Evening star., 1932-01-08
A Warning to Japan.


United States Government notifies both
Japan and China that 1t will recognize
no state of affairs in Manchuria which
ignores the principle of the open door,
the treaty rights Of this country, the
nine-power treaty or the Kellogg pact
The communication Is addressed jointly
to Toxic and Nanking. In main effect
and obvious purpose it constitutes
warning to Japan, given at the very
hour her troops, by occupying Shan
hsikwan, were carrying the invasion
beyond the Great Wall and into the
domain Of China proper.
The emphatic statement Of American
refusal ito admit the legality Of any
situation de facto" means that while
the conquest Of Manchuria by the jap
anese Is an accomplished fact, this
Government looks upon 1t as lawless
achievement. There Is no suggestion
that the United States viii proceed
from remonstrance to action, In order
to right q now publicly proclaimed
wrong. But Japan's action Is at length
pilloried before the world In terms the
significance of which will not be lost
upon her government and people.
Short of war, for which, it goes
without saying, there is no wisp of senti-
ment in this country Secretary Stimson
has done all that can be done to stig-
Matte and check Japan's aggression
against the integrity OF China. He has
not waited for other powers to act. He
seises the initiative, in the name Of the
United States, just as another distin-
guished Secretary Of State, John Hay,
grasped it thirty-four years ago, when
the doctrine Of the open door in China
was first promulgated.
1t is manifestly Secretary Stimson's
belief that the steps thus taken Will be
supported by our co-signatories to the
nine power treaty, to whom copies OF
the identical note to Japan and China
were supplied. II, as must be expected,
these governments join in the protest
against the illegality of Japan's proce-
dure, Toxic will have dinned into Its
ears q volume of international resent
ment that can hardly fail to impress
people as proud as the Japanese are OF
the place they have won in the family
of nations. They cannot afford to carry
forever the brand Of treaty breaker
upon their national forehead.
The Stimson note stresses the unwill-
ingness of the United States to recog-
nize treaties between Japan and China
themselves respecting current events In
Manchuria. What here is indicated Is
anticipated arrangements which will
appear to give Chinese official sanction
to the conquest. Such vestige Of Chinese
authority as Is left in ManchuriA Is
obviously not that of free agent. The
United States does not intend to rec
ognize any situation. treaty or agree
ment," Secretary Stimson says, which
may be brought about by means con-
trary to the covenants and obligations"
of the Kellogg pact. To that pact the
signatures Of both China and Japan are
affixed
In the passage Just quoted lies the
kernel of the move the United States
has just made-Secretary Stimson's
reference to the obligations" of the
Kellogg pact.
The United States announces In so
many words that 1t is required, under
the provisions Of the general pact for
renunciation of war, to see that 1t Is
respected. We have made the first
gesture in that direction. We have
placed on record, on specific and grave
occasion, as was laid down in the cele-
brated Hoover-MacDonald communique
of October, 1929, that the peace pact
is accepted mot only as a declaration
of good intentions, but rs a positive
obligation TO direct national policy in
accordance with its pledge"
No more solemn animation Of
Americas international faith has been
forthcoming in recent years than Sec
retary StimSon's pronouncement on
Manchuria. 1t deserves, and will un-
questionably command, the country's
uholA -hearted aDproyal