July 27.
About thirty years ago the late Lord Halsbury, in his extra Judicial capacity,' coined the term "a sort of war." It fits like a glove the state of relations subsisting between China and Japan for the last ten months. Its appositeness is peculiarly Marked at the moment. A con-vineing portion of the Japanese fleet, has been anchored off Shanhaikuan at, intervals dur~ ing the year. A concentration of Japanese troops can be directed there at any time. Theore cally Shanhaikuan is Chinese, in spite of the dependence" of' Manchukuo, Yet, if any attempt be made by Chinese troops to emphasise that fact, it is clear that the Japanese naval, military and air forces are ready to strike. So far Jehol has not. been officially included within the orbit Manchukuo's infant amditions. General Tang Vu-lin, the Governor, has been invited to be friendly, Definite overtures have been mad by Manchukuo emissaries, Th advantages of friendship have been stressed by the cutting off of railway communications from Peipiao one of the few Chinese coalfields capable of giving a good output but, unfortunately, competitive to Fushun. General have felt em-|-Ci barrassed by the offers. They could aot blind him to the solid arguments which, thanks to th thoughtfulness of the Japan army in Manchuria have been disposal. Japanese airmen, wonderfully detecting at an enormous height a disposition on the part of the people of Chaoyang to fire at Japan aircraft, have treated that city to aerial bombing and machin gunning. They have also in-bulged in the dissemination of knowledge by scattering leaflets on the devoted heads of the people of Jehol, in order to prove the: felly of not embracing the gilded splendour of partnership in Manchukuo's new liaison.
'The better to encourage this salutary enlightenment of Jehol, the Japanese have indicated that any' attempt on_ the part of General Chang Hsueh-liang to strengthen the garrison of Jehol, which is still Chinese territory, will be regarded as an "unfriendly" act, 'There immediate indication of a crude frontal attack with the view of seizing Jehol, with or without General' Tang Vu-lin's—permission. It may, indeed, surmised that as Jehol, at' this time of the year, has 'a particularly heavy rainfall, the movements of troops will be avoided. Meanwhile much propaganda is proceeding in the North with the genial desire to keep Chinese officials and soldiers "on their toes." The propaganda is not all on one side, The Chinese with what Tokyo, no doubt, rewards as sad perversity, ' ar doubtful of Japanese intention: They ave inclined therefore to give credence to stories and Tumours, many of which. are demonstrably "inaccurate. 'The possibility of Japanese action in 'Tientsin or even Peking is mooted. Tt is developed into a theory: that Japanese designs include the country between the Yellow Righcously indignant at 80 er and' the Gulf of Chili.
a misunderstanding of benevolence, the Japanese military authorities preserve the proper taciturnity of the unin:
assailed innocent.
But how do they—or Manchukuo—look upon Jehol? 'Ph have interests there and in' Inner Mongolia beyotid. eho} came under the wing- of Manchuria in 1928, so its, inclusion in the beautified region of Man-Jchukuo could not now be opposed by "devotees of symmetrical philanthropy. There is some Jdifticulty. in the possible attitude lof the Mongolians who, after the first careless rapture of jeontact. with Japanese bene-valence, have shown a distressing inability to distinguish between Japanese and Chinese troops and have attacked both {from the other side of Jehol with regrettable impartiality. Jehol in fact is between two fires—and little uncomfortable. The ese authorities in the North Jare uneasy. If they make an effort to give Jehol their moral support (with a little practical backing) they may precipitate a clash ending in the disappear-lance of Jehol into Manchukuo.
If they leave General Tang Yulin to hold the fort on his own, they may be presenting him with task beyond the power of Janyone on whom the effulgence lof Manchukuo persuasion being shed. In fact they resemble the rabbit in the presence of the boa constrictor; if the rabbit moves he does wrong Jand he does wrong if he keeps sul. He is: lost either way—such is mesmerism. Then there is Geneva; the Japanese no doubt will wait for the Lytton Report. Forcible plucking the Jehol apple will be avoided just now, for climatic (as already noted) and political "reason! But that does not produ vigorous shaking of the ple. tree, "And, if. the apple should fall off into the basket of Manchukuo, what an unfortunate coincidence it would be! Happily at hand there will be the sympathetic condolences of Mukden, plans are taken out of pigeonholes and arrangements smoothly made for including Jehol in the purview of the beautifully appointed, model Government at langehun—a Govern which speaks pure Chines" in the polished accents of Tokyo.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.