Dr. Hawkling Yen came to bring me
the annexed copy of an appeal from ten of the Chambers of Commerce and
other guilds and labor associations of Shanghai. He told me that these
were the ten most important of such associations in Shanghai and that
they controlled Chinese opinion there; that he would not have ventured
to submit it to me if it were not for the fact that its tenor coincided
with the policy of his own Government.
I asked whether there had been any new negotiations between China and
Japan within the last two or three days and he replied that he had not
heard of any. He asked me about a rumor that the Japanese were going to
demand that China get out by February 11, and I told him that there was
no truth in any such rumors so far as we were concerned.
[Annex]
Appeal From Ten Chinese Associations in
Shanghai
Utterly disregarding the League Covenant, the Kellogg Pact, and the
Nine-Power Treaty, Japan has occupied Manchuria and waged undeclared
war on China. Unsatisfied with flouting world’s public opinion, she
has now perpetrated the Shanghai outrage as the culmination of her
unabated acts of aggression and in defiance of the League
Resolutions.
In the afternoon of January 28th, the demands of the Japanese
Consul-General in Shanghai were accepted by the Mayor of the Greater
Shanghai, and the said acceptance was declared satisfactory by the
said Consul-General. At eleven twenty-five of the same evening, the
local Japanese Naval Commander suddenly notified the Chinese
authorities to withdraw their forces from Chapei, and, thirty-five
minutes later, proceeded to occupy the Chinese controlled territory.
Acting on self-defence, the Chinese forces resisted the advance of
the Japanese marines and other armed contingents.
Thus frustrated, the Japanese naval forces have been landing
reinforcements in the International Settlement and employing the
said Settlement as the base of the belligerent operations against
the Chinese troops. Aerial attacks are being maintained daily and
Japanese civilians have been permitted to inflict inhuman treatment
on Chinese men, women, and children and indulge other forms of
frightfulness.
Such aerial attacks cannot be condemned too severely. Characterized
[Page 263]
by Lord Robert Cecil as the most barbarous
form of warfare, what they have accomplished is burning and
devastation of the populous city, destruction of priceless
treasures, valuable life and property, rendering homeless and
destitute tens of thousands of innocent non-combatants, paralyzing
all industries and commerce, and undermining the entire economic
structure of China’s commercial metropolis.
Therefore it is self-evident that in seeking to aggravate the
situation, Japan is motivated on one hand by passion to strike
terror into the Chinese hearts in Shanghai as in Manchuria and
elsewhere and coerce China into submission, and on the other hand to
secure for herself predominant position in North and Central China
to the prejudice of other powers.
The present Shanghai outrage had its origin in the Japanese
occupation of Manchuria. Any attempt to liquidate Shanghai outrage
as a local, isolated, incident without attempting a settlement for
the whole situation arising from the Japanese occupation of
Manchuria will inevitably defeat its purpose and encourage Japan to
perpetrate similar outrages in other parts of China.
It may be recalled that Japan invaded Manchuria when the League
Assembly was in session, she extended such occupation to the
threshold of Tsitsihar when the League Council adopted the second
resolution, and she planned to capture
Chinchow—the last vestige of China’s
administrative authority—when the League council adopted the third
resolution on the subject. Added to the present Shanghai outrage
these facts reveal Japan’s cynical disregard of the world’s public
opinion and her contempt of the League.
The Chinese Government and the people have always reposed confidence
in the League Covenant, the Kellogg Pact, and the Nine-Power Treaty
to adjust disputes between nations. In face of Japan’s unabated
aggressions the Chinese people are entitled to ask if China’s
co-signatories in these international engagements intend to condone
Japan’s repudiation of her plighted word or undermine the sanctity
of International Treaties.
Deeply appreciative of your Government’s solicitude and efforts in
Chinese people’s welfare we earnestly appeal to your Government to
stand firm on the five proposals designed by your Government in
conjunction with three other friendly Governments for the solution
of the crisis between Japan and China. Japan’s continued occupation
of Manchuria will always be a threat to world’s peace if not also to
the security of other Powers whose efforts of mediation are
magnified into interference to Japan’s detriment. We appeal to your
Government to counsel Japan to honor her plighted word and
collaborate with your Government and other co-signatories in the
establishment of durable peace in the Far East if she cannot be
persuaded to listen to reason,
[Page 264]
courageously join other friendly Governments
and other co-signatories in the application of economic sanctions or
other speedy and more effective measures to preserve world’s peace.
Failure now boldly to do the right thing and insist on doing the
just and honorable thing in defence of the sanctity of treaties will
expose the League Covenant, the Kellogg Pact, and the Nine-Power
Treaty to public ridicule and subject the present situation to
imminent danger drifting into actuality world catastrophe.
Wong
Shao-Lai
:
Chairman of Shanghai General Chamber of
Commerce.Li
Ming
:
Chairman of
Shanghai Bankers’ Association.Zing
Zung-Ching
:
Chairman of Shanghai Native Bankers’
Guild.Yung Chun-Ching
:
Chairman of Chinese Cotton Mill Owners’
Association.C. H.
Li
:
Chairman of
Shanghai Universities’ Union.C. S.
Lu
:
Chairman
of Shanghai Labor Union.Ling
Kong-Hou
:
Chairman of Associated Chambers of
CommerceK. P.
Chen
:
Chairman of
China Committee of International Chamber of
Commerce.Yu
Ya-Ching
:
Chairman of Ship-Owners’
Association.H. Y.
Moh
:
Chairman of
Shanghai Exchanges Association.