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30 - Outline History of Japan by Herbert Henry Gowen · Outline History of Japan

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Speaker 1: Chapter twenty nine of an Outlying History of Japan. This
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Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
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Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
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Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Read by Elsie Selwyn in Outlying History
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Speaker 1: of Japan by Herbert Henry Gowen, chapter twenty nine. Aftermaths
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Speaker 1: of the Great War, after the collapse of the Russian
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Speaker 1: Imperial Government and the freeing of the Austro German pritizoners,
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Speaker 1: who had hitherto been held in large numbers, the question
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Speaker 1: arose as to the best means of assisting the contingent
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Speaker 1: of Czechoslovax, who were desirous of joining the Allied forces
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Speaker 1: on the Western Front. It was obvious that the easiest
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Speaker 1: route for these to take was by way of Siberia,
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Speaker 1: but it was also obvious that some Allied assistance was
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Speaker 1: required to enable them to escape from the Bolshevist force
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Speaker 1: in control of the territory. At the invitation of the
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Speaker 1: Allied Board Following, However, upon a Japanese suggestion, Japan sent
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Speaker 1: an expedition with this object, and with similarly invited contingents
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Speaker 1: of British, American, French, Chinese, and Italian troops. The whole
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Speaker 1: force was placed under the Japanese General Otani as the
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Speaker 1: ranking officer, and although the cooperation between the elements of
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Speaker 1: so mixed an army was not without its weakness, the
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Speaker 1: ability of the commanding officer was generally conceded. The result
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Speaker 1: was a successful penetration of Asia from Vladivoskok to the
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Speaker 1: trans Baikal provinces, the protection of the railway lines in
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Speaker 1: the relief of the Czechoslovakian forces. When the war came
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Speaker 1: to an end, the Allied troops were gradually withdrawn, first
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Speaker 1: the English and French, then the Italian and Chinese. In
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Speaker 1: January nineteen twenty, the United States also ordered the withdrawal
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Speaker 1: of its soldiers, leaving the Japanese alone to guard the
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Speaker 1: railways and complete the transportation of the refugees. When this
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Speaker 1: had been achieved, Japan also left the trans Bay Call
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Speaker 1: and the Amar provinces. Siberia could not be evacuated so
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Speaker 1: easily For an obvious reason, there were many thousands of
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Speaker 1: Japanese doing business in Siberia who could not be left
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Speaker 1: to the mercy of the Bolshevists. As it was in
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Speaker 1: the March of nineteen twenty a terrible massacre of Japanese
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Speaker 1: took place at Nikolaevsk, for which satisfaction was not given
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Speaker 1: by Russia until the signing of the Treaty of nineteen
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Speaker 1: twenty five. The number of Japanese murdered has been estimated
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Speaker 1: as from three hundred and fifty to seven hundred, and
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Speaker 1: included the Japanese consul Ishida with his whole family. It
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Speaker 1: was this massacre, perpetrated by a gorilla band of Bolshevists
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Speaker 1: known as the Partisans, together with the Menacene situation on
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Speaker 1: the Korean frontier, which justified delay in the Japanese departure
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Speaker 1: from the maritime province in North Manchi Duria until October
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Speaker 1: nineteen twenty two. It had proved for Japan a sufficiently
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Speaker 1: costly expedition with little or no compensating features. Eleven divisions
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Speaker 1: of troops had been sent, and of these, one thousand,
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Speaker 1: four hundred and seventy five officers and men were killed
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Speaker 1: in about ten thousand wounded. The total cost was not
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Speaker 1: less than seven hundred million dollars. Northern Sakhalin was not
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Speaker 1: evacuated till after Japan's treaty with Russia in nineteen twenty five.
