Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-07
SETTLEMENT BY COMPROMISE

Late reports suggest the probability that the Italian
will be smoothed over by making the city Of
Fiume an international pot for a short time. and by
turning it over ultimately, perhaps at the end Of two
years, to Italy. If that is the arrangement Italy Will be
expected to accede because~she can well feel that tpe
and she can afford tot wait a year or two for its actual
1t Is less easy TO see how President Wilson
can reconcile this arrangement, IL it is to be made, with
his former very emphatic statements to the contrary.
AS a matter Of fact this whole international affair is
necessarily quite largely a matter Of compromise. "A
compromise has been made in relation to the Japanese
claims in China. Technically the arrangement made may
perhaps be justified. Germany held certain concessions
in China. The manner in which she gained them, and
the purpose for which they were heb may be open to
question, but the fact is that at the beginning Of the war
she had certain control rights in China which rights had
been ceded by China and which were recognized by all
the rest Of the world. She was entitled under her con-
tracts to possession Of the city of kiao chau, and held
certain commercial rights in the shantung peninsula for
a definite number OF years. When Japan Joined the Eu-
ropean Allies in the war against Germany her first inn
portant act was the seizure Of Kiao Chau. It. is frequently
argued that when she went to war against Germany all
the treaty rights which Germany held in China were
thereby nullifsed. But 1t must be remembered, that at the
time when China declared war Germany was in possession
of no Chinese territory. The japanese seizure had taken
place before China's declaration of war, The situation
is. therefore. that Japan seized property which belonged
at the time of seizure, not to China. but to Germany, and
according to the rule usually observed in such cases the
territory seized became spoils Of war.
The arrangement which has been decided on is that
Japan shall hold ,the German rights which she seized;
namely, the right to occupy Kiao Chau and tosenjoy the
commercial privileges formerly enjoyed by Germany until
the time when Germanys lease would have expired. The
peninsula itself is restored to China as it never belonged
to and never was leased by Germany. - -a@~@s j r..
This it is presumed in a general way, is the basis
uponlwhich the~eastern settlement is to be defendedaaft
is somewhat involved and highly technical, and there: is
the further consideration that Immediately after her
seizure Of Kiao Chau Japan declared it to be her purpose
to restore\the territory Immediately after the war to
China. That promise seems to have been forgotten. In
this case as in the Italian case it has been necessary. APP
parently, to split the differences" When all Of the
facts relating to the proceeding at the peace conference
become known it will doubtless be found that q similar
course was necessary on many other occasions. No nation
has had things all its own way, No nation could reason
ably expect that it could do so. That exact justice has
characterized all the settlements Is not to be supposed.
In all human affairs exact justice is a difficult thing to
attain. II the world is to move men must strive after
justice and make the nearest approach to it that is pos
sible under the, circumstances.