Arizona republican., 1919-06-04
The Crime of shantuna

The Crime of shantunq
 Whatever one may think of the League of Ns- ,ons he must admit the force and the truth of the statement of Senator Hiram W. Johnson on Monday that the disposition by the peace conference the Shantung peninsula particularly black page in history" Every American must wish that the United States had been spared participation It will take it's place in history alongside the partition of Poland which has always been matter of cration. The crime of Shantung is the worse and the blacker because it committed by who had pledged themselves in advance to the protection of weak nations, while Poland plundered by who made no secret of their purpose and made no hypocritical pretenses of political morality The Shantung act was moreover in violation of the two most important of the fourteen points. It was the surrender of territory without the consent of it's people a nation which shadow of claim to i. and it at the time recognition of q treaty in which France and Great Britain. hard pressed had promised to aid Japan in holding this stolen territory.
 The point made by Senator Johnson is this: that under League of Nations the United States would be bound to send to support the claims of Japan in shantung if from any direction these claims should be seriously threatened. We will suppose that within the ten years China should so miraculousy increase in military strength as to be superior to Japan and should attempt recover this plundered territory, the United States would obliged under the league fly to the defense of Japan against it's former victim.
 The history of the steal is a brief and simple one After the Boxer troubles the Germans forced from China concession of this territory. There was nothing China could do but concede it. At the break of the world the Prussia of the East de- handed of the Prussia of the West Japan agreeing 10 it's restoration to China. Germany refused After military operations of two months Japan cured possession of it. Within this time After Great Britain and France entered into treaty with Japan agreeing to support it in Shantung. When little China demanded the return of the territory under Japan's promise of it's eventual restoration was rejected on the ground that the promise was given the event only of it's peaceable surrender by Germany. But since Japan had been obliged fight for it, it had earned, and would keep it. Thus the Prussans are still in pos session of the richest and most commanding part of China the difference being only that the Prnssians who there small, slant-eyed and yellow. whereas the other Prussians were big and blonos. Their methods are precisely the same and these methods have been confirmed and approved by t.. peace conference.
 We need not refer to the other outEages which the Japanese have since committed against the Chinese in the "twenty-one demands" We are dealing only with the approved crime Of Shantung.
 We have heard the wicked and foolish partisan excuse for participation in this nfamy in the that it will be better the world that Inc JapaEese will develop the great latent of the country which the Chinese have neglected. ioubt of it. And there is also doubt that would make much better of Mexico than the Mexicans are making, and Central America know dozens of thrifty farmers who could make much better of the farms of their less thrifty neigh DOTS and if they do it would rebound the glory and prosperity of the community. And would have much right to seize Mexico as Japan has to seize Shantung; the thrifty farmers would have just much right to seize the farms of the shiftless and it would be just moral and proper for the courts to confirm the title of the it for the peace conference to con- firm the Japanese in Shantung.