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Speaker 1: It should be added that the joint efforts of Japan
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Speaker 1: and China for the heading off of the Bolshevik terror
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Speaker 1: brought about the Sino Japanese Agreement of March nineteen eighteen,
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Speaker 1: which a little later was the cause of no little
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Speaker 1: agitation among the Chinese Nationalists Party footnote. The Sino Japanese
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Speaker 1: Agreement of March nineteen eighteen was avowedly made quote in
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Speaker 1: view of the daily increasing strength of the enemy within
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Speaker 1: the borders of Russia, the result of which cannot help
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Speaker 1: but be a menace to the peace and tranquility of
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Speaker 1: the entire Far East. It counted upon joint military and
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Speaker 1: naval action and preparation towards that end. The full text
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Speaker 1: of this agreement is given by Putnam Wheel The Truth
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Speaker 1: about China and Japan, page one hundred and sixty. It
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Speaker 1: may be explained that the Onfu Club, representing the provinces
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Speaker 1: of Anhui and Fukian, designates the Chinese political party supposedly
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Speaker 1: in sympathy with Japan and the Japanese imperialistic aims. See H. H.
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Speaker 1: Gowen and J. W. Hall and Outlying History of Japan,
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Speaker 1: page four hundred and seventy two end footnote. The barrowings
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Speaker 1: by Twan Chiwei and his associates from Japan at this
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Speaker 1: juncture made the name of the A Fu Club a
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Speaker 1: red rag to the Chinese patriots. In consequence, Japan decided
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Speaker 1: in March nineteen nineteen to lend no more money to China,
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Speaker 1: and the Pact of nineteen eighteen was eventually in January
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Speaker 1: nineteen twenty one annulled. Meanwhile, Sino jap Beanese affairs were
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Speaker 1: being hotly debated in the press the United States and
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Speaker 1: under cover of the Peace Conference at Versailles and the
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Speaker 1: conference held at Versailles in nineteen nineteen for the settlement
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Speaker 1: of peace terms following the Great War. Japan naturally played
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Speaker 1: a leading role. She was represented by several of her
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Speaker 1: leading statesmen, Marquis afterwards, Prince Sayongji, Baron afterwards, Viscount Makino,
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Speaker 1: Viscount afterwards, Count Chinda, Mister afterwards, Baron Matsui, and miss
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Speaker 1: her afterwards Baron ka Idun. There were two questions deeply
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Speaker 1: interesting to Japan in the interest of that new world
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Speaker 1: which was hoped the conference was about to usher in.
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Speaker 1: First was the Japanese proposal introduced and ably argued by
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Speaker 1: Baron Makino, that the equality of nations being a basic
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Speaker 1: principle of the League of Nations, the High contracting Powers
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Speaker 1: agreed to accord as soon as possible, to all alien
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Speaker 1: nationals of the States members of the League, equal and
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Speaker 1: just treatment in every making no distinction, either in law
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Speaker 1: or in fact, on account of their race or nationality.
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Speaker 1: This was ultimately withdrawn and face the determined opposition of
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Speaker 1: the United States and the overseas dominions of Great Britain,
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Speaker 1: though eleven votes out of seventeen were cast in favor
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Speaker 1: of the proposal. Secondly, there was the distribution of the
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Speaker 1: captured German possessions in the Pacific. The United States did
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Speaker 1: not like the increase of Japanese influence in the Pacific,
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Speaker 1: and mister Wilson proposed the administration of all the groups
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Speaker 1: by Australia. But in view of the Anglo Japanese alliance
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Speaker 1: and the actual contribution of Japan to the war, Great
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Speaker 1: Britain could not disallow the claims of the Island Empire,
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Speaker 1: so Japan was awarded under mandate issued on May seventh,
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Speaker 1: nineteen nineteen, the islands north of the Equator, including the
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Speaker 1: Caroline Peleu Ledrun and Marshall groups and the island of Yap.
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Speaker 1: All islands south of the equator were given to New
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Speaker 1: Zealand and Australia now arose the thorny question of the
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Speaker 1: disposal of the German leases at Singtao. Before putting in
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Speaker 1: her claim to the reversion of these leases, Japan had
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Speaker 1: endeavored to settle the matter directly with China, even as
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Speaker 1: she had earlier announced her intention to do, but the
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Speaker 1: Chinese delegates refused, being plainly afraid of the complacency of
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Speaker 1: the peking government. Mister Wellington Coup made an able presentation
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Speaker 1: of the Chinese case, and Baron Makino replied using the
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Speaker 1: notes of the secret Matona Twin agreement between China and
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Speaker 1: Japan in nineteen fifteen. The Chinese, who regarded Prime Minister
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Speaker 1: Twin as Japan's tool, were immovable and appealed for a decision.
