Evening star., 1936-10-03
By Mary Garter Roberts,

elections and Observations. BY
Henry L. Stinson. New York:
Harper & Brothers.
vNTHfs large book. writing thought
fully and understandably, the
former Secretary of State sets
i down the record of the diplo-
matte crisis precipitated in the Far
East by Japan's attack upon Nam
churia and sums up his personal
opinions as to what has developed
out of that crisis, which may throw
light on the general effort Of gov
ernments toward securing q mech
anism for settling disputes by other
means than war.
The book is interesting as mere
record, but 1t deserves even greater
attention because the former Secre-
tary evidently regards the Sino-Jap-
anese struggle as q laboratory oy
which the efficacy of our various peace
mechanisms were to be tested.
"The assault upon the Chinese gov
ernment in Manchuria," he writes,
''by the Japanese Army in Septem-
Der, 1881, was the first major blow
at the new system of war limitation
and prevention, built up by the ma
tions which had suffered in the Great
War. More and more 1t Is becoming
recognized as q critical event in world
history. The military successes Of the
aggressor at that time have already
lent encouragement to further at
tempts against that system by other
discontented and autocratic govern
ments. ,"
Seen in this light, the Sino-Jap-
anese affair is the issue between i'm
perialism and world peace, and such
of the public generally as have so
regarded it have for some time con-
sidered that the balance rested in
the favor of Imperialism. The former
Secretary, however, does not concede
defeat of the world peace ideal.
LIE TRACES the forces which caused
Japan to launch her attack, rat
ing the world depression in trade as
the most important one.
For 10 years prior to 1881" he
ing for her growing population by de-
veloping her foreign trade and by
pursuing a general policy of peace,
in harmony with the general purpose
of the outside world. But under the
effect of the great depression in 1880
and 1881, her foreign trade fell of
nearly so per cent, and the pressure
of that change resulted in suf-
fering and restlessness. Her dis
contented youth then turned to and
availed themselves Of the army lead
ership, and its theories OF forcible
exploitation in Manchuria, as a means
of successfully overthrowing the con-
servative statesmen at home, against
whom their animus had been excited.
Thus. in Japan in 1881, militarlsm
and imperialism were reinforced by
the same radical movement which
had come from economic unrest. That
unusual combination in a people as
naturally patriotic as the japanese
has greatly accentuated the difficult
ties of those who were striving for
moderation and peace and the pres
ervation of international response
bility."
THAT Japan has not realized her
= hopes from her RECKLESS action"
Mr. Stimson believes. Her Man
churian conquest has not helped her
economically, but, on the contrary,
has plunged her into greater dificul-
ties. That she Is now on the road to
business recovery he attributes to ex-
pansion of foreign trade elsewhere
than in Manchuria. He further feels
that Japan's loss of prestige among
Western nations has been extremely
uncomfortable to her government,
and, on these facts, he bases his be-
lief that Japan will attempt to regain
friendly relations with China. On
what basis the attempt will be made
how it will involve the puppet state
Of Manchukuo-he does not predict.
When he comes to the part played
in the Sino-Japanese operations by
the League of Nations, Mr.. Stimson
is far from sharing the feeling which
was prevalent at the time that the
League had done nothing effective.
On the contrary, he praises its policy
of non-recognttion as having moral
If not physical effect.
THE history of the Sino-Japanese
controversy of 1884, he writes, sis the
record of the arraigrment, the trial
and the condemnation Of a great power
for the violation of certain new stand
ards of conduct aimed ct preventing
international aggression This was the
first time in mans history that such
an attempt had been made. These
standards of conduct which the trial
enforced had been in existence less than
a'dozen years. Nevertheless the pro-
ceeding was carried through with
dignity and firmness TO the final step
of condemnation by the AZ nations
sitting in the assembly Of the League,
and their verdict was unanimous. Fol-
lowing the example set by the January
7 note Of the American Government.
this verdict was also REINFORCED by
the concurrent agreement of these AZ
nations not to recognize 'Manchukuo.'
TN THIS action. and in the circum-
stance that Japan has not realized
her commercial hopes from her con-
quest, Mr.. Stimson sees the League as
not ineffective. It went on record, at
least, and the ultimate unhappy re-
suits of the Manchurian conquest will
indicate that the record was right.
The implication that the upholding of
principle here seems to rest SUBJ
stantially on the economic failure Of
the imperialistic attempt, however,
cannot be missed by the hard-headed
reader.
Whether the former Secretary means
to imply that imperialistic conquests
will always be economically unsound
under present world conditions or not.
must be left to opinion. And whether
any pronouncement of disapproval or
non-recognition can be made by the
y1sonle or hv aY,v similar organization