Evening star., 1919-11-16

nations in which these problems can
be brought up for peaceful settle
ment.
At the Presidents request went
headquarters Immediately after this
decision was made, on April 80. in
order to explain it in all its aspects.
I found them bitterly disappointed.
They had expected. as so many other
hopeful groups at Paris had expected.
the full and immediate realization of
their demands at the hands OF the
conference, and had not succeeded
because other tremendous forces IN
the worlds affairs. other consldera-
tions and necessities, had prevalled.
The settlement, of course, was COM
promise: a balance of consideration.
1t was the problem Of the President,
all through the conference. When 10
accommodate" and when to use de-
cided policies. 1t is the rarest genius
of craftsmanship to know the time
for each. "The wisdom of the states
man" said Cavour (quoted by Thayer
in his admirable 'Life"), Consists in
discerning when the time has come
for the one or the other"
The Shantung decision Is about as
good a settlement as could be hao out
of dirty past.
Refused to Sign Treaty.
Well. the Chinese issued. number
of statements criticising the decision
which must appeal to the sense OF
;ustice and the sympathy of every
thoughtful reader for this great,
weak. uniformed nation: and nnally
refused to sign the treaty-ana ye'
If NAV be that solution which re.
sults in bringing both japan and
China into a league of nations. where
the moral forces of the world can
onerate. may, in the long run, be the
best thing for China herself.
Indeed, the determina.lon 10 naedp aedp
peace and to bring league OF ma
tions Immediately into being had one
immediate result to the advantage
of China which never could nave nap
pened if Japan had left the conference
ers had been broken down. This was
a meeting at Paris held on May IL
by representatives of America, Great
Britain, France and Japan to form
new international consortlum 10 com
bine the interests of the various
loans to the Chinese government 70
go forward with the development OF
its mines and railroads and help II
in building up it's educational ana
other public work.
Finally, it must be remembered
Wn6n the tISdly 10
league of nations organized there Is
nothing to prevent an Immediate
movement on the part of China ana
the friends of the Chinese for the re-
form of the whole system OF "spheres
of influence" and economic conces-
sions in China. So much of the crltl-
cism of the treaty in America seems
to be based upon the idea that II ls
like a law of the Medes and Persians
interchangeable. AS matter OF fact,
the machinery set up in the covenant
makes it possible to. secure any
changes desired by the opinion OF
mankind.
Moral Leader of World.
This conclues an all too brief
sketch of the complicated crisis at
Paris and how the President met
his energies beyond
the limit of endurance in doing it.
The President went to Paris the great
moral leader of the world, and
throughout the conference he never
for a moment lost sight of the ideals
he came to fight for; he kept his
vision clean; but he was willing to
face the world as it is. a real world
of imperfect human beings. torn by
passion and fear-and yet world in
which, after all, we have to live.
If he had been radical he would
probably have tried to impose his
ideals by force upon nations not yet
ready to accept them In all their i'm
plications; would have broken up the