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Speaker 1: Then President Wilson, who was personally favorable to the Chinese
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Speaker 1: side of the contention, allowed his fears for the safety
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Speaker 1: of the League of Nations to affect his action. France
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Speaker 1: and Great Britain had been so far committed to the
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Speaker 1: side of Japan by arrangements made prior to the entry
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Speaker 1: of America into the war, or that their attitude was
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Speaker 1: a foregone conclusion. So when the conference reconvened in April,
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Speaker 1: mister Wilson, who had already had to oppose Japan in
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Speaker 1: the matter of racial equality and was afraid a further
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Speaker 1: rebuff might center away from the conference, altogether aided in
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Speaker 1: the rejection of China's plea. It was probably convinced that
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Speaker 1: the matter could be disposed of by the League of Nations,
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Speaker 1: if not by direct negotiations between China and Japan. It
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Speaker 1: was clear that the action taken at Versailles was not
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Speaker 1: the last word on the subject. American opinion ran strongly
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Speaker 1: in favor of China, though it is a little difficult
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Speaker 1: to separate what was sincerely pro Chinese from what was
8:38
Speaker 1: partisan hostility now beginning to show itself in the American
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Speaker 1: Senate against President Wilson. In the League of Nations. The
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Speaker 1: repercussion of mister Wilson's famous declaration as to the rights
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Speaker 1: of self determination was felt all the way from Ireland
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Speaker 1: to Eastern Asia. Korea felt the full force of the
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Speaker 1: new aspiration, especially as the spread of the new doctrine
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Speaker 1: Cohencion with the harsh and militaristic administration of Governor General
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Speaker 1: Count Hasegawa. After one hundred and fifty thousand Koreans had
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Speaker 1: fled from this regime into Manchuria, and those who were
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Speaker 1: left began bitterly to complain of taxation without representation, the
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Speaker 1: gagging of the press, discrimination and education in favor of Japanese,
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Speaker 1: rudeness on the part of officials, and so on. So
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Speaker 1: came about the remarkable Passive Revolution of nineteen nineteen. The
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Speaker 1: immediate occasion was the funeral of the old ex emperor.
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Speaker 1: While the Korean population of the capital were crying their
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Speaker 1: manse Banzai in the funeral procession, their leaders appeared before
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Speaker 1: the officials, showed a declaration of independence which they had signed,
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Speaker 1: and offered themselves for prison. The authorities were taken so
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Speaker 1: much by surprise that they acted vigorously rather than wisely.
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Speaker 1: Probably the fault lay rather with the Gendarmeri than with
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Speaker 1: the regular soldiers, but a period of suppression was inaugurated
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Speaker 1: in which the stupidity as well as the harshness of
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Speaker 1: the officials was strongly in evidence. Disturbances broke out in
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Speaker 1: a six hundred and eighteen places, and for sixty days
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Speaker 1: the rioters, numbering half a million, kept up their demonstrations.
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Speaker 1: The reports of the slain during the period of suppression
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Speaker 1: vary all the way from one thousand to fifty thousand,
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Speaker 1: with the probability rather in favor of the smaller figure.
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Speaker 1: The new was broadcast through the world with regard to
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Speaker 1: this reign of terror created everywhere a painful impression and
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Speaker 1: did not add to the popularity of Japan and the
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Speaker 1: United States. But a mistaken policy was soon corrected by
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Speaker 1: the resignation of the unpopular General Hasegawa and the appointment
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Speaker 1: of a singularly able and humane statesman, Baron Makoto Saito.
