If the spirit of Jesus characterizes the conference and if these
principles should be accepted by all, the question of the limitation
of armaments, speaking from the point of view of the United States,
would be easy. It would be merely a question of proportion among
small numbers. From the point of view of Japan, the question may
well be asked whether the United States is willing to follow this
same spirit. The reply to the question is to be found simply in the
facing of the facts. Are the proposals of Secretary Hughes in this
spirit? Has the United States attempted to seize unjustly or to
oppress the native peoples in Cuba, in Porto Rico, in the Hawaiian
Islands, in the Philippine Islands, in China, or elsewhere? The
inefficient Cubans were given a start toward self-government, were
set upon their feet industrially and were given the opportunity of
self-determination as regards all matters in which they could not
injure the rights or the welfare of others. Similar statements may
be made with an equal degree of truth with reference to Porto Rico,
the Hawaiian Islands, Philippine Islands, China. While doubtless
many individual mistakes may have been made, the spirit of the
administration in all these countries, by the universal testimony of
those who know, including the Filipinos themselves, shows that the
spirit has been in accord with the teachings of Jesus.
The Japanese claim they fear, and doubtless in many instances they
sincerely do fear, that the United States is aggressively attempting
to gain control of the Pacific. Any one conversant with the facts
knows that it wishes simply the promotion of the welfare of the
people concerned, including the welfare of its own citizens, by
fair, peaceful, industrial methods, in accord with the spirit of
self-determination of the peoples themselves just so rapidly as they
are able to assume that power.