The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-09
JAPAN'S POLICY IS STRONGLY ATTACKED. IN CHINESE PRESS
Papers Declare Jap Demand That China Gag Peace Delegates Has Done
 Great Service
By Associated Press

Shanghai, China, February s. - The China press today prints an editorial at tacking the policy of Japan toward China Press today prints an editorial at ference, as revealed by demands made by Yukichi obata, Japanese minister at Pekin. GA Peking dispatch under We'd nesday's date quoted semi-official Chi" nese sources as declaring that attempts were being made by the Japanese to induce the Chinese government to dis avow the action of it's delegates at the peace conference for the reason that they were seriously embarrassing Japan)
 Minister Obata's startling demand that China gag it's delegates at the peace conference has done great service" the newspaper editorial says: Tt has set forth effectively and opportunely to the whole world the issue of the far east. The issue is whether this hemisphere is Japan's domain or if China is still an in dependent nation.
 GROWING SINCE 1914
 Since August, 1914, the issue has beer growing, From Japan's ultimatum to Ger many to what Minister Obata calls his friendly visit to the wai- -Chow-Pu (Chi- nese foreign office) it's development has been thoroughly and ruthlessy the logical sequence of events-the taking of Tsing Tao, the widening of that wedge until it included large part of Shantung, the sinister zl demands, the Japanese contri- button to the undoing of Yuan Shi Kai, the steady eneroachments in Manchu- ria, the secret Russo-Japanese treaty. the blocking of China's entry into the war except under Toliio's aegis, the un- derwriting of the corrupt northern mili taristic parties, the series of nefarious loans that turned over the resources of an Eldorado for a song, the setting up of civil administration in Shantung, the arms alliance of 191S all the other secret agreements, the Lansing-Ish pa ramount interest agreement, until now we have the naked question, is China Japanese colony?
 JAPANESE COLONY
 Can there be any other meaning Of Minister Obata's demand? If China. is denied the right to present it's case be- fore the peace conference, if it's dele gates can speak only by and with the consent of Japans delegates. then it has no identity as a nation. Then it is a Japanese dependency.
 Tt is for the allies to answer, and the answer will be implicit in the spirit that shall dominate the peace conference and in the form of the peace treaty. If President Wilson's ideals are really to prevail, if old world policies are to go, we must set our face against this sort of imperialism in the far east.
 Tt is for the allies to accept Japan's challenge The whole nosome Chino : Japanese relations. of the last four years must be aired. The Chinese delegates must be fully heard. The 21 demands must be re-examined, the secret treaties scrutinized, the illegitimate ones can- celled. That to which Japan is justified by the test of the new international ethics for which millions of us died, let it have nothing more.
 "Chinas interest is not the primary sohcern It is the future peace of the world. BallSing pan-Germany will avail us nothing if pan-Japan raises its head in Asia. Japanese dominance of China would create d new Balkans, a Balkans in which half continent would be the theatre of intrigue, diplomatic jugglery and commercial rivalries. The key to the world peace is the integrity of China. It's complete independence of Japan as or every other power.
 Such an independence is impossible un- less the powers assembled at Paris freely examine every question affecting China. Such an examination Is impossible unless Minister Obata's demand receives flat and unqualified negative, not from China but from the world.'