The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-09-06
THE TREATY-sHANTuNG

.s ~ 0J '"t NS thinning PSoPC Vi
this country have read the speeches delivered by the president
IN the beginning of his tour in the interest of the peace treaty.
the main controversial feature of which is the league of nations
President Wilson lacks all the essential qualifications of the
platform ~demagogue. He makes no appeal to the emotions OF his
audience, nor does what he has to say bear out the charge that
nc IS the champion OF an impracticable and visionary agreement.
The man who opposes the league of nations because he does
not want the children he is rearing to be involved in the future
quarrels of Europe. is as far wrong as the man who accosted the
president and told him that he had lost two sons, and was in
favor OF the league of nations because he didn't want his only
remaining boy to have to go to Europe and sacrifice his life also
The league Of nations is not going to change the ordinary
impulses OF humanity. 1t is not going to convert greed and
selfshness into altruisn, nor make it so there can never be
another great war.
But the league of nations will make ambitious rulers very
careful about precipitating wars in the future.
The league of nations will render secret treaties imperative,
and as such treaties, which because Of their very nature must be
secret to be effectual, cannot stand the light of publicity, it may
be said with confidence that the league of nations will put an
end to the danger from hidden pacts.
The benefit of this feature alone is sufficiently apparent
to warrant the ratification Of the treaty 1t is reasonable to
assume that had Germany known Of the treaty Of Great Britain
and France guaranteeing the neutrality of Belgium, and pledg-
ing their utmost resources to protect her from invasion, that
Germany would not have plunged into that unhappy country
and precipitated a war which, from the outset, if right was to
endure. could but be regarded as an omen of failure,
What the world has passed through in the last five years
is sufficient explanation Of sections 10 and II Of the treaty
guaranteeing the territorial integrity Of the members of the
league against external aggression, and pledging the members
of the league to take any action that may be deemed wise to
safeguard the peace Of nations.
Without these clauses Poland could not remain free, and all
the world believes that Poland has the right to exist as a separate
entity. Without these clauses there would be no authority to
compel Germany to respect the independence of Austria or any
small nations.
The opponents Of the league OF nations have made their
strongest attacks upon the disposition of Shantung. A Chinaman
at Columbus, o., made a demonstration during the presidents
speech and wanted to know "1ow about Shantung."
Well, here is all there Is to Shantung: Germany acquired
Shantung on March 8, 1893, by virtue of a treaty with China
England and France entered into a secret treaty with Japan by
which it was agreed that Germany should be compelled, in the
event of the favorable termination Of the war, to transfer all her
rights, title and privileges in the territory of kiauchau to Japan.
This war was ~preciptated largely because OF disregard Of
treaties. Japan insisted upon the carrying out Of this one, 1t
was not the ideal settlement, but there was no reason why those
nations that had made the name of Germany anathema because it
regarded a treaty as "a scrap OF paper" should proceed to tear
up the one with Japan.
The allies did owe something to Japan. but they owed
nothing to China. China was willing to go along for IL years
without protest while Germany controlled Shantung. China
had voluntarily coded her rights and privileges to Shantung
II A deeds his property to B and B loses it to his creditors, A
has no moral or legal right to set up a claim to it.
But President Wilson was insistent that Shantung should
not become a permanent possession Of Japan and succeeded in
sessions eventually should revert to China,
China never could have secured the return from Germany
and while she is protesting against the section of the treaty Civ
ing Shantung to Japan she should not overlook the separate
agreement by which Shautung reverts to her,
In the long run China gets a good deal more out of this
agreement than she otherwise would had Shantung continued
in the possession OF Germany.
The president seems to have abundant evidence to justify
his statement that the opponents OF the treaty either have not
read it or they do not understand the English language.