Evening star., 1931-11-30

That Toxic foreign Office hothead
who went OH half cooked about Sec
retary StimSon and has now come for
ward with an abject confession of his
fooliShneSs probably will either lose his
ofiicial head or commit hara-kari, or
both. He and the whole incident will
then be forgotten. 1t will retain a cer-
tain Importance, just the same, because
1t is evidence of the latent resentment
widely cherished against the United
States in Japan on account of the i'm
migration issue. That thorn rankleS
necessarily in Nippon's side. If the
japanese people get it into their heads
and the military party Is likely to see
that they do-that the advance on
Chin-chow was checked mainly at
American instigation, our stock over
there will be lower than ever. Resent
ment in this Manchurian business, as
our japanese friends may find out when
Congress is in session, Is not confined
to their side of the fence. Current
events in China have filled many Of
Japan'S friends in this country with
indignation. One thing seems assured
that when the long planned project
to lift the immigration embargo comes
up, with the proposal to put the Japa-
nese on the quota basis, the chances of
favorable action will be found to have
slumped substantially.
X
Secretary StimSon places great value
upon personal contacts between states
men and the friendly acquaintance
that generally springs from them. His
confidence that eventually the United
States and Japan will get together on
the Far Eastern conflict is based to
large extent on the friendships he
formed with Baron Shidehara, the
Toxic foreign minister, and Prime
Minister WakatSuki. On his way home
from the Philippines in the Summer If
1929, to become Secretary Of State, Col.
Stimson tarried in Japan for the spe-
cial purpose of paying his respects to
Shidehara and his ministerial COL
leagues. At the London Naval Confer
ence few months later Secretary
Stimson had the opportunity of ce-
menting with Mr.. WakatSuki a COM
radeship which set in when the pre-
mier passed through Washington on
his way to London.
X X 4 +
One of the insuperable difficulties in
the Sino-JapaneSe controversy.
Washington authority on Oriental af-
fairs tells this observer, is the special
position occupied by the Japanese army
in the government Set-rp at Toxic. It
is the one branch of the government
not responsible to the cabinet or civil
ian authority which rules the empire.
The army reports exclusively to the
general staff, and the general staff
takes its orders only from the En-
peror. The voice of the generals is
proverbially all-powerful at the i'm
perial palace. The result Is that when
the army sets itself a goal, it usually
achieves the desired result, for word
hn 10 IN ic
no matter what the prime minister and
the foreign Office may think about 1t.
X
Former Senator Frederick H. Gillett
of Massachusetts, and Mrs Gillett spent
part Of the time after the veteran New
Epglander left Congress last March
visiting the Coast. Gillett told one OF
his old senatorial cronieS that he'd been
looking them over at Hollywood. did
you think of getting a job as a hlve-
nile?" the crony twitted. 'Oh, no., re-
piled Nick Longworth'S predecessor in
the SpeakerShip. Il went to Hollywood
because 1 heard they were paying $50
week for boards" The Gilletts will
make their future home in Washington.
X
Henry p. Fletcher of Pennsylvania,
the first man to be designated by Pres
to the Geneva Disarmament Conference,
returned to Washington today. He
spent the past week in New York
helping to extend farewell hospitality
to Signor Grand. with whom Mr. Flet-
cher struck up a warm acquaintance
when Mussolini's foreign minister was
undersecretary of state at Rome and
the Pennsylvania was American AM
basSador. "HoW did Grandi survive
his Thanksgiving turkey at your Park
avenue apartment" Fletcher was ask
ed. He didn't" the late tariff chair
man fired back. I'VE gave him pheas-
ant"
Passport ofdcials at the state Depart
ment recentlV had a nut tn crack when