The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-09-05

1NHE area OF SndnCuHS ID dDouI Ihc
/ same as the area of the state of
Michigan-a trife less. Through the
center of the province is a range of
mountains 100 miles wide and 200
miles long, taking about one-third OF
the territory. Another considerable
portion of the land is rendered barren
by salt mixture with the soil.
Now, if you can imagine crowding
into the state of Michigan all the peo-
pie of the state of Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouria,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Iowa, and Kansas, you
can get some thing of an idea Of the
population of Shanaung.
Try to think of showing into Michi-
gan all the people in the cities OF Phil
adelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburg,
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton and To-
ledo, Indianapolis, Chicago, Louisville,
st. Louis, Kansas City, Milwaukee,
Minneapolis, st. Paul, Duluth, Des
Moines, and Topeka, and all the peo-
pie living in the country for hundreds
of miles about those cities, and you
have the crowded condition of Shan
tung.
Something near two-thirds of the
soil is fertile, and there are rich mines
in the province.
Two missionaries, Catholic priests,
subjects of Germany, went into Shan
tung, and were murdered.
Germany wanted to get foothold IN
China, and, using this as pretext,
demanded lease on a port and GER
tain other rights for SO years. That
was in 1898.
China gave in because she had to,
and Germany took over the small fish
ing city of Tsingtau, on Kiaochow bay,
and got mining and railroad conces-,
sions in the province.
Electric lights, telephones and other
modern improvements were installed
in Tsingtau, and railroad pushed
out into the province. German en-
terprise was felt
England got similar lease and al
similar foothold in another port, Wei
haiwei, to the northeast of Kiaochow.
When the war broke out in 1914,
Japan went after Germany to wrest
from that empire the territory and
rights she had forced from China.
1t tok eleven weeks of fighting, much
of which was fierce, but Germany fin
ally was defeated, and Japan took
over German interests.
In 1915 Japan asked China to make
a treaty confirming Japan's rights in
the province. China was slow about
it, Japan sent an ultimatum, and
China signed up. China signed an
other treaty last year, again recognize
ing Japan's rights.
China did not like the situation at
all, although there were unquestioned
among the people, and
although she had made treaties-very
much against her will.
Japan had promised to restore the
rights to China at the proper time,
allowing a reasonable time for proper
transfer, by documents, of Germany's
rights to Japan, and completion of
other matters; Japan at the same time
certain of her interests
in Manchuria.
China came to the Peace Confer |
ence with her grievances, and asked
the nations in the Conference to force
Japan to restore that which China had
signed away under force.
England did not use German me-
thods to get her hold in the same pro-
vince of China, but England and ia
pan were and are on very friendly
terms, and if Japan were forced to
restore what Germany stole, and what
China faterward coded, how far would
the League feel like going?-Well,
could not help turning her
ewes toward her holdings.
Taken all in all it was a nasty SUBJ
iect to handle, and there stood Japan's
promise of final restoration, with the
claim that it could not be done now,
either in the interest of China or of
the people affected.
Of course Japan was not forgetful
of her own interest either.
Then, too, Japan, did not like to
have her honor questioned.
We might be asked to apply the
situation to ourselves.
We took the PHILIPPINES from Spain
as prise of war about the time Ger
many took holdings in Shantung. We
said we would educate the people and
give them selfgovernment as soon as
it was good for them. A nations in
tentions are some times hard to de-