The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-26
made to establish il. truth in .ve.s

tEAIIlCuiAJ.
In the firpt place it IL declared tina
violation of the Root-Takahira agree
tnaent and the Ishii-Lansing agreement
Under the Root-Takahira agree
Inlent. made in Novem Der. 1909. 1t was
agreed that the policy OF Japan and
the United States was to be directed
toward the maintenance of the exist.
ing status quo in the pacific, and to
preserve the integrity OF China.
! In violation OF this agreement it
is alleged Japan, at the beginning OF
the war. entered into secret agree
men.s with Great Britain and France
and that the price OF her participation
| on the side of the allies was TO be
| reversion to her OF all the German
rights In the Shantung peninsula and
all OF the German islands in the Pa
cif1c north of the Equator,
Japan never gave the United States
| any Information OF those secret pacts
between her and Great Britain and
France. The first intimation the
those secret agreements was obtain
ed by President Wilson at the peace
conference in Paris in most I'M
looked for and interesting way.
When the question OF the DISPOSE
ton of the German rights in China.
and her Other colonial possessions In
the Pacific came up. President Wilson
made the suggestion that no present
disposition be made of German rights
in the Pacific, but that they be left
as legacy TO the league of nations to
be divided or governed under the
mandatory system. according TO the
leagues best judgment.
Baron Maxine demurred to this
suggestion OF the President. He
stated that it would be in contraven-
ton of the agreements made with
Japan by Great Britain and France
at the beginning of the war. The
/ President had never heard of those
agreements and demanded to know
what they were. On his demand
copies of them were produced. The
President objected to those agree
ments being carried out as the United
States was not a party to them and
had received no notice Of them. It
was then that Baron Maxine threat
ened that. unless the agreements were
carried out, Japan would leave the
| conference and refuse to enter the
| league of nations.
| 1t is not known definitely that the
| President IN his protest made the
| point that the cessation TO Japan I'M
| der the secret agreements with Great
! Britain and France violated the agree
| ment entered into by the Japanese
am bassador. Takahira, and the then
secretary of state, Elihu Root 1t is
| hardly conceivable that he did make
| this point and afterwards agree to
the ratification OF Japan's secret
! agreement with Great Britain and
| France despite their violation of ia
| pans agreement with the United
| States
| 1t is more likely that objection to
the ratification of the secret pacts
with Japan on the ground of their
violation Of Jaran's agreement with
the United States was made by Secre-
tary Lansing, General Bliss and Mr.
| White in the protest which they are
| known to have filed
| Secretary Lansing. Of course. must
have known of the Root -Takaira
agreement. AT any rate he most GER
| tainiy knew of the Lansing Isht Il
agreement of 1917. This agreement
did not repeal the Root-Takaira
agreement said in part;
The governments of the Irnitef
States and Japan deny that they have
any purpose to infringe in any way
on the independence or territorial in.
tegrity of China, and they declare
Furthermore, that they will always ad
iiViC w tiIt III iiitiplt OF the So-Call6f
open door or equal opportunity 70
commerce and industry i'm China
Moreover, they mutually declare tina
: they are opposed to the acquisition b,
any government OF any special right
4 or privileges that would affect tn
independence or territorial ntegrit
! lof China"
e 1t will be noted that the Lansing
r lshii agreement was made severa
years after the secret agreement be
tween Japan. Great Britain an
France, by which Japan was to faI
heir to all the German rights IN Chin
and to'the German colonial possession
In the islands of the Pacific. Wha
senators who have been given thi
information cannot comprehend. hu
7, what they intend to ascertain is no,
Japan's secret agreements with Grea
Britain and France. giving her all Ger
man rights in the Pacific, are to h
= reconciled with the agreement sh
: made with the United States in 1870
, to maintain the status quo in the Pa
cine and the agreement she made wit
the United States in 1917. mot to In
II fringe in any way the independent
Z or territorial integrity of China an
/ not to acquire any special rights c
h privileges In China"
Z. But the apparent pad raith of Jana
: In making secret agreements wit
France and Great Britain which cor
travene absolutely agreements she ha
made with the United States. disturb