Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-08-22
BEDTIME STORY
Current Events For Children and
Grown Ups Told in Story Form
The Dragon and The Prince, or
The Peace Treaty

The Peace Treaty
"Uncle Ted" spoke up Jack after
he and his sister Ruth were again
seated for their weekly story, you
promised US last week that you would
tell US about another reason why the
big Senators do not like the Peace
Treaty which President Wilson sign
ed in France. You said it was about
China and that there was a dragon
in it, too"
Yes" answered Uncle Ted, as he
settled back in big easy chair with
Jack on his lap and Ruth at his feet.
China has come to be very important
in the making of peace after the
great war. Way back in 1898, before
| either of you were born, China sign
ed treaty with Germany by which
China gave to Germany, large part
of this faraway country. The part
which Germany received at that time
is known as the province of Shantung,
a province in China meaning about
the same as a state in the United
States. This province or state is in
the northeastern part of China and is
about as large as the two states of
Pennsylvania and Virginia together.
The land is in the form of a peninsula
with the Gulf of Chilli on one side
and the Yellow Sea on the other.
Port Arthur which the Japanese won
from the Russians in another war is
just acIoss the water from the most
northern part Of Shantung."
''But what has that to do with the
Peace Treaty and the Great War;"
asked Jack.
/ Gust this. In the peace treaty
which PRESIDENT Wilson is asking our
Senate to accept without changing
it says that Japan shall be allowed
to own this province of Shantung and
that Germany will no longer own any
pd1G VI IL. DuC IIlO CIlllI0SS anu Glit
japanese cannot agree. They are
! just like you, Jack, and the little boy
next door, always getting into a
j quarrel China helped fight Germany
in the Great War and China says that
she helped fight it after the United
States promised to protect her at the
Peace Conference from just such
things as this turning of Shantung
over to Japan"
"Would it be wrong to give Shan
tung to Japan?" asked Ruth.
Eyes, it would be wrong for sew
eral reasons. Germany never hac
any real right to stay in Shantung
!. and it was only because her army anC
: her navy were much stronger thar
} the Chinese that she was able to stay
there. 1t is true the japanese and
not the Chinese drove the Germans
out, but after that happened China
took sides with the allies and did al
they could, to help beat the Germans
When the peace treaty was writer
Japan should have been told thai
when she made the Germans leave
Shantung she only drove some robber:
away from land that really belong tt
China and that now that the war was
over it should be given back to thf
Chinese again"
"Then," asked Jack, China would
really lose by the war without having
anything to say about whether she
wants Japan to have part of hel
country or not.
'That is right, Jack, and also an
other thing that is wrong is the way
in which the men who made the peace
treaty decided to give Japan this par
of China. l heard Senator Nelson VI
Minnesota make speech in the Sen
ate in which he read letters showing
: that in 1916 and 1917 England, France
Italy and Russia secretly told Japar
that if she would help them get what
they wanted in the peace treaty they
would help Japan get ShantUng. The
: United States did not have anything
: to do with this secret, but our Presi
dent gave his consent in France tt
allow this part of China to be giver
to Japan. He always said, too, tha
' he would not let anything like tina
: happen to any of the countries a
: the peace conference. If the peac'
T. treaty is accepted by our Senate Civ
: ing this province to Japan, it ma.
= cause the United States a lot of trou
: ble."
: "But why does Japan want thi
: land?" asked Jack.
Because she will get more Ian,
= for her people to live in. She viii
; get many coal mines and many place
,. for her ships to land. One of the bi
. ports, as we call city where ship
t load and unload their goods, is a cit
= in Shantung called Kiaochow 1t ha
e, a large bay or harbor; and it woul
help the Japanese increase their bus
ness which must be carried on tn
1,,,+a7. in larUo bOo+c Vo1, coa chi