New-York tribune., 1919-09-06


to arbitration or discussion is to be
deemed thereby to have committed
an act of war against the other
members Of the league; not merely
to have done any immoral thing.
but by refusing to obey those proc
esses to have committed an act OF
war.
Means Closing of
Door to Commerce
"And you know what then hap
pens. You say, Yes, we form an
army and 90 to fight them Not at
all. We shut our doors and lock
them out; we boycott them. just so
soon as that is done, they cannot
ship cargoes out or receive them
shipped in; they cannot send tele-'
graphic message; they cannot send
or receive a letter.
II don't think that after that it
will be necessary to do any fighting
at all. Now, that is the league Of
nations-an agreement to arbitrate
and discuss, and an agreement that
you shall be absolutely boycotted
and there is. added to this, this
very interesting thing: There can
hereafter be no secret treaties. The
provision of the covenant is that
every treaty or international under
standing shall be registered--I be-
secretary of the league; that the
full just as soon as possible for him
to publish it; that no treaty shall
be valid which is not thus regis
tered.
ut was very embarrassin my fell
low citizens, When you thought you
were approaching an ideal solution
of momentous question, to find
that some of your principal col
leagues had given the whole thing
away. And that leads me to speak,
just in passing, of what has given a
great many people unnatural dis
tress. l mean the Shantung settle
ment-the settlement with regard TO
a portion of the province of Shan
tung, in China.
Great Britain and others, as
everybody now knows, in order to
make it more certain that Japan
would come into the war and so as
sist to clear the Pacific Of the Ger
man fleets, had promised that any
rights that Germany had in China
should, in the case of the victory of
the Allies. pass to Japan.
No Qualification
In Pledge to Japan
"There was no qualification in the
promise. She was to get exactly
what Germany had. And so the only
thing that was possible was to induce
Japan to promise and l want to say
in all fairness, for it wouldn't be fair
if / didn't say it-that Japan did
very handsomely make the promises
which were requested of her-that
she would retain in Shantung none
of the sovereign rights which Ger
many had enjoyed there. but would
return the sovereignty, without quail
ification. to China, and retain in
Shantung province only what other
nationalities had elsewhere eco
nomic rights with regard to devel-
opment and administration of the
railroad and of certain mines which
had become attached to the railway
That is her promise.
And, personally, ] haven't the
slightest doubt That she will fulfil
that promise. She cannot fulfil it
right now, because the thing doesn't
come into operation until three
months after the treaty IS ratified,
so that we must not be too impa-
tient about it. But she will fulfil
those promises. And suppose that
we said we wouldn't assent. England
and others must assent. and if we
arr going to get Shantung province
back for China, and those gentle
men don't want to engage in foreign
wars, how are they going to get il
back?
Their idea of not getting into
trouble seems to be to stand for
the greatest possible number OF un-
workable propositions. All very
we'll to talk about standing by China.
But how are you standing by China
when you withdraw from .sie only
arrangements by which China can
be assisted?
IF you are China's friend: but
don't 60 into the council, where you
can act as China's friend-if you
are China's friend, then put her in
a position where these concessions
which have been made need not be
carried out; if you are China's
friend, scuttle and run. That is not
the kind of American [ am.
article x cuts at the very heart
and is the only instrument that will
cut to the very heart Of the old
system. We are partners with the
rest. fthe world in respecting the
territorial integrity and political in
dependence Of the others. They are
all under solemn bond themselves to
respect and preserve those things;
and if they don't preserve them, if
they don't respect them and preserve
them. what happens? The council
of the league then advises the sew
eral members o fthe league what it
is necessary to do.
well, but, somebody says, suppose
we are a party to the quarrel
cannot suppose that, because know
that the United States is not going
to disregard the territorial integ-
rity or political independence Of
any other nation. But they insist
upon the argument. What these