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Speaker 1: An imperial rescript was promulgated in August nineteen nineteen, in
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Speaker 1: which it was stated, quote, we are persuaded that the
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Speaker 1: state of development at which the general situation has now
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Speaker 1: arrived calls for certain reforms in the administrative organization of
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Speaker 1: the Government General of Korea, and we issue are imperial
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Speaker 1: command that such reforms be put into operation. These reforms
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Speaker 1: briefly stated, whereas follows one, the replacement of the former
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Speaker 1: military government with a civil government, making the governor generalship
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Speaker 1: open to a civil official. Two. Replacement of the gendarmeriri
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Speaker 1: system with an ordinary police system. Three establishment of non
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Speaker 1: discrimination between Japanese and Koreans. Four establishment of a cultural
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Speaker 1: policy with a view to raising the Korean people to
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Speaker 1: the same standard as the Japanese. Since the initiation of
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Speaker 1: these reforms, much has been done to reconcile Koreans to
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Speaker 1: their position in the Empire, and this situation has immensely
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Speaker 1: improved from what it was before the arrival of Governor
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Speaker 1: General Psyto. A word should be said with regard to
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Speaker 1: the part played by Christians and Christian missionaries in the
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Speaker 1: revolutionary propaganda. Undoubtedly there were Christians as well as believers
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Speaker 1: in a new Korean religion entitled Tendokio, who sympathized with
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Speaker 1: the anti Japanese propaganda. This is also true of a
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Speaker 1: certain number of missionaries, but it is quite untrue to
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Speaker 1: say that any considerable number of these were concerned in
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Speaker 1: anything treasonable. Mister Kiyoshi Nakari of the Educational Affairs Bureau
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Speaker 1: of Chosen declares quote. An accusation has been directed against
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Speaker 1: the Japanese government, charging that it persecuted Korean Christians and
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Speaker 1: was endeavoring to hinder Christian work in Chosen. While this
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Speaker 1: accusation is wholly baseless, it is equally wrong to regard
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Speaker 1: the foreign missionaries as a body inimically disposed toward the
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Speaker 1: government end quote. Distinct progress has been made since the
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Speaker 1: uprising and obtaining a good understanding with the foreign missionaries,
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Speaker 1: and revision of the regulations concerning religious propaganda and missionary schools,
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Speaker 1: and in giving permission for religious bodies to become juridicial persons.
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Speaker 1: The feeling on the Pacific coast against the Japanese, which
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Speaker 1: had been lulled during the Great War, began from nineteen
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Speaker 1: nineteen onward to show a rather violent recoudescence. Some of
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Speaker 1: it was due to skillful propaganda on the part of
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Speaker 1: China to secure the retrocession of the German Leashes and
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Speaker 1: Shantung without the necessity of direct dealings between the two
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Speaker 1: Oriental powers. Few people in the United States realized that
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Speaker 1: the occupied territory was only two hundred and fifty square
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Speaker 1: miles out of the fifty five thousand, nine hundred seventy
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Speaker 1: of the whole province, or that only twenty one thousand
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Speaker 1: Chinese out of twenty five million lived within the area.
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Speaker 1: Yet the feverish indignation of all China north and south,
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Speaker 1: and the vigor with which the boycott of Japanese goods
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Speaker 1: was carried out, did much to affect American opinion. But
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Speaker 1: most of the anti Japanese feeling in the United States
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Speaker 1: was produced by fears of Japanese dominance on the Pacific coast.
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Speaker 1: There was no serious charge that japan had failed to
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Speaker 1: keep both the letter and the spirit of the Gentlemen's Agreement. Still,
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Speaker 1: the introduction of picture brides for the eligible Japanese bachelors
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Speaker 1: in America in the high birth rate the first generation
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Speaker 1: of Japanese immigrants created a great scare, which was fanned
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Speaker 1: into flame by the alarmists. The stopping of the picture
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Speaker 1: bride marriages in the spring of nineteen twenty did little
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Speaker 1: to allay the sphere who was feared that the Japanese farmers,
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Speaker 1: who had been singularly successful in reclaiming and making profitable
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Speaker 1: much of the waste land of California, would eventually drive
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Speaker 1: out the white settlers. Although Japanese immigrants, as ineligible to citizenship,
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Speaker 1: could not purchase land in their own name, Japanese could
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Speaker 1: lease land for periods of three years, could buy land
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Speaker 1: in the name of their American born children, or could
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Speaker 1: form corporations in which Americans were financially interested. To counteract
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Speaker 1: all this, the Oriental Exclusion League was formed and an
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Speaker 1: initiative act known as the Alien Land Act was placed
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Speaker 1: on the ballot of Nons nineteen twenty in the state
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Speaker 1: of California. This act prohibited land ownership by Japanese, the
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Speaker 1: leasing of agricultural lands by Japanese, the owning of land
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Speaker 1: by companies or corporations in which Japanese were interested in
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Speaker 1: the owning of land by Japanese children born in the
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Speaker 1: United States unless they were removed from the guardianship of
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Speaker 1: their parents. The measure was carried in November nineteen twenty
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Speaker 1: by a vote of six hundred and sixty eight thousand,
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Speaker 1: four hundred and eighty three to two hundred and two thousand,
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Speaker 1: eighty six, a three to one vote, but the victory
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Speaker 1: of a minority of the registered voters. The act, thus
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Speaker 1: depriving Japanese of the guardianship of their own children in
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Speaker 1: respect to real property, came into force on December ninth.
