Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1919-08-07
SENATOR WATSON
ATTACKS Fl ! Al.l@| K TREATY !;
l'ksle. Aslts ! Senate s to Reject VersaiL
rs Treaty, D Declaring h Hs-
tory Of Germany and Japan
in Shantung One Wrong
Heaped Upon Another.
(By the associated PresaI

the history of German and Japanese
acquisitions in Shantung had been
one wrong heaped upon another,
Senator Watson (Rep), of Indiana,
asked the senate today to reject that
provision of the Versailles treaty
which gives Japan control in Shan
tung peninsula.
The original Shantung rights,
Senator Watson said, were taken
from China by Germany in 1898,
thru a demand enforced by fleet of
battleships, and had been expanded
to embrace complete economic pos
session of Shantung" thru supple
mental treaties in 1899, 1900 and
1905. These expanded rights. be
said, has been taken from Germany
in the present war by Japan, who
had sought to reinforce her position
by a treaty obtained by force" from
China in 1905. and by secret agree
&ments "esta blished by fraud" con-
summated with the allies In 1917.
Can 1t be said that taint no long.
er vitiates title?" asked the Indiana
senator. "Does wrong ever become
right? Can duress piled upon duress,
can force added to force, make un-
righteousness holy? Can the Ger
man wrong in China, plus the Jap
anese wrong in China, plus the jap
anese wrong with the allies, ever
come to the full fruition of a perfect
right. 9~
Eve went to war, in part, to undo
the wrong wrought by Germany, and
surely here is one that enlists the:
sympathy and challenges thessatten-
tion of our country, aye and OF tivil=
ization, for It. seeks to- perpetuate
one 81 the most flagrapt w onss ever
committed by the agents Of The Kais
ser upon a :aeip1ess ana unonsndi1g,
people" NJ:
Replying to declarations that the
German concessions seized by Japan
concerned only a narrow strip of ter
ritory, Senator Watson said that nev-
ertheless Japan had sent military
force entirely thru .he province Of
Shantung," had established rail-
roads, mines and garrisons every
where, and now was in complete
military and economic possession" OF
the whole province with its popula-
tion Of 36,0OO,O00 Chinese.
"The president recently has
stated" he continued, "that Japan
intends to return Shantung to China.
If that be true. why is it not SO writ
ten In the contract? Japan waged
two wars with the announced pur-
pose of ensuring, the independence
of, Korea. And yet having, won in
both wars, she very speedily annexed
Korea, and in 1910 made her a part
OF the Japanese empire. One IT
Japan's alleged reasons for waging
war with Russia was that she want
ed to save Manchuria for China.
Manchuria is to all intents and pur-
poses a Japanese colony.
'The whole story of the treatment
# China by japan furnishes ample
illustration of the fact that Japan
intends to cling to Shantung, and
that her protestations Of good faith
are not to be believed. Why was 80
monstrous wrong thus recognized?
Simply because it had to be done to
save the league.
President Wilson wanted the lea
que. It. was his sole object of his
going to France, and for it he was
and is willing to make great sacri-
fees of either foreign rights or
American independence. Japan, see
ing his attitude, took advantage of
him, and forced him to indorse this
wrong to China by the threat that IL
it were not done she would withdraw
from the conference, and would de-
cline to ratify the league And he
yielded, and is now endeavoring to
have our nation ratify this treaty,
and condone this wrong. Japan CO.
creed him into that concession That
country sold her signature for the
liberties of $4,000, 900 of human be-
ings, and Wilson, Lloyd George and
Clemenceau approved the bargain,
and ratified the sale.
'1The most remarkable, the most
indefensible feature OF this entire
transaction is that as a result of
war said to have been waged to make
the world safe for democracy we en-
force the spoilation Of the whole re-
public In the Orient, we ratify the
previous robbery Of friendly people