The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-08-12

ident who thought of America first. "
Senator Lodge said he understood
that within two hours of the signing
of the treaty at Versailles the Chi
nese delegates had offered to sign if
assured they would have the right to
bring the Shantung question before
the league later, but that "even was
denied them"
The original Shantung rights, Sen
ator Watson said, were taken from
China by Germany in 1898 through a
demand enforced by fleet of battle
ships, and had been expanded to en-
brace complete economic possession
of Shantung" through supplemental
treaties in 1899, 1900 and 1905.
These expanded rights, he said, had
been taken from Germany in the
present war by Japan, who had
sought to reinforce her position by a
treaty obtained by force" from Chi
ma in 1915 and by secret agreements,
established on fraud" consummat-
ed with the allies in 1917.
"Can it be said that faint no longer
vitiates title?" asked the Indiana SEN
ator. "Does wrong ever become right?
Can duress piled upon duress, can
force added upon force make upright
eousness holy? Can the German
wrong in China, plus the Japanese
wrong in China, plus the Japanese
wrong with the allies, ever come to
the full fruition of a perfect right?
eve went to war, in part, to undo
the wrong wrought by Germany, and
surely here is one that enlists the
sympathy and challenges the atten-
ton of our country, aye, and of CIV
ilization, for it seeks to perpetuate
one of the most fragrant wrongs ever
committed by the agents of the kaiser
upon a helpless and unoffending peo-
pie.
Wilson Coerced Into Signing.
president Wilson wanted the
| league. 1t was his sole object of going
to France, and for it he was and is
willing to make great sacrifices of
either foreign rights or American in
dependence. Japan, seeing his attl-
tude, took advantage of him and fore
ed him to indorse this wrong to CHINA
by the threat that, if it were not done
she would withdraw from the confer
ence and would decline to ratlfy the
league. And he yielded and is now en-
deavoring to have our nation ratl1y
this treaty and condone this wrong.
Japan coerced him into that conces-
sion. That country sold her signature
for the liberties of 36,00O,OOO of hu-
man beings, and Wilson, Lloyd
George and Clemenceau approved the
bargain and ratified the sale.
THE most remarkable, the most in
defensible feature of this entire
transaction is that, as a result OF a
war said to have been waged to make
the world safe for democracy, we en-
force the spoilation of the only re-
public in the Orient, we ratlfy the
previous robbery of a friendly people
| by the nation we went to war to over
throw for just such acts, and we turn
the result of the larceny over to the
most autocratic government that now
exists on earth, the counterpart OF
! Germany in the East.
"And it can never be forgotten that
every nation whose representatives
sat around the table at the peace con-
ference and sanctioned this Oriental
crime-every one of them-h had
treaty with China to protect the ter
ritorial integrity of her empire.
And We Send Missionaries.
''The people of China believed in
the United States. We have been her
one great and only friend. The presI-
dent willingly throws aside the work
of Burlingame, casts the efforts of
Hay upon the scrap heap, and not on
" consents to the robbing of China
by Japan, but seeks to force US to
| fight to sustain the robbery and pro
tect the robbers. 1t cannot be denied
that if the people of Shantung re
volt against the calling yoke OF ia
pan, and if China shall rise to defend
her own people, then by the provls-
ions of article 10 we shall be COMPEL
ed to send American soldiers to sub
due China.
owe send missionaries to China to
teach the principles of the Christian
religion. And we do right. But it i'll
becomes US to sanction an arrange
ment that will fasten upon them the
rule of a nation that is opposed to
Christianity, that has systematically
prosecuted Christian missionaries.
81 do not believe that the treaty
should be ratified unless and until
Japan either withdraws from China
or state in unequivocal terms that
she will withdraw, or, better still,
fixes a definite date of withdrawal;
| for | believe this to be as monstrous
a proposition as has ever been propos-
ed to civilization"
President Wilson Makes Statement.
President Wilson issued formal
statement tonight saying that the
crank statement" made by Viscount
Uchida as to Japan's policy regarding
Shantung Fought to serve to remove
many of the misunderstanding which
had begun to accumulate about this
question"
When the question of disposal of
! Shantt1no was definitely decided up