Mexico Missouri message., 1915-07-01
AN AUDRAIN BOY.
His Opinion of the Designs of the
Little Jap on China.

everybody in Audra1n county, as an
Audrain county boy is referred to,
who was born and reared in the coun-
ty, southeast of Santa Fe.
A second world war in the not dis
tant future would result if Japan
should carry out her program against
China, is the opion of Lebbeus X.
Whitley, an Audrain county, Mo-, boy,
of St. Louis, former Judge of the
United States Court for China.
Judge Whitley, Oriental expert,
writing from personal knowledge of
conditions in the Far East, expresses
this view in the New York Times of
Sunday, June 20.
He says Japan should be prevent
ed from carrying out her program
and that the United States should
interest herself in this work.
No fear need be felt that the Unit
ed States and Japan will get in
volved in war, he declares.
Judge Whitley is a member of the
st. Louis law firm of Whitley, Will
fley, Mcintyre G. Nardin, with offices
in the Guaranty Building.
1.-The strangling ofChina by Japan
under the circumstances, and in the
manner in which she is doing it, is
the most striking exhibition of inter
national recklessness and audacity,
and if she is permitted to carry out
the program planned it will unsettle
completely the equilibrium of the
far east, which the United States took
the lead in establishing, and will
lay the foundation for second
world war in the not far distant flu
ture. 1t is inconceivable that ia
pans statesmen would have made
these demands if they had expected
them to be given to the puddle.
eff we recall in this connection
that Japan was one of the signatory
Powers of the John Hay treaty, which
was leveled specifically against the
of China by the use
of spheres of influence" policy, and
which provides in terms for the main
tenance of the integrity of China and
the establishment of the principle of
equal opportunity to all nations to
engage in trade with China, general
ly known as the policy of the "open
door," we are in position to COM
prehend the nature of Japan's
designs.
ITO those who are familiar with
the Japanese character and the situa-
ton in the far East the meaning of
these demands is simple and plain.
81 is nothing more nor less than
the unprovoked, unwarranted and
forcible obligation of the sovereign
ty of China in utter disregard of the
violation of treaty obligations with
the Western Powers.
1.-THE military aggregation now so
loudly charged against Germany,
and which Japan ostensibly has en-
tered the war to aid in curbing, pales
into insignificance, both from the
standpoint of magnanimity and NOR
ality, when compared with this act
of spoliation by Japan.
The traditions, trade interests,
restless energy, proximity and power
of the United States require that TINS
country play leading part in the de-
velopment of the trade of the many
hundreds of millions of people who
dwell on the shores of the Pacific,
Judge Wiley declares.
He says the apparently harsh state
ments contained in his article do not
arise from any animosity toward ia
pan, but as a protest against the vio-
lation of China and the commission
of crime against the integrity of
Japan by the groups of statesmen
now in control of the Sunrise EN-
pire's destinies