Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-22

to give her all German possessions
in China.
Inasmuch as il was II p. II. in
Los Angeles and therefore / a. m
Sunday morning in the east, the
text of the presidents speech miss
ed the main editions of eastern
newspapers. So | quote some per-
tinent passages. After referring for
instance to Japan's solemn prom
Use to return Shantung to China
soon after that country ratifes the
peace treaty, the president said:
Only Japan Promises Return.
Great Britain has not promised
to return Wei-Hai Wal. France has
not promised 10 return her part.
Japan has promised to relinquish
the sovereign rights which were &C
quired by Germany for the remain
ing rs of the SO years of the lease
and to retain only what other gov
ernments have in many other parts
OF China, namely the right to build
and operate the railways under a
corporation and to exploit the
MINES in the immediate neighbOr-
6ood of that railway. In other
2 words, she retains only the rights
OF economic COncessionGires
Personally l am frank to say
that 1 think all these nations have
invaded some of the essential rights
of China by going too far in the
concessions which they have de-
manded but that is an old story and
we are beginning new story. In
the new story We all rave the right
10 talk about what they have been
doing and to convince them by the
pressure of public opinion that
different course of action would be
Just and right"
Are They Ready to Fight!
And in another place in his
speech the president asked dra-
matically Let US put those gentle
men to their test who are object
. ing to the Shantung settlement. Are
fSpey ready to fight Great Britain
ann France and Japan. who will
have to stand together, in order to
get this province back for China
! know they are not. And their in
terest in China is not the interest
of assisting China but of defeating
the treaty. They know beforehand
that a modification of the treaty in
that respect cannot be obtained and
they are now insisting upon what
they know is impossible. But if
they ratify the treaty and accept
the covenant they do put them
selves in a position to assist China.
l am for helping China and not
turning away from the only way in
which | can help her. These are
the facts about Shantung. Doesn't
the thing look a little dinerent?"
Crowd Shouts SHAME
It was not long after this that
the crowd shouted shame" as the
president outlin4d the argument of
his opponents, especially on the
question of votes for Great Britain.
Mr.. Wilson again made ten strike
when he read from the treaty and
showed that the assembly in which
Great Britain has six delegates has
no voting power except on the
question of admitting new mem
bers and that for the most part it
is a debating society. The presi-
dent won his biggest applause as
he asked the audience if after Civ
ing Panama and Cuba. countries
especially under the influence of
the United States, each a vote it
wQEfd be fair to deny Canada a
delegates. He paid tribute to New
Zealand. South Africa, India and
Australia.
Why" he said, when I was in
Paris. the men who l could not
tell apart except by their hats we're
the Americans and the Australians.
They both had the swing of fellows
who say the gang is all here, what