The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-13
Paris Congress- Can
not Complete Its
Mission Without
Determining Ra-
cial Issue Of Vital
Interest to u. S.
ByFREDERIck cUNLIFFE-owEN

q HOULD the Peace Congress in
- Paris separate without having
accomplished its mission.
namely. the agreement of all the En-
unto Powers on the subject Of the
conditions to be imposed upon the
enemy nations, and the acceptance
thereof by Germany. who stili persists
In regarding herself as unbeaten, the
United States will escape, for a time
at any rate, the necessity Of giving a
decision in one OF the most thorny
and difficult problems presented to the
Conference. Indeed, if President VIII
son were to put into execution the
threat with which he is credited, of
boiling the Congress. in consequence
Of his inability to bring over tho rep
resentatives of the other Entente
Powers to his views. he would be In
a position to postpone until some fu-
ture period the determination Of the
issue raised at the Congress by Dai
Nippon, and to bequeath It as a most
embarrassing legacy to the next Ad-
ministration.
For some time 1t has been apparent
the question raised by Japan might
prove the rock that was destined tn
WRECK the Congress, and to prevent
It's attainment of the aim which II
MAD set itself out to attain, namely.
a. lasting peace, on terms satisfactory
10 all nations of the Entente. espe-
c'aliy to the great Powers thereof.
ana with conditions of q nature to
unite the Allies of the Great War into
permanent coalition, to be known as
the League of Nations.
10 none Of the nations that rock
seems fraught with greater trouble
than the United States, and since the
problem is Of a pressing nature, and
Will remain so to the United States.
even IL the Paris Congress breaks up
without reaching any decision in con-
nection Herewith, 1t may be Just as
well to look the matter squarely in
the face. impartially and without
prejudice In one way or another. 1
would merely add that having spent
some years in Japan in the service OF
the late Mikado. and having been
moreover the only foreign member OF
the Imperial mission despatched by
that monarch TO take part in the cele-
bration of the centenary of the In
dependence of the United States. I
may claim to writs about the matter
with a certain degree of sympathetic
. understanding. that is to say, SYM
pathetic understanding of the Ameri-
ne nf hA Tan
and difficulties.
Japan In the 'sBig Five"
Japan came into the International
Congress at Paris as a great Power,
and although she manifested a most
tactful and statesmanlilxe reserve dur
ing the negotiations and discussion OF
questions relating to the reconstruc-
ton of the frontiers of Europe and to
the restoration of national indepen-
dence to Bohemia, to Poland. greater
Siberia, &C. she has all along been
accounted as one of the Big Five, that
Is to say, of the five great Powers
that virtually dominated the confer
ence. the four others being the
United States. France, the British
Empire and Italy.
No one dreamt of questioning the
right of Japan to n place among the
Big Five; that is to say, among the
chief factors in the situation engag-
ing the attention of the conference.
She had by universal consent made
good her claim to a seat in the inner
council Of the Great Powers assembled
in the Palace of the DUAL dOrsay to
.reshape the destines of the world.
She had rendered valuable assistance
TO her allies of the Entente in the
great war, and, undertaking the
guardianship of the Pacific Ocean,
with her mighty and up to date feet