Arizona republican., 1917-12-27
A Secret Treaty

An Associated Press dispatch last week mentioned The recent publication in Perograd of secret treaty entered into in June of 1916 between Japan and Russia in which both the United States and Great Britain were menaced. The treaty was designed to strengthen and fasen securely the grip of Japan and Russia upon China, and it proposed an armed demonstration against any nation that might interfere with their plans.
 This treaty was discovered presumably shortly after the overthrow of the imperial government of Russia, along with other secret documents which were made public at that time, exposing the designs of the imperial government against it's people Though the existence of this treaty probably made known to the United States then secrecy preserved from the world since the treaty involved nominal ally of Russia whose revolutionary government was still for The Bolsheviki government, however, which has made the treaty public, was not under the same restraint.
 It is a matter of conjecture whether it was not the recent knowledge of this treaty that impeled Secretary of State Lansing last summer to send that note of sympathy to China, which provoked protest from Japan. No other for the transmission of that has ever been suggested It may, too. be presumed that it the Japanese knowledge of knowledge of the existence treaty prompted the sending to this country of the Japanese mission headed by Ishii, to renew protestatons of friendship and to from state department recognition of Japan's special position in China.
 That recognition obtained and all that Japan sought to gain by the secret treaty with Russia secured, at least far this country concerned And, so far concerned Japans position in China is as it could have been made if the treaty had failed with the collapse of imperial Russia.
 There is of course yet Great Britain to deal with. Great Britain is not in position to protest forcbly against the execution of Japans designs in China and will probably be unable some years; until JapanSs pretty solidy established there. No protest has come from Great Britain, probably for the that could not be made effectual The subject we believe has been openly discussed by British statesmen.
 All the facts, or, rather, all these circumstances invest with unusual interest the reported by the Associated Press yesterday of Shanghai news- papers the Lansing -Ish agreement. While the papers printed in English not cricise it, nearly all the Chinese papers do, of them declaring:
 What be more alarming and dispirting than this? It is citizens who have the internal trouble and thus invited foreign aggression. Now We realize even the friendly country United States) to which we have looked for sympathy and assistance, is not to be relied upon Does this mean that the integrity of country is lost forever?
 All this will appear the significant when we understand that Shanghai is not really Chinese city out British city, that for than sixty years Great Britain has held concession of the commercial city of Shanghai and that for the past sixty years British influence has been steadily extending there It may be suspected that the foregoing and other comments are masks of British protest