with food shortage make military operations on a grand scale most impracticable. Furthermore, the Japanese war machine has proven itself to be well groomed; and for embryonic Communism to risk itself over a few extra-territorial possessions seems ludicrous.

The near future will certainly see a Japan capitalizing on her military hegemony and striking out unscrupulously for every sort of commercial advantage in the East, stimulated by her nascent nationalism. It is a position of gather ye rosebuds while ye may,' with Russia playing a waiting game along on the sidelines and China serving as the carcass to be spliced up, but at most, all that can be expected of the Russian resistance to Japanese aggression is a vigorous open denunciation before the other powers, accompanied by the usual subversive, calumniatory propaganda.