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Show North China Moves for "Autonomy" T7 , sr--" If tt- W" P " -S3 4 " l j ---- - -- w i This scene at Tientsin In 1932 is being re-enacted as Japanese troops are being massed In North Cnina-where Cnina-where it is expected they will be used to enforce the declaration of "autonomous" governments in five prov inces. Armored trains, such as the one shown at left above, have carried the troops inland. In the insets are Gen. Ho Ying-chin (left), forced to vacate Peiping, and Gen. Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese dictator. By WILLIAM C. UTLEY TWENTY-FIVE counties of the province of Hopei, lu North China, on November 25 declared themselves divorced di-vorced from the central Chinese government at Nanking, and set up an autonomous, or Independent, government gov-ernment under the leadership of Yin Ju-keng, commissioner of the demilitarized zone. The 25 counties coun-ties aggregate approximately 8,600 square miles and are inhabited by 5,000,000 people. The Yin Ju-keng government, It is believed, will prove to be the first effective culmination of an "autonomy" movement that may gather under its wing the five provinces prov-inces of North China, namely Hopel, Chahar, Suiyan, Shansi and Shantung. Shan-tung. Such autonomy for these provinces would mean the complete failure of the Chiang Kai-shek dictatorship dic-tatorship north of the Yellow river. More than that, it would probably prob-ably mean the spread of the rapidly expanding Japaneses empire farther. Into the Asiatic continent until Japanese Jap-anese control on the continent would be extended over an area approximating ap-proximating China itself In size. North China would become little more than another Mauchukuo. To the average observer and certainly cer-tainly to the Nanking government the "autonomy" movement is purely pure-ly a Japanese project. Yin Ju-keng is famed for bis willingness to "cooperate" "co-operate" with Japanese military leaders. His wife is a Japanese. Japanese army ofliclals have been reported to have been fostering the autonomy movement secretly for many months. Only in the past few weeks Maj. Gen. Kenjl Doihara, of the Japanese army intelligence corps, and famed as the "empire builder" of the "land of the rising sun," has arrived on the scene and has openly worked for the secession and autonomy of the five provinces. It is certain that he will not be satisfied with a victory only in a few counties of one province. And the Japanese army has backed hlra up to the extent of warning Gen. Chiang Kai-shek not to Interfere. Quirks of Japanese Politics. It Is, of course, true that Tokyo has hinted that Doihara is overstepping overstep-ping his authority, and that Japanese Jap-anese troops have been mobilized lately in these provinces only to protect communications and maintain main-tain order In the face of any civil outbreaks or communistic uprisings. However, It Is customary for the military faction In Japanese politics to assume the aggressive, with the rather mild objection of the civilian government as something of a bluff to appease the Injury felt by foreign for-eign nations who have interests in areas where the Japanese empire is expanding. It is known that In Helping and Tientsin autonomy demonstrations have been instigated by the Japanese. Japa-nese. One of the most spectacular demonstrations was in (lie latter city, and was staged by 300 members mem-bers of the famed Chinese Dare-to-Die" army, many of them wearing j new uniforms closply resembling those of the Japanese army. They left their unit'onns in their headquarters head-quarters In a lecture hall afterwards after-wards for the Japanese soldiers to collect. On occasions handbills exhorting ex-horting the populace to revolt In favor of an autonomous government have floated to earth under the roar of airplanes which could only have Invn Japanese. .Tnpanose soldiers sol-diers have constancy moved inhind. even through the Croat Wall of China, to n;nke sure that no niil-ro:u niil-ro:u cars will be allowed to pass to the sonih where tliey rrrrlit be loaded load-ed wi:h troops of the Nanking iror-ernnicnt iror-ernnicnt and returned. Nipponese , army othoni's have confiscated 'lii-! 'lii-! nose school hooks and removed ; from theia passages which might be I construed as anti-Japanese. And these same officials have repeatedly been accused of hiring professional Chinese agitators (at 40 to 60 cents a day) to stir up trouble. The Japanese claim is that the autonomous movement is a natural one entirely founded and furthered by the Chinese In the provinces Involved. In-volved. They point out that the Nanking rule drains these already poverty-stricken people by excessive exces-sive taxes, and at the same time gives them little or no benefit. But the Chinese people in the territory literally do not know what It is all ahouL They are confused, bewildered. bewil-dered. Like Chinese everywhere, they have no Interest In politics. That, indeed, has been the chief stumbling block in the path of Gen. Chiang-Kai-shek's attempt to unify China under one government. Yet Nanking's hands are tied. While there are not enough Japanese Jap-anese troops in North China today to enforce the rule of Japan's army chiefs, Nanking knows that troops could and would be speedily dispatched dis-patched from Corea or Japan itself it-self to meet any emergencies. Accordingly, Ac-cordingly, at a nod from Japanese officials in Tientsin or I'eiplng, Chinese Chi-nese officials comply. Two outstanding outstand-ing examples of this were the recent re-cent retirement of the mayor of Peiping, known to oppose the autonomy au-tonomy movement, and the return of Chinese Minister of War Ho Ying-chln from Peping to Nanking, both