July 31.
In view of the discussion which is still proceeding about the protests sent by the commutees of the British Chamber of Commerce and the China Association—there was one sent also by the British Residents Association, it may be just as well to consider certain facts which have not hitherto been divulged. When the Havas News Agency brought to Shanghai an abridgement of the protest, as it was apparently published in London, this Journal approached the organizations here asking whether, in view of the fact that the protest had been published there, its text would be released locally. The reply was that, as there was some uncertainty as to how much of the protest had been issued in London it, was preferred to publish nothing here. The result is that the comment publish. ed in this column was based upon that Havas message the correctness of which has not been denied. Indeed it was admitted that the cabled' version fairly indicated the contents of the protest. The question naturally arises as to why the members of the three bodies now involved in the matter should not be fully apprised of what their committees have been doing for them. In an attempt to justify the protest and the terms in which it was couched which appeared in a contemporary on Saturday evening the following passage "When these three Committees, which at full strength muster some forty members, unanimously go on record as protesting paint a certain course of action om the part lets' Goverment i is only rensontsie to assume that they do not act unadvisedly, iigtly of wanton."
Were the committees at full strength, as the above passage appears to suggest er were there absentees, and if so how many? The facts suggest that there wor not a full at= tendance of members, which makes the pas-Sage rather less impressive than 1k woud a frst appear. For the Test it is not suggested for one' moment that those, who" did attend brought to consideration of the matter anything but the closest and most earnest atiention. It is, consequently, not alleged that they acted unadvisedly, lightly or wantonly—what is urged is that what they did was ill-
'The point made by one of the correspondents in letters to the Editor that in doing what they did the committees appear to have been regneding the "whole situation throu the wrong end of the telescope is a good one. I's' Impossible to alvoree: the. Far Eastern problem from the others which are engaging the very anxious attention of the British Government, for it has been rightly aid that if there were no tension in Europe there would be no problem in the Par East the purely parochial outlook of those People who are So quick to criticize the Gov= Exnment, which is responsible for so. egret ous a"four pas as, this protest has une floubtediy been, and the sooner itis realized that the 'China' situation fs but one of. the many important issues with which the Beltish Government have. to desi, the. sooner will ome a realization that the days of immediate solutions are not yet here, and that consider= bly more patience needs to. be shown. tray, of coUrge, very well-by that tu to-tests were not so destructively critical as the Havas precis would appear to indeate. That impression could possibly be removed by Local publication of the message or usages which were sent fo London, and it should be pointed out that failure to publish can only to one conclusion and that a not partiularly favourable one for those. who still Seek to defend. them. Where the" original error appears to have arisen, if the apologist Irvine evening contemporary "is believed, and he should certainly know, is:
the fact thatthe commites. appear" have read. everything into the Craigi-Aaita formula except perhaps the Conciliation (rade' Disputes) "Act and the 'Thirty-Nine 'Avtcie, for itis apparent all manter of bogies as to what might happen under the formula were' paraded before the. horrified tyes of thave members of the eomraltees who attend, That and the slate of mind induced by the Japanese propaganda published just before the official announcement of the formula can be the only possible explanation the singular ature of the, peo wet under review, inthe correspondence which as been published there fe the same old tendency to Blame Mit. Chamberlain for all that has Happened, to criticize everything he does, and to Eontend that he is in search of pence at any price, even at that of dishonour. The failure fo secure anything permanent out of the Munich accord has created such an impression in some minds that nothing be does now can possibly be correct. But what ave the facts of The case?"it was not Mr. Chamberlain who was responsible for' the polley" which, pet mited, the reduction of the Navy 10. such extent that experts had eventually warn a peo vious Government of the, grave angers which such weakness created; 1 was for tr; Chamberlain who. was responsible for the delay' in Atting. Britain with an. alt fet commensurate: with the heavy respon Sibilies of Empire, and most certainly" not Mr. Chamberlain who was responsible for Tetting Dictators "get away with 1 at.a time twhon' they right have been effectively ese rained. "hose Fesponsiblites fall upon the Shoulders of the governments of such men as 'Messrs. J. R. MacDonald, Bonar Law and Baldwin, andthe fact 1s that' when, Mr. Chamberlain' came into. ofos as Prime Minister is fest tasse was to extricate the Country from the sad international mess which the policies of his predecessors had left Ititisa sow process. 1 must be. To his exedlt Must be placed the fact that Britain is Sronger' sow than it het been for 0 very Tong me past. Tt has been endowed with Conildence which moot certainly dha not exist brief twelve months ago, and Britain's vole stronger in the. world, Yet this man is the victim of the unedifying vilteation of the ill-informed, of the type of mind which cannot see that itis inadvisable to go round arnning consequences until there lo a renson-Sbie chance of damming' hem successfully. And in this connection it should be remem bered that to adopt a policy likely at the foment to. worsen ihe situation In the Far East would be to play the game exactly the Nome-Berlin Axis would lo 1 played. Indeed it has been rightly said that the recognition of facts is the beginning of political wisdom.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.