Evening star., 1928-10-07


| four centuries ago and the small num-
ber of Catholics now left?
| The senseleSsness of putting up
| fight against the slow invasion of the
Chinese cultivators is now admitted by
everybody. After 20 years of favors
and privileges the number of japanese
residing in Manchuria Is not above
10000. In the railway zone alone,
where Japan is practically sovereign
power, the Chinese today number $780,
000 where 90 years ago they totaled
only about $4,000.
Where the Nationalist manifestations
Of Sun-Yat-sen and the diplomatic notes
of any Chanese government would have
availed nothing, the grim, silent work
of the Chinese peasant has prevailed.
, And proud Japan, in abandoning the
attempt to colonize Manchuria, has adj
mitted 1t.
During my last trip to Manchuria 1t
became evident to me that actually the
great IDEA Of all the Japanese who
count is to concentrate their technical
and economic efforts on the installation
of great factories in Mukden and other
important Manchurian centers, max
ing them the basis for more fecund
conquest than the barren victories of
previous wars-the conquest OF the
Chinese market.
/ inquired:
why have you waited so long to
consider and study such an important
transformation and utilization of
great region which has been practically
under your in fluence ever since 1902"
The japanese with whom l discussed
this question confessed that great
! ~ fx1d ri NTAfHrnricps
undertaken hitherto in ManChuria un-
der Japanese management have failed
and that those which still survive are
unimportant.
The explanations I received appeared
to me to be full of the true national
dignity that lies in acknowledging ones.
own mistakes and not Understanding
ones neighbors.
1--WE ought to have brought here"
they told me, "all the qualities in
which the Chinese are lacking--that is
to say, a perfect technical organization,
no makeshifts, no easy business, such
as the manufacture of sOya oil, which
was bound to fall into the hands of the
Chinese.
"The check to the industrial enter
prise of the Japanese in Manchuria Is
| due, above all, to want of knowledge,
study, effort and union on the part of
our directors and capitalists. The
japanese have too often yielded to their
passion for trusting to luck or to their
longing for immediate success. Thus
they could not struggle against the
Chinese, so redoubtable in spite of their
slowness."
Would you not rather say because
| of their slowness?" / asked.
| IF you like. Moreover, our people
L. 80, - rk,, ,AxvA 14aHi ife paA
customs of the country, thinking that
they are in a conquered land With a
di5dain for the Chinese, for which we
have had to pay dearly, 1t was long
| thought that any Japanese first-comer
would prove to be better than they
For instance, no f1rst-class technical
expert has yet been to Manchuria. Fac
tories installed by poor engineers give
little satisfaction, even when they work
All this has caused the delay in devel-
opment--a development which is now
a crying necessity for u.s."
Those who spoke to me were persons
OF such national Importance that we
may be sure the forthcoming attempt
at industrial exploitation of Manchuria
will represent the maximum effort of
industrial Japan.
To insure it's success the japanese
|
had learned that Japan must not try to
! eject the Chinese or treat them harshly
! and that the Chinese must be included
in their calculations.
This, and only this, Is line OF DO
l1tical and economic penetration worthy
of great people.
There is no doubt that the japanese
the masses, as we'll as the highest lead
ing personalities of intellectual Nippon
understand it and admit that it Is
the only paying policy in China. The
most liberal-minded among Japanese
leaders go even farther--they think
that Japan ought to go even farther
and displace the United States as the
friend of China In that, probably
they will never succeed "Neighbors" :"
in international life, rarely feel and act
as best friends; the best friends
are only the neighbors of the neigh
bors.
IF Japan is going to find the strength
and courage to discard the warhke ex-
citations of the militaristic and reec-
tionary parties, and to appear disloyal :
only for superficial observers-to the
fierce old Samurai spirit, great era
may be unfolding for her sons In Man
churia and in the whole of China.
If, on the contrary, government
| AFRAID OF the movement LOT democracy
, so rapidly spreading in Japan is really
going to try the old game and precipi-
tate international complications in order
to be able better to suppress the dam
gerous seeds of liberty at home, then
oh. then, momentary success might
perhaps be found for the shoutings OF
drunken nationalistic crowds. .
But final failure would be sure-as 1t
always. has been with dictatorial and
autocratic interest of caste or OF a
party.