Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 127, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 June 1917 — JAPS ANGERED BY U. S. NOTE [ARTICLE]

JAPS ANGERED BY U. S. NOTE

NOTE TO CHINA ASKING THAT SETTLEMENT OF TROUBLES BE MADE AROUSES JAPAN.

The American government’s note to China expressing regret over the dissensions in that country and a sincere desire that tranquility and political co-ordination be forthwith established, caused surprise and unfavorable criticism in Japan, where the action is regarded as ignoring Japan’s special position in China. “Glaring Interference.*’ The feeling as expressed in official circles is that the situation would have been better treated by first exchanging views with the entente and especially Japan, which is described as rigidly adhering to a policy of» non-in-terference in Chinese domestic affairs. *• The newspaper called the action of the United States glaring interference and warns the government that it is probably an epoch-making precursor of further activities. Unfavorable criticism in Japan of the American note to China was based upon a distorted version of the document appearing in the Tokio Asahi, a leading newspaper of the Japanese capital and purporting to have been cabled from New York. As the United States had not communicated the official text to the Tokio foreign office, the version, apparently intentionally misquoted to convey the impression that the American government was seeking to interfere unduly in China’s internal affairs, was commented on as genum The situation’ was brought to the attention of the state department several days ago, and steps were taken to see that the text of the note as given out at Peking was published in Japan. It is not known in America how this was received. Officials cannot account for the publication in Asahi. It is suggested that probably there was no cablegram from New York, and that the matter appearing under a New York date was sent from China or activity written in Tokio. This is not the first case of misrepresentation of the government’s foreign policy in an apparent effort to cause trouble.