He declared that the demands showed a radical departure from the understanding reached on board HLM.S, Kent: they were _tantfamiount to conditions of surrender China," he said, "feels that the only alternative is further resist ance to the Japanese attacks and nation of hostile Contrasting the new Japanese it] peace conditions with the original understanding reached on board WINS.
ent, Dr. Yen said quietly but drama sally: "These are terms from a conqueror to a ya quished enemy, which we do not accept."
Nor, he added, could the Assembly acquiesce in terms that did not provide for the withdrawal of the forees invading. the territory of one of its members.
Dr. Yen followed up this point by reading despatches from the Chinese Minister of Finance, Br. T. V. Soong, relating to the operations' of the Japanese military forces who, it was alleged, had a vanced beyond the points where they had undertaken to halt.
Hostilities would therefore continue, he said and proceeded to ay peal to the Assembly to embark first on the very urgent task of establishing an armistice on the lines agreed upon aboard H.MS. Kent, "In the name of a great people, at one of the most tragic moments, in. its long history staking her existence on the judgment of the Assembly," Dr. Yen turned historic survey" of the events September 18, when Mukden was occupied by the Japanese.
The apparently firm peace exist ing between China and Japan, he said, was on that date suddenly disturbed by, what had since proved to be, a carefully planned invasion Jof Chinese territory, the crowning Jact of which had been the bombardment of Chapel and Nanking, on the eve of the Disarmament Confer circumstances of barbarity Tribute to Council activities) Dr. Yen argued that the defiance of the Council by Japan was plain, He pai picture lof conditions at Shanghai, and also fat Soochow and Hangchow, two prosperous regions which, he sai had been devastated by tons of ex- 454 lo at the cost of over 7,000 i, civilian lives.
On the other hand, continued Dr. Yen, China placed herself unreservedly in the hands of the League offered to take full! responsibility for the protection. of Japanese lives and interests in Manchuri Finally, the chief Chinese dele-Jeate besought the Assembly (1) to secure the cessation of hostilities jand the withdrawal of the invade fers; and (2) to secure a peaceful settlement of the controversy within the scope of the resolutions assed by the Council and in the spirit of the Covenant of the League, Dr. Yen spoke for an hour. He concluded his speech by asking for 'a solemn declaration that China was not responsible for the terrible state of affairs, By making such a declaration, he declared, the Assembly would mobilise certain moral" forces means of which he still believed the conflict could "be solved "and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.