Mr. George Bronson Rea endeavoured to take stage at Geneva,. He secks to prove that Manchukuo is a highly organised state, Mr. Matsuoka, cheered on by an obedient claque, has been: trying to show that China is not in an- organised astute. Whatever doubt there may be on these two theses, it is certain that both Mr. Rea and Mz Matsuoka are highly organised advocates. There is nothing milk-end-watery about Mr. Rea. So, in the true spirit of his Cuban War days and with the bald assertion that it is based on pre-conceived notions, he dashes at the Lytton Report, which inconveniently examines organisation of Manchukuo and the disorganization of China. Mr. "Matsuosa's methods ats subtler, but no less picturesque "Demons but with the highest respect for you" says he to Lard Lytton and the other members of that finnceent victim Chinese plausibility. The Leagac and its methods may have their weak noints ort it may be assumed that the Lytton Repo: t, which has consistently gaine: ground since its publication a: one of the ablest state documents ever penned, will be sought in refuge by the bewildered qelegate in an atmosphere blurred by the suavities of Mr. Matsuoka, the eloquent reticences of Dr. Koo and, now, the breezy sure-firedness of Mr. Rea. Let the Lytton Report be quoted:
"Although the spectacle of China's transitional period, with its unavoidable political, social, tellectual and moral' disorder disappointing to. her friends and has created enmities which have become a danger to peace, it is nevertheless true that, spite of difficulties, delays and failures, considerable progress has in' fact been made. argument which constantly reappears in tHe polemics of, the present controversy is that China hot an organised state' or is in a condition of complete chaos and incredible anarchy' and_ that her present-day conditions. should disqualify her from membership of the League of Nations and deprive her of the protective clauses of the Covenant. In this connection, it may be useful to remember' that an altogether different attitude was taken at} ington Conference, by all the participating And the Report goes on to point out that conditions in 1932 are markedly better than those of 1922—an improvement. which partly assisted China's election to the Council of the League in September 1931.
'When Japanese apologists take the line of condemning the League for making China a member of its organisation, Jet alone giving her a seat on' the Council, they appear to forget that Japan was a party to that decision, as also to the resolutions of the Washington Conference. And it may be recalled that the Japanese representative went out of his way to congratulate China, in the fateful month of September 1931, when the election to the Council was declared. So, while, at that time, the state of China was such that, according to the Japanese case, the, action, in Manchuria was justified, the enhancement of China's status within the League was carried through with Japanese endorsement. Mr. Bronson Rea is in no difficulty here. He represents 'a state which has not yet been recognised. Judging from his previous attitude towards the League, the wonder is that he should be anxious to obtain recognition from a body failure join which he has consistently commended in the Government of his own country. Mr. proved, would Mr. Matsuoka pretend that the League, on that account, should be tolerant of actions by one of its member the old-time bully's spirit it "em ard; they've no friends and no relations"? Surely the superior-minded expounders of the doctrine of a pseudo-realism would be the first to wax sarcastic over the League's interpretation of its duties knock-about policies of that kind found endorsement at Geneva. The value of the Lytton Report. lies in its exposure of the fallacies by which champions of both sides try to prove too much. When Chinese spokesmen claim that the safety of foreigners in the interior is absolute or that internal strife is a thing unknown, they meet instant retort by the mere process of referring to current ts, such as the tragic unity over the fates of Mr. Edwards, Mr. Bert Nelson and Mr. Ferguson or the latest ghastly reminder of the grim realities of warfare in Szechuen, But Japanese spokesmen who. seek to press the lack of organs. ed administration to extremes invite the clear answer that they cannot have it both ways: they cannot successfully fix responsibility on an element which they declare is irresponsible, The habit of praising the past at the expense of the present very human. In these days when dire distress overwhelms. 4 great proportion of the globe it is too often overlooked that' modern civilisation has developed a more humane and more-effective power of resistance to poverty than in bygone day:
