The Indianapolis times., 1929-11-28
war RUMBLE
AGAIN echoes
ACROSS. ASIA
New Russian Advance Into
ManChuria May Rouse
Japan to Action.
CHINESE ARE HELPLESS
Soviet Hordes Seize City
Despite Ideal Situation
for Defense.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIdMS
Scripps- Howard Foreign Editor

Ia GknNkO
Scripps-HOward Foreign Editor
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2s.-For the
third time in little more than thirty
years, international war threatens
to break out In that Asiatic cockpit
known as Manchur,a. In fact, the
war already appears to be in full
swing.
Anti-militariSt Russia, supported
by cavalry, tanks and airplanes, is
reported to De advancing along a
wide front from both the eastern
and western ends of the Chinese
Eastern Railway, and military OBJ
servers here take this to indicate
pincer movement against Harbin,
rail- center and strategic keypoint in
between.
In other words, Soviet Russia.
whose hatred of all capitalistic ma
tionS is proverbial, seems ready to
go to war with weak and unprepared
China to defend what she considered
TO be her property rights represent
ed by the above-mentioned railroad.
whose management the Chinese
have seized.
RumOrs May Be False
News from this front, however
will have to be taken with more
than the usual grain of salt, for if
che Balkans of Europe is a prolific
breeder of rumors, the Balkans of
Asia goes her one better and then
some. The widest reports fly thick
and fast and confirmation is diff
cult, if not impossible.
If the small city of HaiIar, about
125 miles east of the Siberian bor-
der town of Manchuli, has been cap
tured, as reported, then the next
stand the Chinese may be expected
to make is where the railway
crosses the Great Khingan range,
between Hailar and Tsitsihar.
Here the road twists and winds its
way over the mountains like a
snake, crawling through a tunnel
near the top Of the climb. The
country, beautiful and rernindfuI of
Blue Ridge uplands, is ideaI.,1s,r
defense. Z
But as for that, so is the treelesS,
pasture-land country around Hailar.
A few miles west of that city, cross
ing the railway at right angles, is
a range of rolling hills covered with
CfOrt ora lilo rro1F oO,,,-ea FYTI@-
tops Of these grassy mounds are
thick with sandpits like bunkers,
large and small, capable of shelter
ing a million troops along with their
field pieces, machine guns, cavalry
and whatever else the Chinese hap
pen to have.
China Is Helpless
The fact that the Russians occu-
pied Hialar as easily as they did
If they did-would seem to be proof
Of the hopelessness of China's posi-
ton.
I do not believe, however, that
Russia will go very far with her
war against China. Should she
overstep certain bounds, she would
have to reckon with Japan and what
Russia now is doing to China, Japan
would do to Russia.
Japan has fought two wars to
prevent any other power obtaining
a foothold which would endanger
her interests in Manchuria, and
would not hesitate to fight a third.
Therefore, If Russia really has set
out to occupy northern Manchuria
and force China to come to terms
with regard to the Chinese Eastern
railway, she probably has already
informed Japan of her exact inten-
tions and secured Japan's promise
of a free hand to carry them out.
Japan Can Profit
Japan has much to gain by per-
mitting Russia to take China down
a peg, provided Russia will stop
where Japan draws the line. Japan
claims special privileges in Manchu-
ria, particularly middle and south
Manchuria, and of late the Chinese
Nationalists have been inclined TO
dispute these claims.
Japan contends that but for her
Russia long ago would have swas-
lowed Manchuria, Just as she swal-
lowed Siberia, a short, snappy,
physical demonstration of Russia's
ability TO do what Japan says she
can do, would go long way TO-
ward proving the japanese thesis.
There always is the danger, Of
course, Of a genuine Russo Chinese
war getting out of hand, involving
Japan. Japan fought China in
in 1895. And ten years
later she fought Russia there.
In each instance she got out with
out vast profit to herself. Today
should events force her back into
this arena she never would leave it
would become definitely
japanese.