The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-11-09
cularly in the part to which her pos.

paired and the government Of the
United States has every confidence
in the repeated assurances of the i'm.
perial japanese government that
geographical position gives Japan
such special interests they have nc
desire to discriminate against the
trade of other nations or to disregard
the commercial rights heretofore
granted by China in treaties with
other powers.
"The government of the United
States and Japan deny that they have
any purpose to infringe in any way
the independence or territorial in
tegrity of China and they declare,
furthermore, that they always adhere
to the principle of the socalled
"open door" or equal opportunity
for commerce and industry in China.
Moreover, they mutually declare
that they are opposed to the acquisi-
ton by any government of any special
rights or privileges that would affect
the independence or territorial in
tegrity of China or that would deny
to the subjects or citizens of any
country the full enjoyment of equal
opportunity in the commerce and
industry of China.
81 shall be glad to have your ex-
cellency confirm this understanding
to the agreement reached by US.
accept excellency, the renewed
assurance of my highest consider
alton.
(Signed) Robert Lansing.
Ellis Exellency. Viscount Kikujiro
1shii, Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of Japan, on Special
Mission"
The Japanese Reply
"The Special Mission of japan.
washington, November 2, 1917.
"Sir:
Il have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt of your note of today,
communicating to. me your under
standing of the conversations touch
ing the questions of mutual interest
to u governments relating to the
republic of China.
Il am happy to be able to confirm
to you, under authorization of NV
question set forth in the following
terms.
(Here the special ambassador re-
peats the language of the agree
ment as given in Secretary Lans-
ing's note.)
(Signed) TX. Ishii.
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of Japan on Special
Mission.
Honorable Robert Lansing,
Secretary of State"
In his statement accompanying the
announcement Secretary Lansing
said:
"Viscount Ishii and the other ia
panese commissioners who are now
on their way back to their country
have performed a service to the
United States as we'll as to Japan
which is of the highest value.
"There had unquestionably been
growing up between the people of
the two countries a feeling of suspi-
cion as to the motives inducing the
activities of the other in the Far
East, a feeling which, if unchecked,
promised to develop a serious situa-
proper intentions were increasing
desire to discriminate against the
ton. Rumors and reports of i'm
and were more and more believed.
trial enterprises without Interior mo-
tive were presumed to have political
opposition to those enterprises was
aroused inthe other country.
The attitude of constraint and
doubt thus created was fostered and
encouraged by the campaign of false
hood, which for along time had been
adroitly and secretly carried on by
Germans, whose government, as a
part of its foreign policy, desired
especially to so ALLEVIATE this country
and Japan that it would be at the
chosen time no difficult task to cause