The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-23
CALLS JAPAN'S GRAB
! A MENACE TO PEACE
Prof. Williams Tells How
President Overruled Advisers
at Peace Table.
AMERICAN PRESTIGE HIT
Far Eastern Expert Says Will
son Admitted His Fourteen
Points Failed to Cover.
AMERICAN PRESTIGE HIT
specso, Despo,ch 10 TIE suS.

williams OF the University OF CALIFORNIA,
who served as one OF the Far Eastern
experts of the American peace mission
in Paris, told the Foreign Relations
Committee to-day the story OF the Shan
tunT settlement reached there. 1t proved
an especially interesting recital. because
II followed Immediately that Of Prof.
John c. Ferguson, adviser to the Chinese
peace commission. Thus the committee
got the Chinese and the American Of
ficial views of the proceedings. and the
two accounts shortly will be the subject
Of discussion on the Senate floor.
Mr.. Williams related in detail his work
IN Paris, telling of conversations and
conferences he held with President Will
son on Shantung matters and Of the at
titude taken by the President. Although
4 urged by his Far Eastern advisers and
BY three members of his peace commits
sion not to assent to ceding Shantung to
Japan the President overruled all of
them and did assent Mr. Williams told
: him the cession was violative of the
: fourteen points" but the President de-
cided 1t was not.
At the conclusion OF the hearing Sena-
: tor johnson (Cal), referring back to the
{ testimony which had dealt largely with
the fact that japan insisted on the main
tenance of her secret treaties with the
Entente nations, asked:
Then It would seem, Professor that
the war was fought for the maintenance
OF the sanctity of secret treaties?"
Yes, II would was the reply
Mr.. Williams denied that he left the
peace commission because OF his dis
affection over the Shantung settlement,
az has been repeatedly asserted. My
leave Of absence from the university was
about expiring and / would have re-
turned home in any case" he said.
Not Reached by II Points.
president Wilson told me that 'un-
fortunately he considered that his four
teen peace points were not sweeping
enough to enforce the return of Shan
tung to China" Mr.. Williams told the
committee. ION April 20. during the ne
gotiations in Paris, 1 told President VIII
son that IN my view the transfer of
Shantung to Japan would contravene the
fourteen points laid down as the basis
Of peace.
"a President Wilson replied that he had
learned that France and Great Britain
had made secret agreements to settle
Shantung on the basis of Japan's de-
mands. The President said that as the
war had been fought largely to estab-
lish the sanctity of treaties il seemed
necessary to insist upon their enforce
ment. even though some OF them were
uncomfortable"
will you tell the committee your
own opinion regarding the Shantung set
tlement?' asked Senator johnson.
In my view,'' replied the witness, at
was an unfortunate determination. The
Kiao-Chau concession and the Shantung
railroad should have been restored auto
matically to China. China lost them
through an act OF German piracy, and
that should not have been the basis Of a
claim to them on the part OF Japan. In
the. council of five Baron Maxine of
Japan insisted that the secret treaties
regarding Shantung which had been en-
forced upon China should be executed
China protested strongly on the ground
that she had been compelled to accept
these arrangements under threat of
force. The Legislature Of Shantung
communicated to the American delega-
ton its earnest hope that the United
States would support China's claims and
prevent the transfer to Japan.
Other Experts Consulted.
Il called the attention of the Amer
lean delegation to the treaty Of 1883
binding the United States to use its
good Offices in Chlnas behalf in such a
special case, and proposed that a provi-
sion be drafted looking to the restora-
ton Of the province TO China. / was
told to draft the provision and confer
regarding IL with Dr. James Brown
Scott of the American delegation. DR..
Scott proposed that instead of return
ing the province to China Immediately
II be held in trust by the five great
Powers for China.
president Wilson discussed the mat
ter with me on April % and asked that
consult the Far Eastern experts of the
other Powers as to whether 1t would be
better for China to transfer Germanys
rights in Shantung directly to Japan or
20 require China to stand by the treaties
she had made in 1915 with Japan. These
treaties included pledge by Japan to
return the province under certain con-
dttions.
'"rhe President informed me that
Great Britain and France had made
secret treaties binding them to support
Japan's claims Mr. Lloyd George, how
ever, told the President that he was OBJ
ligated only to support Japan's claims to
the rights Germany previously had held
ana no farther. BY way of compromise
proposed that the German rights be
given to japan inasmuch as Japan al
ready had possession Of them on condi-
ton that within a year everything
should be restored by Japan to China
The President asked me TO put my plan
In writing. saying he had not consid-
cred such a settlement.
THE Far Eastern authorities attached
TO the British and French delegations
Joined me in a memorandum to the Pres
ident Premier Lloyd George and Pre-
mier Clemenceau, in which we expressed
tire views that China's interest would be
served best by transferring the province
TO Japan, rather than to execute the
provisions of the 1915 treaty. 1 notified
the British and French experts that
sshould write an Independent memoran-
dunn insisting that neither of the courses
should be adopted, and the British ex-
pert promised me to do the same thing.
Shows Treaty Was Extorted.
'Thereupon / prepared and forwarded
10 the President memorandum showing
that the 1915 treaty was extorted from
China by Japan. which at the time had
two divisions of troops IN China, and
strengthened them by sending two more.
Then an ultlmatum was delivered to
China with a fifty-one hour time limit
requiring that she accept Japan's pro-
posals. I argued that the 1915 treaty
thus extorted was violative Of the four
teen points. In reply l called his atten-
tion to the fact that in his Mount Yer
non speech. which was later made a part
OF the basis for peace. he had so ex-
panded the fourteen points that | con-
sidered this case of Shantung was COW
cred. Therefore urged that secret
treaties should not be taken in consid-
GRAFTON In making peace
In reply TO this / merely received