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Speaker 1: The matter was discussed at Washington by the Japanese Ambassador
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Speaker 1: Baron Shidahara and the American Ambassador to Tokyo, Mister R. S. Morris,
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Speaker 1: then home on leave, but the agreement to which they
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Speaker 1: themselves came as to the necessity of a new treaty
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Speaker 1: led to no result. Of anti Japanese legislation spread from
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Speaker 1: California to other states. Bills similar to the Californian were
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Speaker 1: passed during nineteen twenty one by Washington, Colorado, Nebraska, Arizona, Oregon,
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Speaker 1: and Texas. While the excitement was spreading over the one
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Speaker 1: hundred and ten thousand Japanese men, women, and children in
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Speaker 1: the United States, certain questions of interest had arisen of
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Speaker 1: more immediately domestic concern. Dissatisfaction with the Reform Bill of
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Speaker 1: nineteen eighteen, whereby the electorate had been increased from one million,
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Speaker 1: four hundred and fifty thousand to about three million, had
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Speaker 1: produced a perfect clamor for manhood's suffrage, and a bill
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Speaker 1: in this interest had been introduced into the Diet in
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Speaker 1: February nineteen twenty, but the government considered the time unwrite
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Speaker 1: for so radical a departure, and the Diet was dissolved.
16:48
Speaker 1: The general election which followed on May tenth, gave the
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Speaker 1: government a stronger position, since the Seyukai party, of which
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Speaker 1: mister Harra was the head, had two hundred and eighty
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Speaker 1: members returned to the one hundreda who represented the next
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Speaker 1: largest group, the Kenseikhai. This result led to the temporary
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Speaker 1: shelving of the demand for manhood's suffrage in the matter
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Speaker 1: of an international loan for rehabilitating the affairs of China.
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Speaker 1: President Wilson had by nineteen eighteen changed his mind, acting
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Speaker 1: on mister Rynch's promise to China when that power entered
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Speaker 1: the war. Mister Wilson now supported the proposal of a
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Speaker 1: four power loan put forth by the banking interests of
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Speaker 1: Great Britain, France, Japan, and the United States. Japan hesitated
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Speaker 1: at first and stood out for certain reservations in respect
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Speaker 1: to Manchuria and Mongolia, which seemed to revive the old
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Speaker 1: sphere of influenced doctrine. But on the assurance that the
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Speaker 1: object of the loan was entirely economic and free from
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Speaker 1: all political character, the reservations were withdrawn. The agreement was
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Speaker 1: signed on October fifteenth, nineteen twenty, but has since remained
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Speaker 1: practically a dead letter for reasons which belonged to the
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Speaker 1: history of China. Meanwhile, both in Japan and outside, some
18:01
Speaker 1: concern was being felt with regard to the future of
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Speaker 1: the Anglo Japanese Alliance. Footnote. The Anglo Japanese Alliance of
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Speaker 1: nineteen o two had been renewed, first in September nineteen
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Speaker 1: oh five with an alteration of the language to allow
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Speaker 1: for the changed relations of Korea to Japan, and again
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Speaker 1: in July nineteen eleven. In this last treaty, the important
18:22
Speaker 1: clause is Article four, intended to head off any inference that,
18:27
Speaker 1: by the terms of the Alliance, Great Britain might be
18:30
Speaker 1: called upon to assist Japan in a war against the
18:32
Speaker 1: United States. The language of the article is as follows.
