Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-02-11
Statesman Declares Toxic
Can Save League Aims
by New Pact.
FORUM RECORD is SET
BY AUDIENCE OF 1900
Briton Fears Naval Building
Race, With Subsequent Enmity,
if Accord Is Not Reached.

An imprisoned plea to Japan to
save the aims and purposes of the
League Of Nations, described as the
only good to come from the World
War, was made last night by Lord
Lytton in an address made before
a capacity audience at the Town Hall
in the Shoreham Hotel. He said no
effort had been made by the world
powers or by the League of Nations
to bring the collective system of world
peace to the attention of Japan.
The audience of more than $500,
the largest ever to attend one Of these
weekly forums, included members OF
the diplomatic corps, among them sew
eral from the Orient. Sir Ronald
Lindsay, British Ambassador to Wash.
ington; Lady Lytton, Henry L. Slim
son, former Secretary of State, and
several members of the British En-
bassy sat near the platform. The
audience listened with rapt attention
breaking the silence only with ap-
plauSe. At the conclusion of the ad-
dress. an ovation was given the chair
man of the League Committee, chosen
to investigate the Manchurian affair
and author of the famous Lytton re-
port.
Develops Brilliant Climax.
Lord Lytton began his speech with
typical British calmneSs and delibera-
ton, developing his subject gradually
until he struck a brilliant note OF
oratory at the climax He dominated
the situation throughout the ques-
tioning py the jury and the audience.
most of the questions being in accord
with the statements of the speaker.
Japan has been at great pains t.
make the rest OF the world acquainted
with her point of view through
speeches of her statesmen and this
documents she has sent to the LeaguJ
Of Nations" the British statesman
said. But in return she has not
shown the same concern to maks
known to Japan the views which this
rest of the members take on the sub
ject, except such as are critical OF
her actions in the past.
Can We blame Japan il she has
shown little disposition to modify her
own attitude and to bring it into Inns
with the rest of the world? Japan
does not even know what the worlds
opinion is, except that it thinks she
ought not to have done what she did
in Manchuria. She never has been
informed what she could do to set
herself right
Sees Naval Race.
Lord Lytton said JapanS renuncia-
ton of the naval treaty threatened a
situation fraught with the grave dam
ger in the Far East unless a substi-
tute could be agreed upon. He FORE
saw naval building race. establish
ment of huge Notifications in the Pa
cific and creation of enmity. inse-
curity and suspicion between nations
unless an accord is reached.
Speaking of the World War as a war
of destruction. from which only one
good development came-the collective
system for making world peace-Lord
Lytton said the part taken by Japan
was the lightest of all and that she
realized substantial gains from it, but
that the greatest gain which was
taken from no other nation" was the
collective system.
Japan claims she fought two wars
over Manchuria and that she staked
her very existence there" Lord Lyt-
ton said Two hundred thousand
dead lie buried there. She spent
billion yen there. Manchuria is, in
fact, the life line of Japan.
Cites League as Answer.
There is a stronger answer to that.
Hundreds of millions of dollars we're
spent, the dead count runs into the
millions, and the rest of the world
staked its very existence for one
thing. They did not take it away
from any one, this one gain. Unlike
the war gains, it is shared by the
victorious and the vanquished alike.
It means more to them than Man
churia can ever mean to Japan. 1t
is the life line of their civilization.
Now, why has that never been
said to Japan, about that collective
system she has so thoughtlessly chal-
lenged? Would it fall on deaf ears?
I cannot believe it.
"Japan's policy extinguishes our
hope of world peace. It would deny
to the children of those who died the
fruits of their sacrifice The wrong
done to China pales into insignifi-
canoe beside the wrong done the rest
of the world by shattering its most
cherished ideal For the defense Of
that ideal the world must stand firm
and united"
The speaker said Japan could not
refuse, if the rest of the world ap-
pealed to her, to save this solitary
gain. He said the world must SYM
pathize with the Japanese people and
recognize the fact that they need raw
materials for her tremendous popu-
lation on her small area.
Blames League for Criticism.
He said the United States could Of
fer just as effective cooperation with
Great Britain in helping maintain
peace in the Orient as if she were a
member of the League of Nations. He
said the League had made no effort
to meet Japan on this question. The
Leagues failure, so far lies in its will
lingneSs to take only a critical view
of Japan's action, instead of trying
to show japanese people what was at
stake.
THE greatest possible danger Is
ahead unless there Is a satisfactory