New-York tribune., 1919-07-29
Roosevelt-Root Idealism

President and Elihu Root Secretary of
State, as in 1917 Woodrow Wilson was
President and Robert Lansing Secretary
of State. Bearing on the relations of
this country toward Japan and China,
and particularly bearing on the differ
ences between practical idealism and
theorizing idealism, it is worth while to
compare the Root -Takahira exchange of
notes and the Lansing-Ishii exchange of
notes.
In 1908 Messrs Root and Takahira
settled long vexing issues by agreeing
to statement, of which the following
are the vital paragraphs:
"The policy of both governments, un-
influenced by any aggressive tendencies,
is directed to the maintenance of the
existing status quo in the region above
mentioned and to the defence of the
principle of equal opportunity for COM
merce and industry in China.
"They are also determined to preserve
the common interest of all powers in
China by supporting by all pacific means
at their disposal the independence and
integrity of China and the principle of
equal opportunity for commerce and in
dustry of all nations in that empire"
In 1917 Messrs Lansing and Ishii
agreed on the following new formula:
"The governments of the United States
and Japan recognize that territorial pro-
pnquity creates special relations between
countries and, consequently, the Govern
ment of the United States recognizes
that Japan has special interests in China,
particularly in the part to which her
possessions are contiguous"
The two agreements come close to
being contraries. One is bottomed on
the idea that neither nation shall acquire
anything in China. The other recognizes
that Japan possesses rights not pos
sessed by this or any other country.
Much speculation has been INDUCED in
in regard to where lies the responsibility
for the clause in the peace treaty under
which Japan practically acquires Shan
tung without specific pledge to retransfer
it to China. 1t is said the Presidents
complasance was because he had no
choice unless willing to risk driving
Japan to Germany and Russia; that to
secure a larger good he sacrificed China.
The seed of the trouble was laid long
before the peace conference met-more
than year before, when Mr.. Lansing,
with his chiefs consent, recognized spe-
cial Japanese rights. Japan is not to be
blamed for considering we had agreed
she was to have a free hand, for the
Lansing-Ishii note obviously referred to
Shantung.
Now there is a prospect that Japan,
because of the protests raised in our
Senate, is ready to pledge an early re-
tirement. This will, of course, mean a
restoration of the Root -Takahira policy,
and will suggest that Japan would
never have adopted another policy if
she had known that such would be un-
acceptable to the United States, whose
true friendship she much wants.
Idealism Of the heart and idealism of
the lips! The two things are not al
ways Identical. 1t is not easy to sup
press preference for the former. Mr..
Root has never made business of adver-
tising how wonderful is his idealism.
He has favored the ministry of practice
rather than the ministry of words. But
when he saw chance to advance
world cause he seized it, and it is most
striking fact that the present admins
tration now hopes to get Japan back
to where she was eleven years ego-to
policy she probably never departed
from, except at the practical invitation
of the United States.
If Japan is now ready to return to
the principles of 1908, it will not only
be remarkable vindication of the
Roosevelt-Root foreign policy, but will
show that our national desires were
never adequately urged at Paris. Surely,
the Lansing-Ishii note justified Japan
in thinking we did not object to her alb
sorption of Shantung, and Japanese
statesmen may we'll say that they do
not always understand what the United
States wants.