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Speaker 1: Quote should either of the high contracting parties conclude a
18:41
Speaker 1: treaty of general arbitration with a third power, it is
18:44
Speaker 1: agreed that nothing in this agreement shall impose upon such
18:48
Speaker 1: contracting party an obligation to go to war with the
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Speaker 1: power with whom such arbitration treaty is in force. End
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Speaker 1: quote end footnote. Many felt that it had served its
18:59
Speaker 1: purpose and it was no longer necessary, while opinion in
19:02
Speaker 1: the United States feared lest its terms necessitated in any
19:05
Speaker 1: conflict with Japan the hostile action of her ally. As
19:09
Speaker 1: the end of the ten year period for which the
19:11
Speaker 1: alliance had been made was due in July nineteen twenty one,
19:15
Speaker 1: much argument was waged to and fro over whether renewal
19:18
Speaker 1: or denunciation of the alliance were the better course. The
19:22
Speaker 1: matter was discussed at the British Imperial Conference in June
19:25
Speaker 1: nineteen twenty one, and it was then decided to let
19:27
Speaker 1: the alliance run on beyond July without taking any action whatsoever.
19:32
Speaker 1: But as we shall see a little later, the making
19:34
Speaker 1: of the Four Power Treaty at the Washington Conference in
19:37
Speaker 1: December nineteen twenty one was only possible after the supersession
19:41
Speaker 1: of the Alliance. A matter which interested Japan not a
19:44
Speaker 1: little at this time was the visit of the Crown
19:47
Speaker 1: Prince Hirohito to Europe. It was something entirely without president
19:52
Speaker 1: in all of the twenty five hundred years of Japanese history,
19:56
Speaker 1: and many were the hopes and fears and prayers which
19:58
Speaker 1: were wafted along with the when in March nineteen twenty
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Speaker 1: one he left the Empire, accompanied by Prince Khnan and
20:05
Speaker 1: Count Chinda, the Katori, on which the Prince sailed visited
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Speaker 1: Hong Kong, Singapore, Bombay, port Said, Malta and Portsmouth and England. France, Belgium,
20:16
Speaker 1: Holland and Italy were the European countries which did their
20:20
Speaker 1: best to welcome their unique visitor. A return was made
20:24
Speaker 1: in September, setting at rest all the solicitude which had
20:28
Speaker 1: been felt. Two months later. Owing to the continued ill
20:32
Speaker 1: health of the Emperor, who was now quite unable to
20:35
Speaker 1: pay the necessary attention to state business, the Crown Prince
20:38
Speaker 1: was made Regent of the Empire. For some time it
20:41
Speaker 1: had been felt in the United States that misunderstandings between
20:44
Speaker 1: the Republic and Japan were rapidly bringing the two nations
20:47
Speaker 1: within measurable distance of a terrible and wholly unnecessary war.
20:52
Speaker 1: It was in view of this hideous possibility that, on
20:54
Speaker 1: the accession to power of President Harding, steps were taken,
20:58
Speaker 1: through his Secretary of State, Mister Charles E. Hughes, to
21:01
Speaker 1: stay the rivalry of the powers in the matter of
21:04
Speaker 1: naval building programs, and to make some specific agreements in
21:07
Speaker 1: the interest of the peace of the Pacific. Japan was
21:10
Speaker 1: approached informally on the subject in July nineteen twenty one,
21:14
Speaker 1: and gave ready assent to the holding of a conference
21:16
Speaker 1: with this object in mind. The delegates from the Empire
21:20
Speaker 1: consisted of Admiral Tomo sabural Cato, Prince Ayasato Tokugawa, and
21:27
Speaker 1: mister Masanao Hanihara, and their appointment was one of the
21:31
Speaker 1: last acts of the Premier, mister Takahashihara, who was assassinated
21:35
Speaker 1: by a misguided youth on November fourth. The Washington Conference
21:39
Speaker 1: opened in November nineteen twenty one and was attended by
21:42
Speaker 1: representatives of Great Britain, France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Portugal, trained
21:48
Speaker 1: in Japan, and the United States. Officially, the meeting was
21:51
Speaker 1: called to discuss the limitation of naval armaments, but it
21:54
Speaker 1: was understood that Pacific problems and problems of the Far
21:57
Speaker 1: East generally would be taken up. Refference was of vital
22:01
Speaker 1: interest to Japan almost throughout first On November twelfth came
22:05
Speaker 1: the startling presentation of mister Hughes's plan for the reduction
22:08
Speaker 1: of the naval power of Great Britain, the United States
22:10
Speaker 1: and Japan by the scrapping of enough capital ships to
22:13
Speaker 1: make the ratio of naval strength as five five three.
