South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-12-05
HUNGCHUNG AFFAIR
EMBITTERS CHINA
AGAINST JAPANESE
Iylterior Motive in Sending
Troops Charged by
Picking.

PEKING, Dec THE fact that
japanese authorities sent troops %
the frontier town Of Hungchun. in
Chinese territory. for the announced
purpose Of protecting japanese sub
jects. after the town had been raid
81 by bandits. appears TO have raised
"a serious controversy between the
foreign ministries OF the countries
in question. and incidentally 20 have
TgCpened an old controversy concern
ing an adjacent territory known as
Chientao. (HungchuE is a Chinese
town on the Tumen river at point
where the borders OF China, Korea
and the Maritime province OF Sib-
eria meet. IL IS about 90 miles south
OF Vladivostok.)
The Chinese press accuses the
japanese OF being actuated by an
ultcrior motive in the course they
have pursued. r. LenOx Simpson,
statistiCian 70 the president Of China,
has pointed out that q * significant
that such attacks by Chinese ban
dts are always attempted where
Japan wishes 20 set up garrisons.
Early in October a band OF out
laws which Is said o. have numbered
several thousand and 10 have been
we'll supplied with modern rifles and
killed number OF people including
be is said. several Japanese. and
burned the japanese consulate. At
ter the raid. and in the face. IL is
said, Of an impending repetition of
the outrage. the Japanese moved
troops into the place and incidental
ly into the adjacent territory Of
Chientao.
Protest, Chinese Attitude.
Tn the course OF diplomatic eX-
changes over the situation, IL appears
that the Toxic foreign Office gSsum-
cd that Picking had agreed TO Co
operation" by Japanese troops,
whereas the Chinese foreign MINIS
try alleges that. the invasion having
already occurred when the question
Of cooperation was first discussed.
It's attitude " as one Of protest against
"a fait accompH.
+ LenoX Simpson putnam
Weale)' comments on the Hung
chun affair In the Picking Leader as
fellows.
"Huugchun is the nearest i'm
pOrtaut point on Chinese territory
90 the Sea OF Japan, that important
sheet e water which is virtually
lardlOckcd and Of which japan now
holds all the keys. Hungchun is so
N.NHf w n |N0Afl 1-iN THAT II ~ lNttA III J.
al in a few hours by carriage. That
10 should have been singled ont for
,bC latest massacre is curious and
Illuminating. Immediately prior 10
his affair. II shO1ld be recalled, the
Chinese bandits attacked the valu-
able Su chan coal mines near
NladivOstCk, neCeSSItatiug their Oc-
cupauOn BY Japanese troops precise
ly in the way that HungChIn has
now been occupied
AudaCt,Y Remarkable.
THE remarkable audacity which
the bandits of Manchuria have de-
veloped during the past year is a
curious feature of a nebulous S'tua-
ton. The writer. when I'm the region
Of the Chinese Eastern railway on an
official mission, did h.s best TO
pierce the mist which surrounds the
fact that such a large number Of
Japanese rifles and machine guns
and Japanese hand grenados should
Re distributed through this area
weapons not so easily acquired as To
MAKE !he ordinary explanation ac-
Ccptahlc. The fact that these attacks
we're always attempted where japan
seems anxious 10 install gan risons
was held peculiarly significant"
Mr.. Simpson goes on 20 say that
the conclusions he reached on the
occasion Of an investigating triD to
Manchurfa were that there may be
a section or group OF men connected