The prompt settlement of the incident concerning Mr. John M. Allison, in charge of the United States Embassy in Nanking, should do much to relieve the tension which arose in the United States on receipt of the reports. It is now stated that some twenty officers and men of the unit involved will be brought to court-martial and it is to be hoped that this will entail the punishment of those found to be guilty of the assault on a diplomatic officer of a friendly Power. There are still many in the United States who feel it the duty of their government to order the withdrawal of all Americans from such places as Nanking and Hangchow, and by doing so prevent recurrence of these unhappy affairs. But there are considerations which do not seem to appeal to those who hold that view. Not the least imposing is that which inspired the decision of the American missionaries to remain at their posts in Nanking as well as Hangchow. They felt that they could do so much to relieve the sick and suffering, while it was also believed that the very fact of their presence would: serve as a sort of moral protection for the thousands of Chinese who did not flee into the countryside at the approach of the Japanese forces. The protection may not have proved very effective as matters eventually turned out, but the fact remains that they have done an enormous amount of good in such directions as military exigences permitted. They will probably continue to do so, that the United States' Government will al take firm action for the protection of their interests. For the present it is to be hoped that the disciplining of whoever may be found guilty by the military court-martial will have a salutary effect upon the conduct of the soldiery in Nanking, for if that were improved the danger of a recurrence of such incidents as that which has now been settled would be considerably reduced.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.