To the Editor of the "Norra-Cuna Dany News"
Your leader of this date sug. gests caution—more, assent to the Japanese demands, rather than take, the risk of the horrors of "terrible punishment" -by the Japanese wat machine. Your advice is commendable. But when is the encroachment going to stop? Can you, or your country obtain a final and absolutely safe guarantee that the Japanese wat machine will cease from encroachment should we, even in the present impossible situation, agree to submit? I do not believe that you could provide such an nee, or an: acceptable (by us) guarantee. What then? In the end there would be n more soil left to. us. Hence our only "sporting" (if you like) chance is RESISTANCE, - While there is life there is hope (not slavery). But after we have been' chained down, there would never again be any hope for emancipation from the brutal yoke. Not unless a world upheaval canie to our rescue and tele; If we resist until the not in° any eventuality be than if we now acquiesce. If the Japanese war machine murders millions of ys, there will still be million¢ behind to follow.
Then again, if we are submissive and surrender to the outrageous demands, we would be tacitly admitting that only one thing counts in this world, viz: brute strength. And thal the latter is able to overcome a hing good, or just, or right, And how can we deceive ourselves in this way? It is impossible in normal human nature to undergo such a metamorphosis. How can the actions of the Japanese war machine be justified in any minutest way? In any one single thing? It is plain that there is only one object, viz: to secure control of those rich districts that produce cotton, wool, salt, minerals, etc; and to prepare gradually an open marke for Japanese goods (as is known the present customs tariff is a very sore point with the Japanese)
What would be the use of China strenuous efforts in the recent past years to become united,.and econg= tically and commercially strong; and what would be the use, of our future endeavours in the sameitespect if the Japanese machine corfes along and smashes all our work? You write that if we resist, our past work might all be undone, and that we might be put back where we started or worse. "Thus it works" both ways: whether we resist or not. What's the odds?
Has it struck you that the Japanese war machine is precisely afraid that we shall have gained such a footing within a year or two, that if they de not act quickly, and ere we are ready to defend ourselves, the Japanese wai machine would later find it difficul to attain their contemplated programme? And that it is chiefly fo: this reason that they have The poor excuse offered by Japanese is that expansion for their multiplying nationals is imperative: and this is to be attained by hoo by crook, Their excuse is tantamount to, or signifies that the people that tiply "quickest are justified in tory: they have big interests at stake. It is vitally to their interests to aid China in th "s predicament.
Are they doing so or not? We cannot see much evidence of it, although we undoubtedly have their and almost universal sympathy. What we need: however, at this instant when we have been caught unprepared and off our guard, is material help. It would pay some of the powers, that are chiefly and heavily interested in China, to go out of their way to seek an avenue of escape for. us in this impasse. Have they sought You, Sir, recently wrote that our Generalissimo and our government have done their utmost, and are at their wits ends to find a way to s.tisfy the demands of the Japanese machine, i.e. without having to commit suicide. Why then do not those powers intervene? It is not at all impossible for them to do so.
It is indeed very possible, I will proceed to submit. Or is the' world going to be allowed to fall into chaotic conditions. which is evidently what tually happening?
Three (or four) of the great powers could easily hold up Japan's interminable aggression by threatening to prevent Japan's goods from entering the formers' countries-or possessions. Exports are Japan's life lever. The United States, Britait France, con trol most of the territories whereto Japan sells her manufactures. If such a threat was put into effect, how could Japan continue building up such an enormous war machine, and feed it? Moreover, the aforesaid countries could also refuse to sell to Jepan the vital raw materials that enable Japan to manufacture almas" all_ things.
Possibly the said powers would like te take such steps,. but they may be afraid of European entanglements.. Or there may be some other important reason. We dd pot know. But there is no time to be lost: And there is danger of universal chaos stepping in.
China has lived peacefully and in harmony with all foreign nations excepting one, viz: Japan. Only this country has come to disturb the armorly, through greediness, and relying on her strength, and reger less of the good interests of any other nation.
Thus, in the meantime there seems to be no loophole of escape for China. There remains for us nothing bul - resistance, as previously explained, and until the last man. It is also passible that China will produce a surprise ere all this is over Japan's war machine cannot hold out for years without material foreign support. The people of Japan will not wait for years. They have been told by the Japanese press that this will be a picnic for their war machine. They may yet get a nasty shock. And in that case what will happen in Japan'.
Finally, by resisting we have at least the chance of preventing the Japanese octopus from chaining us }down for good and all; whereas if ye did not resist we would certainly eventually become an enslaved people.
Shanghai, Aug. 11
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.