is' possible unfavourably to contrast the security enjoy ed by foreigners in the interior of China with that obtaining before the Revolution. It is clear that the present Gov. ernment of Nanking has not yet the coherent power of control possessed by the Manchu regime. It is obvious that many of the historical difficulties experienced by other nations in dealing with Chinese authority still persist, That is only one half of the picture, The Washington Conference, as the Lytton Report shows, must be a chronological guide. Can the members of the Assembly of the League, casting their eyes across the globe, Government declare disappointment with the handling of the Manchurian problem by the Assembly of the League. As was briefly noted yesterday, there is a tendency to criticise the British attitude in particular, Chinese hopes, according to Nanking messages, have been dashed to the ground by the Assembly's reference to the Committee of Nineteen, by the refusal to make a formal pledge of non-recognition of Manchoukuo and by the failure formally to condemn Japan. In view of the forthcoming Party Conference it is understandable that the Chinese Government would be pleased, if by producing evidence of a spectacular triumph at Geneva, it could strike a note of fervent patriotism and make a bid for popular approval. The suggestion is that it should now fall back on commendation of the Volunteer movement, reaffirmation of the boycott as a legitimate weapon of defence and qualified cdoperation with the League. This programme has its weak points; a significant mark of its sense of realities lies in the avoidance of an expressed belief in the possibility of reverting to the status quo ante in Manchuria, Beside that omission the complaints against the Assembly become relatively unimportant, Tt would seem as if the support given to the Volunteers were really perfunctory for no firm belief in the eventual success of those scattered, ill-equipped but plucky units could be reasonably. held, especially in the light. of the remarkable success gained by the Japanese forces in Heilungkiang. As for the boycott movement, nothing could be more damaging to China's case than a revival of its aggre: features. Economically and political it would be betraying the people of this country just when opportunity should " be taken to encourage every factor favourable to tin general conditions, General Chiang Kai-s ig about to arrive at Nanking. after a long absence in Hankow. The it portance attached by him to th anti-Communist campaign has been fully vindicated by events to which he has contributed notable achievement, Nothing could do more to rally the country in a spirit of healthy unity truly declare that they could than concentration on the satisfactorily apply to certain measures necessary for cone territories, whose standing is not solidating the successes gained agent the detnition, of 5 an by reconstruction of the reclaim organised developed by Some of China's. critics?' What} development, Witenes developments likely to occur in does this would-be indictment me It cannot be framed to actions which tend to It cannot be regarded as essential to the maintenance of those safeguards which are rightly approved by China in foreign relationships with her. Tt cannot be just a flourish of. Pharisaicai rectitude by states which have the inestimable advantage of Mr. George Bronson Rei Ivocacy and Mr. Matsuoka's diplomatic skill. The conclusion seems to be that it is really another of those well-sounding expressions which are useful in preventing thoughtful examination of a problem or concealing the absence of the necessary equipment for thinking at all. It is to be hoped that this sort of bombast will propriately find a means of escape, with other hot air, through the ventilators in the Council Chamber at Geneva. Solution of the Sino-Japanese problem can be found only by' clear appreciation of the difficulties of the two countries concerned. The admitted weakness of Chinese administration and the admitted dominance of Japanese militarism are relevant factors to be considered. They justify condemnation of neither party. They merely should stimulate the efforts of well-intentioned statesmanship discover a suitable balm for the symptoms. ills of which theysare the Shensi and Kansu, where the Communists, driven out of Hupeh and Honan are now operating.
Much is being made by Chinese speakers of the outspokenness of certain smaller. nations at Geneva. This journal strongly deprecates the attempt in some quarters to wax sarcasm, tic at the expense of those nations. The League was form-) ed to give smaller nations their' place in the sun, There can be! little doubt that the Manchurian affair endangered principles to Which those nations rightly' attach the highest importance. The League would lose its strength if it allowed the belief to be formed that only the big Powers had a right to sway its counsels. Not less fatuous i the exaggerated claim that Japan has to be treated as if she possesses special. qualities of national amour propre the flouting of which is a mortal sin. The League stands for the flouting of the national spirit of none of its members. Criticism of Japan is as justified as criticism of the Irish Free State, when it is clearly invited. Nor can it be said that, able and conciliatory as Mr.' Matsuoka's advocacy "has been, he has consistently avoided ' errors of taste. His comparison of Japan's position with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was, for example, an amazing lapse, fortunately. passed over by his colleague
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.