Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-27
SIBERIAN SOIL
APPEARS AS REAL
JAPANESE OBJECT
California Situation, How
ever, Furnishes a Conven-
lent Camouf|age.
by JUNIUS II. WOOD.
pecial cable to The Star and Chicago Daily
News Copyright 1920.

special cable TO The star ana chicago DhhH
News. Copyright, 1870.
YOKOHAMA. Japan, October IL
California's sunny Sacramento valley.
bleak Saghalien. with its fisheries and
mines. and vast Manchura, across which
stretches the Chinese Eastern railway.
are all linked by a common interest to-
day. according to men familiar with
Pacific politics. They declare that while
the California referendum is ostensibly
agitating Japan from the highest to the
lowest circles, the real objective of the
island statesmen is the Siberian main
land for which the California situation
furnishes convenient camouflage.
Purpose of the Japanese.
In striking contrast with the series OF
inspired articles in the newspapers dis
cussing the possibilities Of war with the
United States is the almost complete
silence of the same newspapers regard
ing a military expedition which is al
ready operating in north Manchurla
Outside the inner government circles
few realize the size of the expedition
launched in Manchuria last week. 1t is
generally supposed to include merely az
few companies of Japanese soldiers pur-
suing Korean revolutionares and Chi
nese bandits. Actually it is an extensive
between the Sungari river and the ia
pan sea.
The territory has long been scourged
by Hunghutze bandits. whose former
leader, now military governor of
Mukden, is a powerful leader whom
the Peking government is either I'M
willing or unable to suppress. The
Korean refugees have Joined these
bandits and have been hara ssipg the
Japanese with border outbreaks,
,,ylv hr, hn
consulate at Hunchun. In reply to
the objections of Picking. it is an
need that the purpose of the ex
petition is to punish the outlaw
Korean s.
Troe2s Beyond Hunchun.
Hunchun is located at the extreme
southeastern end of Manchuria. be-
tween Korea and the southernmost
tip of Siberia. On one side is Possiet
bay. and the town needs only the
completion of a proposed railroad to
make it eclipse Nladivostok harbor.
which is only a short distance to the
northeast. An ancient highway runs
from Hunchun northwest until it
reaches the Chinese eastern railroad.
Official reports show that the Japa-
nese expedition has gone far beyond
Hunchun and is nearing the railroad
which China insists is to be protected
by Chinese soldiers alone.
while Japan is certainly justified
in demanding fair treatment in Cali
fornia. it is highly improbable that
she will begin hostilities on account of
any injustice done to comparatively
few Japanese in the United States"
said man who summarized the re-
ports sent to the ataDepartment.
The result of carrying a war across
the Pacific is dubious, and the real
leaders realize that the possibilities of
Japan's winning in such a war are
slight.
'Justlfed" by Talk of War.
However, the talk of war on ac-
count of the California situation fur
nishes popular justification for mill
tary preparations in anticipation of
possible interference with Japan's
more important plans on the main
land of Asia. The military hierarchy,
munitions makers and shipbuilders
are always preaching preparedness.
Others, foreseeing trouble when Rus
STA comes back, and the other powers
protest against Japanese expansion in
realize that the California in
cident furnishes an ideal pretext for
securing the same result"
The vernacular newspapers, receiv-
ing a hint from the government CEN
sor. have dropped the war talk which
was assuming such proportions as to
diplomatic negotiations