Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-02-11

China is relying on the peace
conference, where her delegates are
said to have made an excellent i'm
preston, and is seeking support
from the United States and Great
Britain.
Advices from the Orient through
diplomatic channels say American
Minister Reinsch at Peking, seek
ing to reassure the Chinese foreign
minister with statements of the
friendship of the United States gov
ernment was told frankly that the
foreign minister did not see how
at this time the United States or
Great Britain could divert atten-
tion to the Orient when the Euro
pean situation demanded so much
attention.
Secret Treaties Stolen.
When the Chinese peace dele
gates arrived in Paris, the informa-
iton now available discloses, they
reported that their copies of the
secret treaties were stolen from
their baggage while they were pass
ing through Japan, and consequent
ly they were unable to carry out
their purpose of making them pub
lie at the conference.
Washington Silent
Officials of the state department
declined to make any formal COM
ment today on the situation. The
impression was given that the
whole matter was being handled in
Paris.
According to the reports re-.
CT
China were conveyed to the Chinese
foreign minister by the Japanese
minister in Peking in thinly veiled
terms.
Boast of Big Army.
The Japanese minister is said to
have pointed out that Japan had an
army of more than a million men
idle at home, fully equipped and
with arms and munitions enough to
conduct a long war, and to have
pointed out that Japan had moro
than a half million tons of shipping
with the intimation that this would
be ready on short notice for active
work. He also is said to have re-
ferred pointedly to large sums of
money owed to Japan by China and
to the fact that China had been un-
able to live up to her financial
agreements.
Japs Seek to Avoid Expose.
Upon arriving IN Paris without
the copies of the treaties, which
they had been instructed to use IN
seeking to break Japan's grip. the
Chinese delegates made verbal re-
ports of the substance of these
treaties to some of tho peace dele
gates of the other countries. This
left the Japanese authorities to de-
mand Of China that she disavow
this action on the part of her dele
gates and that she keep secret the
treaties.
Some OF the secret treaties have
not yet been ratified by the Chinese
government, although Japan has
ratified them and according TO to-
days advices, the Japanese govern
ment is bringing every pressure to
bear on China to ratify them be-
fore anything can be done at Paris.
Want China's Ore.
The most important of the treat
les as yet unratified by China is
the American agreement of Sept |
1910 WHICH q
to Japan and admits Japan as the
successor to Germany's rights, con-
cessions and properties in the
Shantung district, This includes
railways, mines and other valuable
property and the rights to them for |
a long term of years, According to /
the Chinese claim, Japan already /
has possession under treaties and |
of tWo-fifths of the iron I
ore deposits of the entire Chinese !
republic and is seeking possession |
of the other three-fifths.
Pressure Getting Unbearable.
Although they SO far have been
able to resist the japanese demands |
the Chinese officials now say that
the pressure is becoming unbear- !
able The Chinese president has /
approved by cable the action of the +
Chinese delegates in Paris in an
their Willingness to make
public the treaties of Japanese
pressure.
China has asked, depending upon
the impression made upon the ac-
credited delegates from other coun-
tries, that the peace conference see
the q demands made upon China
by Japan in 1915 be revoked and |
that the Chinese republic be re-
moved definitely from the influ- |
ence of japan. The complete indie !