22:17
Speaker 1: Time was needed for the consideration of so unexpected a proposal,
22:21
Speaker 1: especially by Japan, since the assassination of Premierhara had done
22:25
Speaker 1: much to disarrange the political alignment. Public opinion also had
22:29
Speaker 1: to be taken into consideration. But when it was learned
22:32
Speaker 1: that the United States would discontinue work on the fortification
22:35
Speaker 1: of Guam and the Philippines, the acceptance was hardy and
22:39
Speaker 1: accompanied by a good deal of relief. It was no
22:41
Speaker 1: longer thinkable that the United States and Japan would fight,
22:45
Speaker 1: since neither navy was formidable enough to be dangerous on
22:48
Speaker 1: the opposite sides of the Pacific. The next question to
22:51
Speaker 1: come up was that of a treaty on Pacific subjects
22:54
Speaker 1: such as might render obsolete the Anglo Japanese alliance. This
22:58
Speaker 1: so called Nine Power Treaty provided in a comprehensive way
23:02
Speaker 1: that respect should be ensured to the sovereignty, independence, and
23:05
Speaker 1: the territorial and administrative integrity of China. It offered quote
23:10
Speaker 1: the fullest and most unembarrassed opportunity to China to develop
23:14
Speaker 1: and maintain for herself an effective and stable government end quote.
23:18
Speaker 1: It promised the influence of the powers quote for the
23:21
Speaker 1: purpose of effectually establishing and maintaining the principle of equal
23:25
Speaker 1: opportunity for the commerce and industry of all nations throughout
23:28
Speaker 1: the territory of China. End It promised also quote to
23:33
Speaker 1: refrain from taking advantage of conditions in China in order
23:37
Speaker 1: to seek special rights or privileges which would abridge the
23:40
Speaker 1: rights of subjects or citizens of friendly states, and from
23:43
Speaker 1: countenancing action inimical to the security of such states end quote.
23:48
Speaker 1: There were other provisions along the same line, and if
23:51
Speaker 1: China has not benefited by them as much as was anticipated,
23:54
Speaker 1: the reason is partly that she has not made easy
23:57
Speaker 1: the task of helping her, and partly because it is
24:00
Speaker 1: exceedingly difficult for nine powers to agree upon any common
24:03
Speaker 1: line of action in an emergency outside the official program
24:07
Speaker 1: of the conference. But nevertheless, of the first importance was
24:10
Speaker 1: the settlement of the Shantung difficulty. This was largely due
24:14
Speaker 1: to the willingness of mister Hughes and mister afterwards Lord
24:18
Speaker 1: Balford to sit in with the Chinese and Japanese delegates
24:23
Speaker 1: for the purpose of assisting an arrangement of the much
24:25
Speaker 1: vexed question. Japan had announced her readiness to return the
24:29
Speaker 1: least territory to China, asking only the opening of the
24:32
Speaker 1: same to foreign trade. She had not even requested the
24:36
Speaker 1: establishment of an international settlement at Singh Tao. She was
24:40
Speaker 1: also ready to permit the consortium to apply to the
24:44
Speaker 1: three new railway lines already begun in the province, and
24:47
Speaker 1: to turn over the Singh Tao customs as an integral
24:51
Speaker 1: part of the Maritime Customs Organization. She also promised, as
24:54
Speaker 1: soon as China was able to take over the policing,
24:57
Speaker 1: to withdraw the soldiers guarding the sinn railway, and to
25:01
Speaker 1: restore whatever property in the territory had been used for
25:04
Speaker 1: administrative purposes. The principal hitch was over the disposal of
25:09
Speaker 1: the Kiao Chao Sinan railway, two hundred and fifty miles
25:13
Speaker 1: in length. It had been exceedingly profitable under Japanese administration,
25:17
Speaker 1: and Japan did not want to transfer it to the
25:20
Speaker 1: absolute ownership of the Chinese without some guarantee as to
25:24
Speaker 1: efficient management. For China to buy the line and pay
25:27
Speaker 1: cash for it would only mean the mortgaging of the
25:29
Speaker 1: property to foreign finance years in return for a loan,
25:33
Speaker 1: in which case the interest in Japan would be simply
25:35
Speaker 1: transferred to some other nation. The matter was at last
25:38
Speaker 1: settled by China's undertaking to buy the railway from Japan
25:42
Speaker 1: on the security of treasury notes running for fifteen years
25:46
Speaker 1: but redeemable at China's option after five till the redemption
25:50
Speaker 1: of the notes. Japan was to appoint the traffic manager.
