Evening star., 1929-12-03
u. S. PRESTIGE HELD
!. AT STAKE in ORIENT
World Watches for Results of
First Use of Moral Force
to Keep Peace.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


The big test of moral force-the only
weapon the Kellogg treaty implies
has come In an effort to persuade Rus
sia and China to compose their diff
culties
Calling upon So nations, signatories
to the Kellog treaties. the Secretary of
State of the United States, Henry l..
Stimson, has endeavored for the first
time in diplomatic history to marshal
world opinion.
Japan alone hesitates, but this is be-
cause the Toxic government has always
been on the defensive in Far Eastern
affairs anyway, and both China and
Russia will not interpret Japan's policy
as particularly unfriendly to that OF
the world powers, but as merely local
attitude.
Significance of Appeal.
The appeal by Secretary Stimson is
of much significance, so far as future
relations between the United States and
Russia are concerned. While no men,
ton has been made of recognition, 1t
is a fact that the Washington Gov
ernment has been growing friendlier
and friendlier toward the idea of a
working arrangement with Moscow. II,
however, Russia flouts the Kellogg
treaty it will give the American Gov
ernment a different reason for with
holding recognition than it ever has
had before The proposition that the
United States should not recognize
nation which violates the principles
of the Kellogg pact would be more
easily defended in the American Con-
greSS than a refusal to recognize
Russia for materialistic reasons asso-
1fo xxyiSH - Iao diof 0f oh
or even the spread OF communistic
propaganda.
Outside intervention in the Far East
ern controversy is not particularly well
coined by Japan, China or Russia. The
United States traditionally has con-
suited Japan, Germany, Great Britain,
France and Italy, thus making a six
power group, which has always acted
more or less in concert in preserving
the open door and other vital policies
agreed upon with respect to China.
But with Japan rather Indifferent, the
United States Government felt the ne
cessity of bringing pressure to bear from
the whole world. Already there Is evi-
dence that France, Italy, Germany and
Great Britain are in absolute accord
with the policy of the United States, as
the situation was canvaSsed in advance
by the American Ambassadors abroad
before the world appeal was decided
upon.
. Future Action Is Question.
The natural question asked is what
will the SO powers do about 1t If Rus
sia and China go their own way. The
League of Nations has the economic
boycott at its disposal as a weapon of
persuasion, but President Hoover in his
ArmiStice day speech pointed out that
the United States does not accept the
economic boycott theory. Both the
President and the Secretary Of State
have rejected physical coercion as
tige of the American policy, therefore, is
at stake, and the whole world will watch
to see what is the outcome Of the first
big experiment in the use Of moral
force.
The fact that the United States has
sent out the appeal puts America in the
position Of not merely championing the
Kellogg treaty, but of assuming the
leadership of the world in efforts at
mediation.
AS disinterested friend of China, the
United States would not hesitate any
how to inject herself into the situation,
but in view of the fact that Russia has
not been recognized 1t requires some
thing extraordinary like the Chinese
Russian conflict to brush aside techni-
calities and address the Moscow govern
ment directly.
It would not be surprising If the
American Government, as a consequence
Of the Chinese-R Russian dispute, became
an active mediator together with other
powers and this in itself might lead
to an adjustment of Russia's relations
with the outside world 1t is taken for
granted that If broad-gauged attitude
is adopted by Russia, she viii win
friend in the American State Depart
ment and that all the problems between
Russia and the United States will be
approached in an altogether different
spirit.
Copyright, 1927