The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-08-02
serves the Davenport Catholic

serves The davenport CaInOl1C
Messenger.
1t is hardly time to reflect on
the sincerity Of the late kaiser
when he is down and out, but it
has been claimed that the kaiser
was more anxious to get foot
hold in China than to avenge the
massacre Of Catholic missionaries.
The result was that China
granted 99-year lease Of the ter
ritory around the shores Of Kiao-
Chau bay, which is on the east
coast Of the province Of Shantung,
including Using Tau harbor and
about 200 square miles Of terri
tory. The leased land was de-
clared a protectorate of the Ger
man Empire-a free port, and
placed under the control Of the
navy department. The popula-
ton was 10000 not 6O,OOO,OOO as
claimed by the prof. Chinese in the
senate.
Prior to 1914 the protectorate
was improved by the expenditure
Of many millions of dollars
100000 was expended on the
harbor and the construction Of a
great floating dock. The city was
improved by providing water sup
ply, electric lights and telephone
service. A railroad was built
from Using Tau to Tsingang, 252
miles in length, which tapped a
rich agricultural and mining Sec
ton through Shantung province.
AS this was outside of the leased
territory, further concessions were
obtained from China for the build
ing of the road.
Economically Shantung is divid-
ed into the Vicariate Apostolic of
Eastern, Northern and Southern
Shantung. German concessions
were in the Eastern Vicariate I'M
til 1899, when the German terri
tory was separated from the East
ern and given to the mission of
Southern Shantung, probably for
the reason that the Vicariate was
in charge of Father John Baptiste
Amer, a member Of the Steyl
Seminary, and the mission in
trusted to the priests Of the Di-
vine Word Of Steyl. In 1907 the
Right Rev. Mgr. Augustine Hen
inghaus, Titular Bishop of Hypau-
pa, was Vicar Apostolic.
Now this was the situation
when the war commenced. The
Allies were DESTROYS of destroying
the power Of Germany in the East,
and under arrangement between
Japan and the Allies, as early as
August 16, 1914, Japan called
upon the military authorities to
deliver up the leased territory by
the 18th of September, and Ger
many refusing, Japan on August
% declared war against Germany,
and on the 9th invested the city
Of Kiao-Chau. The Germans were
well fortified, and although Japan
early destroyed the German war
vessels in the harbor, it was not
until November the 7th that they
surrendered to the combined Jap
anese and British forces.
Japan took possession of the
rights ceded to Germany, and the
improvements, which had been
made wholly by Germans. All the
interests that China had in the
part Of the Shantung province
taken over by Japan was the re-
version Of the leasehold of 1896.
In May, 1915, an agreement was
made between China and Japan
by which the territory would be
returned to China on the conclu-
sion Of peace, on condition that
the German trade privileges i'll the
leased territory be transferred to
Japan, and it is these German
privileges in the leased territory
that under the peace treaty are
conceded to Japan. In other
words, the agreement between
China and Japan has been recog-
nized, but Japan has offered to
release all claims to Chinese ter
ritory held by Germany under the
99-year lease, on the title to which
Germany erected her protectorate.