Evening star., 1932-03-06
The Boycott-Is 1t War?

AO ~ w &
, about the middle Of october, and there
was a good deal of agitation, though
no such devastating effect on traoe as
at Shanghai.
There. under the immediate direction
of the highest Kuomintang organs, tne
movement developed at once an organl-
zation like the Russian OGPU, whose
terroristic acts put all thougnts o! re-
| sistance out of the minds of Chinese
merchants. The paid agents OF tne
'anti-Japanese and Save-the-Natlon AS
so,iation" searched all Chinese shops,
impounding Japanese goods, arrested
delinouents high and low and carried
them off under the noses OF the ponce
for trial and punishment, pounced upon
,Japanese cargo in the streets ana helo
it with the support of the courts, IN de-
flance of japanese protests.
Thousands Of Chinese employees OF
Japanese firms were forced TO resign
their posts. No Chinese were allowed 10
board Japanese steamers, and incoming
passengers were mobbed. Chinese banks
refused to handle japanese bills, drafts,
checks or other paper, and all Chinese
accounts were withdrawn from japanese
banks. Within a month the tlghtest
imaginable net had been drawn around
the Japanese business community, tne
cotton yarn piece goods, sugar and rape
seed business went down to an absolute
zero. and the time even came when II
was almost impossible for japanese
residents to buy food.
To get this effect in Shanghai ana
elsewhere, however, the emotions OF the
mob had to be released; so the boycott
@A tNa nh0rQ NfpTfHpn
wherever it was really effective, by every
form of criminal violence-petty per-
secution, assault, murder, loottng and
arson. In no really fervent community
were the japanese given adequate police
protection.
In some communities Chinese sus-
pected of being lukewarm were publicly
tried and sentenced in the courts. The
japanese government holds scores OF
official letters in which the suppression
of criminally active societies or the
prosecution Of individual criminals Is
fatty refused.
The cue for the character of the boy
colt was undoubtedly given at Nanking
when, at a mass meeting attended by
government officials, it was decided on
September % that the boycott slogan
should be Kill the Japanese!" and "On
to Tokio!" The mobs in Shanghai i'm
mediately began to assault Japanese.
Within a short time 81 cases in which
japanese school children had been
stoned were reported at the consulate.
AS a matter of course, a few civilian
Japanese were killed by mobS in every
port where enthusiasm was sustained.
1t was such an incident in Chapel, the
killing of a japanese monk, when
stirred the ruffianly japanese element
= - hrOr1nI1f the
Japanese marines under Admiral Shlo-
zava to handle the situation and
"break" the boycott, and thereby in
directly prompted the spectacular con-
flagration which has stirred the world.
This inadequate account Of the boy
colts manifestations is perhaps enough
to make clear its inspiration and char
acter, so that we can return te . con-
sideration of its merits as IAN ihStri-
ment of policy" Obviously, 1t Is not
spontaneous popular movement, and
,t is not passive. Just as obviously the
ibuomintang, and therefore the hlgheSt
official organs of the recognized Chinese
government, have been parties to 1t and
have never taken adequate steps TO sup
press it. even when it assumed extra
legTx function and was characterized
by asts of violence and terrorism.
Fta a Judgment upon this ther? E
PRECEDENT, for in 1905 the United States
Government, In the face of the first
anti-foreign boycott, which also CEN
tered at Shanghai but was much milder
in form, pronounced the boycott
conspiracy in restraint Of trade"
treaty violation and, since the imperial
government was convicted to Wash
ingtons satisfaction of being party
to it, a hostile act. Under pressure
the Chinese government OF that DAY,
after protesting frantically for some
weeks that it had no control over
popular resentment of the American
immigration laws and could not make
the people buy foreign goods, assumed
responsibility. Under direct pressure
at Shanghai the local Taotai, fearful
of direct military action. set out one
day and abruptly brought the boycott
to a close.
No one has ever broken 6 boycott
nor seriously challenged its legality
as a weapon from that September day
in 1905 until Admiral Shiozawa broke
this greatest of all boycotts on demand
on January % of this year, and then
forfeited the tremendous advantage
gained by his indiscreet descent upon
Chapel Up to this time the Chinese
had preferred to forget the American
precedent and to remember the out
come of the officially directed anti
British boycott of 1922, when, after
holding Hongkong in a state of COM
plete paralysis for months, the British
authorities, without an attempt at re-
priSal or serious resentment, made an
abject and conspicuous surrender.
Precedents for such measures as ''in-
struments of policy" are to be found
in our own early national history. The
first of series of half dozen mon
intercourse acts, extending over peri
cd of about IS years, was passed by
Congress against France and approved
by the President on June 13, 1898.
Though these were economically and
financially similar to the Chinese boy
cntt rere officially directed and r1nada