Evening star., 1932-10-03


bodied in chapters and 10, are as
follows:
CHAPTER TX.
PRINCIPLES AND CONDITIONS
OF SETTLEMENT.
Review of previous chapters:
In the previous chapters of this re-
port it has been shown that, though
the issues between China and japan
were not in themselves incapable OF
solution by arbitral procedure, yet the
handling of them by their respective
governments, especially those relating
to Manchuria, had so embittered their
relations as sooner or later to make
conflict inevitable. A sketch has been
given of China as a nation in evolu-
ton, with all the political upheavals,
social disorders and disruptive tend
encies inseparable from such period
of transition 1t has been shown how
seriously the rights and interests
claimed by Japan have been affected
by the weakness of the authority OF the
central government in China, and now
anxious Japan has shown herself to
keep Manchuria apart from the govern
ment of the rest of China. A brlef
survey of the respective policies OF the
Chinese, Russian and japanese gov
ernments in Manchuria has revealed
~
these provinces has more than once
been declared by their rulers to be
independent from the central govern
,nent of China. yet no wish to be sep
arated from the rest of China has
ever been expressed by their population,
which is overwhelmingly Chinese. FL
nally, we have examined carefully and
thoroughly the actual events which
took place on and subsequent to Sep
tember 18. 1881. and have expressed
our opinion upon them.
Complexity Of the problem:
A point has now been reached when
attention can be concentrated on the
future. and we would dismiss the past
with this final reflection. 1t must be
apparent to every reader of the pre-
ceding chapter that the issues involved
in this conflict are not as simple as
they are often represented to be. They
are on the contrary, exceedingly COM
plicated, and only an intimate knoWl-
edge of all the facts, as we'll as OF
their historical background, should en-
title any one to express definite
opinion upon them. This is not case
In which one country has declared war
on another country without previously
exhausting the opportunities for con-
citation provided in the Covenant OF
a simple case of the violation of the
frontier of one country by the armed
forces Of neighboring country, because
in Manchuria there are many features
without an exact parallel in other parts
of the world.
The dispute has arisen between two
states. both members of the League,
concerning a territory the size OF
France and Germany combined, in
which both claim to have rights and
interests only some of which are clearly
defined by international law; terri
tory which, although legally an in
tegral part of China. had local ad-
ministration Of sufficiently autonomous
character to carry on direct negotiations
with Japan on the matters which lay
at the root of this conflict.
Japan controls railway and a strip
of territory running from the sea right
I'D into the heart of Manchuria. and
she maintains for the protection of
that property a force of about 10000
soldiers. which she claims the right by
treaty to increase, if necessary, up to
10000 She also exercises the rights
of jurisdiction over all her subjects in
Manchuria, and maintains consular
police throughout the country.
interpretations Diverse.
Diversity Of interpretations:
These facts must be considered by
those who debate the issues. 1t is a
fact that without a declaration of war
a large area of what was indisputably
the Chinese territory has been forcibly
seized and occupied by the armed forces
OF Japan, and has in consequence OF
this operation been separated from and
declared independent of the rest OF
China The steps by which this was
accomplished are claimed by japan to
have been consistent with the obli-
cations of the Covenant of the League
of Nations, the Kellogg pact and the
nine-power treaty of Washington, all
action of this kind Moreover. the
operation which had only just begun
when the matter was first brought
to the notice of the League was COM
pleted during the following months and
is held by the Japanese government to
be consistent with the assurances given
by their representative at Geneva on
September 80 and December 10. The
justification in this case has been that
all the military operations have been
legitimate acts of self-defense. the
right of which is implicit in all the
multilateral treaties mentioned above,
and was not taken away by any of
the resolutions of the Council of the
League Further, the administration
which has been substituted for that Of
China in the three provinces is justi-
fled on the grounds that its establish
ment was the act of the local popu-
lation who, by a spontaneous assertion
of their independence, have severed all
connection with China and established
their own government. Such a genuine
independence movement, it is claimed
is not prohibited by any international
treaty or By any of the resolutions of
the Council of the League of Nations,
and the fact Of its having taken place
has profoundly modified the applica-
tion of the nine-power treaty and en-
tirely altered the whole character of
the problem being investigated by the
League
It is this plea of justification which
makes this particular conflict at once
SO complicated and so serious. 1t is
not the function of our commission to
argue the issue. but we have tried to
provide sufficient material to enable
the League of Nations to settle the
dispute consistently with the honor,
dignity and national interest Of both
the contending parties. Criticism alone
will not accomplish this; there must
be practical efforts at conciliation. We
have been at pains to find out the
truth regarding past events in Man
churia, and to state it frankly We
recognize that this is only part, and
by no means the most important part,
of our work. We have throughout our
mission offered to the governments Of
both countries the help Of the League
of Nations in composing their diff
ferences, and we conclude 1t by offer
ing to the League our suggestions for
securing. consistently with justice and
with peace, the permanent interests
of China and Japan in Manchuria.
Unsatisfactory Proposals.
Unsatisfactory suggestions of settle
ment: ID Restoration of the status
quo ante:
1t must be clear from everything that
we have already said that mere res
- tLa tot, nj