Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-20
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

LEGGED violation of the letter
~ and the spirit OF the 1922 Wash
"A ington Conference Far East
4 4 ern treaties is the latest factor
to enter into the crisis and
chaos in China 1t has been projected
into the situation by France. The
French government feels that the
United States and Great Britain, in
playing lone hands in China at this
time, have disrupted the solidarity OF
the powers which met at Washington
1--we years ago and signed solemn agree
mentS for joint action on the other side
of the world.
The treaties which the French feel
have now been practically ahrogated
are the nine-power pact concerning
Chinese affairs and the four-poWer
pact with reference to the general
peace" and the insuar possessions of
the signatory nations in the region Of
the Pacific Ocean," Broadly speaking,
France holds that these various COM
pacts have been nullified by the indie
pendent negotiations which Washing
ton and London are carrying on at
Picking. Hankow, Canton, Shanghai
and elsewhere. Still another Washing.
ton treaty considered more or less to
have gone by the boards is the nine
power tariff agreement with China.
" dik VI IuCS6 pdClS L dAiIC . SiE iisA-
ture is attached. Paris complains they
have virtually been reduced to scraps
of paper.
China Interests Europe.
Vivid impressions of how the Chi
nese muddle has agitated Europe have
just been brought to Washington by
DIR. Herbert Adams Gibbons of Prince
ton, distinguished writer and lecturer
on international relations, and author
of THE New Map of Asia" and THE
New Map of Europe" DIR. Gibbons,
who addresses the Army War College
at Washington periodically on foreign
affairs, has just returned from a two
month sojourn in Great Britain
France and Germany. There he had
close contact with government leaders
and other representatives of public
opinion in the domain Of world condi-
tions.
II found China dominating Euro
pean thought and absorbing the en-
ergies OF European statesmen almost
to the exclusion of everything else"
said DIR. Gibbons to this writer. 1T
is realized on all hands that the stu
alton is crucial not only for China
itself, but for the powers, with their
vast and valuable political and com
mercial interests in that country.
Every one is conscious that the old
order has vanished and that the world
must be prepared for an entirely new
deal in China. In Great Britain and
France l encountered two entirely |
different conceptions of the situation. |
The British, who seem to recognize |
that their military and naval expedi- /
ton to Shanghai was somewhat pre-
cipitous, now feel that they are carry
ing the burden of all the rest of the
powers in protecting foreign rights in
the Chinese danger zone. A London
newspaper published cartoon that
typified this notion. 1t depicted John
Bull as the modern Atlas, bearing up
single-shouldered the pillars of the |
international heavens, and doing SO at
enormous and burdensome cost to the |
already heavily oppressed British in
come taxpayer. The British Labor
party is particularly vociferous on
this score.
Frances State of Mind.
I'm France there's quite another
state of mind. 1t is one OF lament
that the British and the American ms
have left the French in the lurch by
pursuing what Paris considers to be
purely selfish British and American
ends. The French viewpoint is that
the United States, Great Britain,
France. Japan, Italy, Belgium. the
Netherlands and Portugal jointly