Arizona republican., 1919-07-16
Something to 5alk At

The more the shantung feature of the peace treaty is looked into the ndefensibe it seems. It is the one thing which senators would be ust fled in baking It is the that assais our sense of morality Everything else might be easily agreed to but that for there nothing in the treaty itself that materially concerns one way or another We might very easily kept out of it altogether In that event need not have concerned ourselves with the shantung affair. AS it is, if we ratfy the treaty stands approve that act of oppression by which 4OOOOOOO Chinese living in the most inn portant province of China, important by reason of it's situation against their will and the protests of their government, have been placed under Japan csc rule as thoroughly if they lived in Nippon.
 What the president is reported to. have told the senators with whom he has talked regarding the Shantmg affair has relieved it of it's apparent iniquity. Nor has he been quite fair and above board. He told them that the Japanese claim was based upon an understanding with the allies before we entered the
 But the president stubbornly opposed a similar understanding between Italy and the allies, involving far less of niquty. Moreover, the president told his callers that the agreement between the allies and Japan only conveyed to the Japanese the German material interests in shantung On the contrary it conveys to Japan the absolute domination of the great territory of Shantung something the Germans never exercised claimed. Their control extended only over the limited area of IIiao Chow and that was a concession forced from China, smaller rage.
 Again the president told his visitors that the Japanese control of Shantung could last "ony sixty or seventy years" @ delightfully."- indefinite period which. but few of rus will live to see expire As matter of fact thereis word in the treaty limit ing Japanese domination to sixty, seventy any other number of years. There is vaguely worded understanding that the territory will be China. ~sometime" No man of any sense can be- Iieveit will ever be returned unless China should becomerong enough to reta1e it and in that event, under Article x of the covenant of the League of Nations the United States and all other members will be obliged to fly to the assistance of Japan.
 Among the callers on the president was Senator King of Utah who afterward said of the Shantung affair." that he was convinced that it would ulti- matey be cleared,7 an admission that present it is somewhat cloudy.
 Yet it is the very feature which the democratic members of the foreign relations committee ing their best keep in obscurity. The Borah resolution calling for complete information this question the only relative to the peace treaty that was opposed by the democratic members That resolution calls among other things for the protests by Secretary Lansing MT. White and Gen. eral Bliss, usually rubber stamp members of our peace delegation, against that great wrong.
 Whatever the president told his visitors con- firms the report that he stood ready all times in conference to sacrifice everything for allied con- sent to the League of Nations. He made it plain the signature of the Japanese delegation could been secured in other way; that they under instructions not to sign unless the plundering- of shantung approved by the conference. The suc- cess of the Japanese easy that they must have regretted that they did not demand more-the annexation of the whole of China
 This is a trade in national honor which we feel certain the senate of the United States will ap- prove How it's disapproval may be expressed we dc notknow. It cannot well reject the peace treaty on account of that fragrant disgraceful clause but in assenting it express breservation the reproba- ton of the American people of that monstrous wrong.
 Undoubtedly there will be other reservations tc keep it company, interpretations and American declarations regarding vague doubtful provisions of thescovenant of the League of Nations