Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-08-08

WY ASHINGTON, D. c., August 4.-When
w one of the Chinese ENJOYS in Paris
W heard of the Shantung agreement, he
burst into tears, and said with deep emotion
81 was educated in America and fell that
am half American. 4 cannot understand the
diplomacy of America. l can never again
tell my government to put any faith or re-
lance in America"
This incident does more than long argu-
ments to show how vitality the Shantung
agreement affects American interests in the
Orient. If, as it's supporters say, the agree
ment is only temporary one, and full SOW
ereignty over Shantung is to be restored to
China by the League of Nations, then con-
vincing assurance of this must speedily be
given For the Chinese consider that they
have been betrayed American prestige in
the Orient is going down like the mercury in
blizzard. And American commercial, re-
Iligious and educational interests in China
take the same view of the case as the Chin
csc. They do not believe that Japan in
tends to let loose of Shantung unless she is
forced to do SO.
Few Americans understand exactly what is
involved in the Shantung agreement. Shan
tung is great province of China, contain
ing rich mines and having a population OF
nearly forty million people, Kiaochou is the
name OF bay on the coast of this province,
and of the district surrounding the bay. Ger
many, without any really good reason other
CAc1h ACA uCo1IS lOE AOOCuOlQ III the orient.
forced China to give heI concession of two
hundred square miles on Koaochou bay Here
she built the town and port of Tsntau. This
town, port and concession Japan took away
from Germany during the war, and she now
demands the right to hold them.
China entered the war largely at the be-
hest OF the United States in which power
China then had great faith. 1t is presumed
mat this government then guaranteed
Chinese territorial integrity. Furthermore,
our other treaties with China bind us to SUM-
port her territorial integrity in return for the
open door" policy, allowing all nations to
trade In China on equal terms.
The Chinese feeling is that we have haar
clearly derelict in our agreement in allowing
Japan to hold Shantung, especially in view
OF the we'll known fact that Japan is ambi-
tlous Tor territorial expansion, and for no.
Orient. '-1o
affair by the existence of the Lansing-Ishii
agreement, in which instrument we recog-
n1ze that Japan has special interest," in
China. Our state department has made it
clear that it does not interpret this agree
ment as giving Japan the right to invade the
territorial integrity or national sovereignty
OF emma. Jpan has made it clear that she
lnterprets the instrument in much broader
sense And our approval of the Shantung
agreement, taken in connection with the way
Japan Is administering her Shantung hold
lngs, make it appear as though we were
leaning toward the Japanese Interpretation
OF TINS agreement In a. word, it looks to the
chinese, and to the American interests in
CHINA, as though we were deliberately let
Ting Japan take big bite out of the Chinese
ple for which her mouth waters And that
means That we must either let her eat the
whole pie or make her leave it alone alto
gether. '0
There are two arguments to justify our
course. In the first place President Wilson
says that Shantung concession is temporary,
that Japan has agreed to restore it to China,
and that the League of Nations will see that
Japan does SO. .'...
This does not satisfy the Chinese at ALL In
the first place, after the Shantung agreement
was made by the Council of Four, the Chinese
ENJOYS asked for a copy of the minutes of
the meeting so that they might verify the
oral promise which the Japanese envoy was
supposed to have made to President Wilson,
promising the return Of Shantung to China.
After month of trying the Chinese were
unable to get the record of this promise.
Furthermore, it was intimated from Japan
csc and from British official sources in
Paris that no such promise was made.
The president is said to have admitted
that the Shantung agreement was unjust to
China, but to have assured the Chinese en-