Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-20
America Moves for Peace.

Acting on behalf of President Hoover,
Secretary Stimson has moved dramati-
cally on behalf Of peace in the Far
East He brings the diplomatic ma
chinery Of the United States into play
In two different directions. To Russia
and China he sends meaningful re-
hinder that they are adhering sigma
ton Of war. To Great Britain, France
and Japan, Col. Stimson addresses a
suggestion that the Four-Power Treaty
of Washington, respecting rights" Of
the High Contracting Parties" in the
Pacific, is operative in the threatened
rupture between Russia and China
that these rights are menaced by ag-
gressive action Of any other power" as
the quadruple alliance for peace in the
Far East terms such an emergency as
now has come about.
1t is strong and salutary step that
the United States has now taken. Prob
ably the notification to Moscow and
Marking that the governments linked in
the Four-Power Treaty are comforting as
to their rights and duties in the prem
ises is the more important of the two
separate actions initiated at Washing
ton. It is tantamount to saying to the
war lords of both Russia and China that
Anglo Franco Japanese American inter-
vention in their controversy, should it
lead to war, Is extremely likely, If not
absolutely assured.
That Is a prospect which will give
both the Soviet and Nationalist China
food for pause and reflection. If they
did not know before that the outside
world cannot contentedly see Eastern
Asia converted into cockpit, they know
1t now. The Chinese Eastern Railway
at the moment is purely Russo-Chi-
nese bone Of contention, but Washing
ton, London, Paris and Toxic are aware
that once it began to be picked by the
parties chiefly at issue, there would be
no telling what other teeth might be
found gnawing and grit over it before 1t
was torn to pieces. What America has
done is to invite all concerned to see
that that perilous process does not even
start.
Russia and China have a proper sub
Ject flor arbitration, in so far as the
disputed railway affair is concerned.
Management of the line was fixed by
treaty, which China has, for reasons
deemed legitimate by herself, denounced
and terminated. An arbitral commits
sion, such as Is contemplated by the
Kellogg pact, could sit on the treaty
squabble and adjudicate it. But China
could not be blamed for insisting upon
the exclusion of Communist propaganda
from any consideration by arbitrator.
The United States Is a signatory to
the Kellogg pact, but this country would
hardly allow an arbitration board to
weigh the right Of Russia to SOW the
seeds of Sovietism in American soil.
China's grievances against Russia on
the score of Communist propaganda
are deep and justified. They lie at the
roots of the present conflict. Russia
has already propagandized Mongolia
out Of Chinese jurisdiction, has virtual
ly alienated Tibet by the same devious
methods, and has practically bolshe-
vized Chinese Turkestan.
II the Nationalist government found
drastic methods necessary to prevent
Manchuria from going the way of
China's other lost provinces, Marking
may be found proposing reservations to
any program for arbitrating Chinese
differences with the unparalleled prole-
tariats now enthroned T. &he Moscow
Kremlin.