New-York tribune., 1919-07-23
To the Editor of The Tribune.

u
Japan Shantung situation which are
easily described but so far as l know
have not yet been put forward. They seem
to me to go to the very roots of the matter.
For example. Shortly after Germany took
what she wanted in Shantung, England took
the harbor and fortifcatons of Wei-ha-we
and hinterland (about 200 miles north of
Tsngtao), altogether 2SS,00O square miles.
This is nearly 100000 square miles more
than is included in the Kiao-chau treaty be-
tween China and JAPAN Then France took
another slice in Tonkin, so that Germany,
England and France all grabbed at the same
time-only Germany began it, landed troops
and killed Chinese, who naturally defended
themselves against an attack on the Tsing-
tao forts
When, therefore, China brought up the
Shantung question at Paris what were the
positions of the four great nations involved.
England and France were both guilty of
grabbing when Germany did. SO they
couldn't vote to restore Shantung to China
without giving up their own spos. Besides,
England and France had agreed with Japan
before she entered the war to back up her
treaty with China, involving the transfer
of certain of the German concessions in
Shantung. Then, again, the alliance between
England and Japan stipulated that in case
of war in which both involved they
would make peace together" Could England
desert her ally? SO we see that neither Eng
land nor France could possibly vote against
Japan.
Let US if Chinese hands "are clean"
in this court Why did China join in the
war? Because Japan wanted her to? Not
at all. Japan did not want her loans to
China spent on war. She was lending money
to China to keep her alive when no other
power could do so. China was all but pennl-
less. She owed Boxer ndemnitcs to Ger
many which called for $50 OOOO a year
interest! Her debts to France, England
Italy and Russia, on the same account, were
up in the hundreds of millions, and she was
unable to manage her own household No
one knows just what happened just before
China took sides with the Allies, but we do
know that in September, 1917, the repre-
sentatives of the Entente Powers told the
Chinese government that payments on in
IDENTITIES would be postponed for five years,
which relieved China from paying the two
or more hundred millions due in that period
What was Japans position in Paris? 1t
would take long chapters to give it in full
for the record upon which her representa-
tlves stood was a remarkable one. Her rep
resentatives could say, if they chose, that
their alliance with England bound them to
make peace together on all questions, and
so they could withdraw if they wished: that
England and France had agreed that Japan
should have a foothold in Shantung-per-
haps because there are 5000 Japanese in
China and perhaps to prevent China from
giving the concession back to Germany at
a price equal to the Boxer indemnity! (Who
can tell what the present inefficient Chinese
government would do y
Moreover the Japanese representatives
could point out that they had disposed of
Germany in the Orient; had paid all their
own war expenses; had kept large army
ready to take part in India or Siberia or
wherever wanted; had sent destroyers into
the Mediterranean Sea and the Baltic
cruisers into the North Sea and lent sub
marines to Italy. She had in fact, made the
Pacific safe.
The list by no means ends here, as anv one
may find out by research, but it may we'll
end with view or Japans financial position
at the Paris conferences. Not only had she
paid all her war expenses from her own
purse (the only big power who had not bor-
rowed of usD but she had lent ENGLAND
371,oo0,O00 yen Russia, $4,000, 900, and
France, 75,0OO,O0O.
She had done all that had been asked of
her, and her representatives who were in
all respects the peers of any Others went
to Paris expecting to be treated like EQUALS.
We're they? Is Japan now being treated in
this country friendly ally should be ?
Might she not say to our Congress, Clean
your hands by settling with Colombia before
you tell us that we are going to dishonor
ourselves In our future dealings with China.
Our record is clean. Make yours like it,"
]. B. MILLET
New York, July 20, 1910