Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-08-20

or threatened war, was also, the presi-
dent commended, moral one,
To query as to what sovereignty
Japan retained in Shantung, the presi-
dent replied:
Has Japan's Promise.
"She has not retained sovereignty
over anything. / mean she has prom
Used not to. Senator Borah has asked
whether this understanding was oral
or otherwise. / do not like to describe
the operation exactly If it is not per-
fectly discreet AS a matter of fact
this was technically oral, but literally
written and formulated, and the
formulation agreed upon.'
when is the return to be made ?"
THAT was left undecided, but we
were assured at the time that it would
would be appropriate"
did the Japanese decline to fix
any date?''
''They did at that time, yes; but l
think it is fair to them to say they
could not at that time say when it
would be-"
Senator johnson asked whether the
economic privileges retained did not
give Japan "a fair mastery over the
province, The president replied that
he regarded that as IAN exaggerated
| view"
In answer to Senator Knox, the
president said he believed league of
| nations would have prevented Japan
! from spreading her influence as she
| has over Manchuria and Korea.
| Senator New thought Japan's
promise Indefinite and comparable
| to "England's occupation of Malta"
| The president declined to comment
on the question, but added that ia
| pans agreement had been recorded in
! the daily process verbal kept by the
council of four.
Merely Matter of Conscience.
| Senator Harding: Mr.. President
| assuming that your construction OF
the withdrawal clause is the under
standing of the formulating commits
sion, why is the language making the
| proviso for the fulfillment of cove
| nants put into the article?
The president: Merely as an argu-
| ment to the conscience of the nations
Senator Harding said that if that
were true, the language seemed rather
a far-fetched provision.
] Senator Pittman asked whether
Germany put the same construction
on the articles of the treaty as die
the allied governments.
The president: have no means Of
knowing.
j The president acquiesced in sug-
gestion by Senator Pittman that any
| change would require resubmiSsion tC
| Germany.
Senator Lodge: I take it there Is
no question whatever under interna
tional law that an amendment to the
text of a treaty must be submitted tc
every signatory and must receive eth,
er their assent or their dissent. / had
supposed it had been the general dip
lomatic practice with regard to reso.
lutions-which apply only to the re-
serving power, and not to all the sig.
natories of course--that silence was
regarded as acceptance and acquies
cence; that there was that distinction
between teXtual amendments which
change the treaty for every signatory
and reservation, which changes il
only for the reserving power.
Reservations Objectionable.
The president: There is some diff
ference of opinion among the authori.
ties, l am informed. have not no
had time to look them up myself
|
in a treaty which involves so many
signatories-a series of reservations
; which would ensue undoubtedly
would very much obscure our conf.
dent opinion as to how the treaty was
I, going to work.
Senator Williams: Mr.. President
suppose that we adopted reservation
and that Germany did nothing about
it at all, and afterward contended that
so far as that was concerned, it was
5 new matter, to which she was never
party. Could her position be JUST,
fiably disputed?
The president: No.
: Senator Borah quoted article X, un.
: der which the league members under.
take to respect and preserve as
against external aggression the terri.
8 torial integrity and existing political