at the suggestion of the Japanese Japa-nese officials. Tokyo Ignores Protests. Nanking's protests to Tokyo are Ignored because of Japan's insistence insist-ence that the autonomy movement is strictly of Chinese origin. Yet It is known that in all of. these autonomous governments planned, the administrations will have to be decidedly pro-Japanese. That the government of Yin Ju-keng Ju-keng In Hopel Is to be the model for other pro-Japanese autonomies to come is apparent from his declaration dec-laration : "From today " the demilitarized zone will be separated from the central government and will institute insti-tute and carry out an autonomous regime as the first voice of a federation fed-eration of provinces with a view toward maintaining peace In eastern Asia. "We, the undersigned, hope that the people, the public organs and the military and political leaders of the various provinces will rise up with us to suppress the criminals and arch enemies of the nation, to draft a constitution, and choose wise and able men for the administration adminis-tration of the country." This Is directly in line with the program desired for the five North China provinces by Doihara, the "empire builder." And only a few days after the proclamation. Gen. Sun Cheh-yuan, commissioner of the Chinese garrison at I'eiping-Tien-tsin, upon whom Doihara is known to have exerted extreme pressure, circulated a telegram proclaiming the Intention of Hope! and Chahar provinces to form an autonomous state. What Japan Wants. What does all this "autonomy" business mean for Japan, for North China and the rest of the world? For Japan It means political economic eco-nomic and industrial control of nn-other nn-other great slice of territory that once belonged to China. There Is much cotton in Ilopet and opportn nity for planting more, to t.-ike t'if place of cotton that Japan must now import from the I'nited Stales and from India. There is iron on-and on-and coal, vastly important in buii-l ing the naval parity which Japan K demanding from Croat Britain and the I'nited States, although not enough iron and cn.il. according to research scientists, to warrant the. expense and the responsibility of complete Japanese conquest and government of North China. Such a complete subjection would undoubtedly be ruinous to Japan, already financially burdened as slit is. Much better to allow thes North China provinces to govern themselves, under the "protecting"' wing of the Japanese army of occupation, oc-cupation, with free trade privileges for Tokyo. Great Britain, the United States and other powers would be far more seriously hurt commercially by the establishment of a "Manchukuo of North China" than they were by the establishment of the present Manchukuan rule itself, for thelt commercial interests In North China are much greater. As a re suit, Secretary of State Hull and Sir Samuel Hoare, British ministei of foreign affairs, simultaneously demanded Japanese explanation of apparent violations of the Nine-Power Nine-Power treaty which guarantees th territorial integrity of China. This treaty, signed by the nine leading powers of the world, with the exception ex-ception of Russia, at the Washington Washing-ton conference in 1022, was formed as the organic international law to apply to all future controversies in the Far East. All of the signatories are bound to respect not only the sovereignty and territorial integrity integ-rity of China, but the administrative administra-tive Integrity as well. Secretary Hull claims that this provision Is directly Involved at the present time, because "an effort Is being made to bring about a substantial change In the political status and condition of several of China' northern provinces." Claim Treaty Was Misnomer. Japan's claim Is that such a, thlnj; as the territorial and administrative administra-tive integrity of China never existed. ex-isted. Political economists believe that the best any cenfral Chinese government gov-ernment ever will do is administer a part of China. Much of what Is known as China is poorer than even the heavily populated cities, even though Its population Is comparatively compara-tively sparse. In five of the northwestern north-western provinces, which make up 29 per cent of the total area, there is only 5 per cent of the population, and because of the poor quality of the land this population Is difficult to support. Also, much of China Is too backward back-ward to be governed well. For Instance, In-stance, there Is the province of Szecliuen; it has 50,000,000 Inhabitants Inhab-itants and not a mile of railroad I Since Baron Pompeo AIolsl of Italy pointed out to the League of Nations council at Geneva the Inconsistency In-consistency of applying snncflons to Italy In the Ethiopian Incident and not applying them to Japan In the North China nnd Indeed the Manchurlnn Incidents, many a parallel par-allel has been drawn between the two. There are technical differences that destroy the parallel, however. Nippon Is Subtle. For one thing Japan has been a much more subtle aggressor against China than Italy has against Ethiopia. Ethi-opia. Japan has effected the submission sub-mission of Chinese army leaders before be-fore Invading, not after. Another difference Is that China has not appealed to the league yet. whereas Halle Selassie's appeals were loud. Ion? and unmistakable. Meanwhile the conquest of the Japanese empire becomes clearer and clearer. Pescadores and Formosa For-mosa In Tsf'": Tort Arthur In 1001; Karafnto In 10f5; Corea In 1010; mandates over the Pacific Islands north of the equator In 1020; the puppet state of Mnnchnkwi In l:i"2; Jebol added to it In VS.:",. Are the rext to be the puppet s'ates r,f TTopel. fbnhar, Snlynan, Shansi and Shantung? |