The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-02-24


been discussing, have tended to
bring home the vital Importance of
the faithful observance OF the COW
enants therein TO all the nations In
terested In the Far East.
I'VE see no reason for abandon
ing the enlightened principles
which are embodied In these treat
les. We believe that this situation
would have been avoided had these
covenants been faithfully observed.
and no evidence has come to us TO
indicate that due compliance with
them would have interfered with
the adequate protection of the Leg
itimate rights In China Of the sig
natories of those treaties and their
nationals"
This statement was regarded as
an answer to Japan's contention In
its reply to Stimson's note of jan
uary that present conditions in
China were not foreseen at the time
the nine power pact, guaranteeing
Chinese sovereignty was signed. A
further answer was made In the
following paragraph:
THE delays In Chinese progress.
the instability of her attempts to
secure responsible government,
were foreseen by Messrs Hay (who
proclaimed the open door policy
and Hughes and their contemp0-
raries and were the very obstacles
which the policy of the open door
was designed to meet.
I'VE concur with those states
men, representing all the nations in
the Washington conference who de-
cided that China was entitled to the
time necessary to accomplish her
development. We are prepared to
make that our policy In the future
Stimson's letter to Borah said:
my dear Senator Borah:
you have asked my opinion
whether, as has been sometimes re-
Gently suggested, present conditions
in China have in any way indicated
that the so-called nine power treaty
has become inapplicable or inef-
fective or rightly in need of modi-
ication, and If 10, what ] consider
ed should be the policy Of this gov
eminent.
'"This treaty forms the legal ba-
sis upon which now rests the
open door policy towards China.
That policy, enunciated by John
Hay in 1899, brought to an end the
struggle among various powers for
so-called spheres Of interest In
China which was threatening the
dismem berment Of that empire. TO
accomplish this Mr. Hay invoked
two principles % equality of COM
mercial opportunity among all ma
tons In dealing with China, and
ca as necessary to that equality
the preservation of China's terri
torial and administrative integrity.
In the case of China they were In
vOked to save a situation which not
only threatened the future Develop
ment and sovereignty of that great
Asiatic people, but also threatened
to create dangerous and constnatly
increasing rivalries between the
other nations of the world.
Hays announcement said:
The policy of the government of
the United States IL to seek a solu-
ton which may bring about perm
anent safety and peace to China,
preserve Chinese territorial and adj
minlstrative entity, protect all
rights guaranteed to friendly pow
ers by treaty and international law,
and safeguard for the world the
principle of equal and impartial
trade with all parts OK the Chinese
empire He was successful in OBJ
tanning the assent of the other pow
ers to the policy thus announced.
"In taking these steps Mr. Hay
acted with the cordial support Of
the British government.
But in the winter of 1921 to
1922, at conference participated
in by all of the principal powers
which had interests in the Pacific,
the policy was crystalized into the
so-called nine power treaty. In the
first article Of that treaty, the con-
tracing powers, other than China,
agreed
81. To respect the sovereignty,
the independence and the territorJ
ial and administrative integrity Of
China.
"2. To provide the fullest and
most unembarrassed opportunity to
China to develop and maintain for
herself an effective and stable gov
eminent.
"3. TO use their influence for
the purpose Of effectually establish
irg and maintaining the principle
of equal opportunity for the COM
merce and industry of all nations