The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-03-25
CIVIL LIBERTIES
union PROTESTS
u. S. ULTIMATUM
Urges Withdrawal of
Threat to China
Especial to The Daily Worker

NEW YORK, March 20. - In no
Spouse to a cablegram from the Cen
trail Committee of the Kuo Min Tang,
addressed jointly to the American
Civil Liberties Union, the socialist
party and the Workers (Communist)
Party, the first-named organization
has written the following letter to
President Coolidge, protesting against
the association of the United States
with the other imperialist powers in
the recent ultimatum to the Picking
government and the Kuominchun COM
mander at Tientsin. The note from
the Civil Liberties Union is signed by
Harry F. Ward, chairman of it's ma
tional committee. The letter is as
follows:
President Calvin Coolidge,
Washington, D. C.
Dear Mr.. President:
In behalf of this committee, have
just transmitted to you by telegram
an appeal based on cable received
from the central committee Of the Kuo
Min Tang (China National Party.
That cable reads as follows:
United States government associ-
ated in fresh acts Of aggression
against sovereignty of China. This
very moment national armies are en-
gagged in decisive struggle against
avowed reactionaries at Mukden and
other militarists. Ultimatum calcu-
lated to hamper national armies and
assure victory to forces of reaction.
Appeal to you to exercise your infu-
ence to restrain government action
plunging China into worse chaos and
This cablegram refers to the ulti-
matum delivered to China by group
of powers in relation to the removal
of obstruction to navigation from
Taku bar to Tientsin, due to the civil
war now proceeding in that vicinity.
We understand that this ultimatum
and the action thereby threatened is
justified legally under the protocol of
1901 which guaranteed unimpeded
navigation in the Pei River to the
ships of the great powers. All Chi
nese parties, however, agree that this
protocol, together with the other "un-
equal treaties" embody limitations Of
Chinese sovereignty that are now
both unnecessary and intolerable.
1t is exceedingly interesting in this
connection that a representative COM
mittee of American missionaries at
Pekin who are supposedly the chief
benefciaries of the protocol Of 1901,
in protest to Minister MaoMurray,
endorse the Chinese point Of view and
point out that our association with the
other powers in enforcing this ulti-
matum will severely strain, if it does
not break, the historic friendship be-
tween China and the United States.
The consequences that these mis-
sionaries fear will remain even tho
the Chinese yield to the superior force
behind the ultimatum. At this very
there comes to my hand a
newspaper announcing a great student
demonstration against the govern
ment's acceptance Of the ultimatum.
Troops fired upon the students kill
ing II and wounding 16. No formal
acceptance of the ultimatum will blot
out of the minds Of the Chinese peo-
pie the bitter memory of this deed.
Thomas f. Willard, the most ex-
perienced American journalist in the
Orient in the New York Times, Mar.
II, speaks of the ultimatum as "sus-
tanning the selfish motives of certain
powers" He points out that our
in the ultimatum will
establish a precedent as indicating the
attitude of America toward the whole
set of existing treaties which steadily
and constantly are breaking up"
We earnestly protest against the as
ISOLATION Of the United States with
actions of other powers based on
treaties that infringe upon the SOW
sreignty of China from whose oner-
Gus provisions the Chinese have for
some time past been seeking relief
Such a policy if continued can only
lead to reputation Of these treaties
by China with disastrous consequence
es to the peace of the world. We }
therefore, urge you at once to dis
sociate the United States from all
policies and acts of other powers that
Involve the use or threat of force to :
uphold treaties, the present validity
and value Of which are now called in
question by many impartial foreign
observers.
We believe that present conditions
IN China present to you as the head =
If this government a unique oppor-
unity to take the lead in securing F,
he readjustment of treaty relations
with China, upon which in no small
iegree depends the future peace OF
he world. We appeal to you II you
cannot obtain the cooperation Of the
British and Japanese governments, to
lct independently in accordance with
he highest American traditions of
friendship with China, respect for her
sovereignty, and far-sighted devotion
o the preservation OF international