25:53
Speaker 1: Another Japanese was to be chief accountant, with a Chinese
25:57
Speaker 1: chief accountant possessing coordinate powers. These officials were to be
26:02
Speaker 1: under the direction in control of the Chinese managing director
26:05
Speaker 1: and removable for cause. The treaty embodying all these agreements
26:09
Speaker 1: was signed on February first, nineteen twenty two, amid the
26:12
Speaker 1: hearty felicitations of all present at the conference. One or
26:16
Speaker 1: two other matters taken up at the Washington Conference, particularly
26:20
Speaker 1: affecting Japan, may be mentioned. Among the uninvited delegates to
26:24
Speaker 1: the conference were representatives from the Far Eastern Republic, having
26:27
Speaker 1: its headquarters at Cheetah. These had come to complain of
26:31
Speaker 1: the Japanese occupation of portions of Siberia in the northern
26:35
Speaker 1: part of Stockhollen. The conference disposed of the matter by
26:38
Speaker 1: accepting the assurance that no exclusive exploitation of the resources
26:43
Speaker 1: of these territories was in contemplation, and that the occupying
26:46
Speaker 1: troops would be withdrawn at the earliest possible moment. Of
26:51
Speaker 1: particular interest to the United States was the reference in
26:54
Speaker 1: the Treaty of February eleventh, nineteen twenty two, so that
26:58
Speaker 1: hitherto unconsidered trifle of an island Yap. While the mandate
27:02
Speaker 1: awarding the former German possessions in the Pacific north of
27:05
Speaker 1: the Equator to Japan was accepted, it was required that
27:09
Speaker 1: Japan should respect existing treaties with regard to the islands
27:12
Speaker 1: between the United States and Japan. It was specially provided
27:16
Speaker 1: that the United States should have free access to the
27:19
Speaker 1: island of Yap in all that related to the landing
27:22
Speaker 1: and operating of the Yap Guam Cable, or any cable
27:25
Speaker 1: which might hereafter be laid or operated by the United
27:28
Speaker 1: States connecting with the island of Yap. On the whole,
27:31
Speaker 1: Japan was well satisfied with the results of the Washington Conference.
27:35
Speaker 1: She felt at ease with regard to possible aggressive policies
27:38
Speaker 1: on the part of other nations in China. She felt
27:41
Speaker 1: free from suspicion with regard to designs upon the Philippines,
27:44
Speaker 1: which as a matter of fact, she could have bought
27:46
Speaker 1: for a comparatively small sum years before the American occupation,
27:51
Speaker 1: and she felt relieved from the heavy strain of naval
27:53
Speaker 1: competition with the United States. If all was not accomplished
27:57
Speaker 1: by the conference, which was expected in the flush of enthusiasm,
28:01
Speaker 1: still enough was achieved to make men grateful for the
28:04
Speaker 1: initiative of mister Harding in the cordial cooperation of the
28:08
Speaker 1: Pacific powers. End of Chapter twenty nine read by Elsie
28:13
Speaker 1: Selwyn