The Bismarck tribune., 1920-11-26


California has pending = referendum
to prohibit the right of citizenship
even to japanese children born IN the
state. The Japanese are sensitive
and proud. Discrimination against
them involves possibilities of grave
misunderstanding The United States
cannot dictate the policy Of tall
fornia. for the matter is admittedly
within The states rights, bui il must
meet the issue both there and In its
Pacific possessions
Japan has Il prior claim 70 the Is
land Of Yap. Before the United States
entered the world war. it was agreed
secretly between Great Britain. France
and Japan that the German islands In
the l'arifi. south ef-lAr equator should
be apportioned to Great Britain or her
dependencies. and those north of the
equator to Iapan. Yup is in the EyOi
group Of he Caroline islands. north Of
the equator. and presumably was TO
20 to Japan: but the American dele
gates to the peace conference at Paris.
because of the strategic importance Of
the island and becaiIse Of its position
AS a center Of communication. insisted
that the secret treaty he diSregHreh
III so far rs ii affected this possession.
The matter WAS. referred to The SUI
prrme council, which has not yetmade
decisOm :, .,a ss
The Pacific Cable Problem. ..l.:
lit is rs II cable center that zap
seems now Of mos, importance to this
country. Af!er the United STATES nc
quireh the Hawaiian iSIunhs ami the
Philippines. President Mckinley urged
that cable communications be eStab-
iiSlIed. touching only American soil,
ana the TASK fell ~ the Commercial
pHcitic Cable company, connecting Cal
furnia Honolulu and Guam. The dis
lHnre to Honolulu is 2,27G miles and
the distance thence to Guam was too
great for q single stretch. so the
United States utilized The tiny island
Of Midway. then. IL mere sand heap.
.3:2 miIrs east Of. Honolulu. From
Midway 70 Guam is 2.HO7 miles.
From Guam Il cable was laid to
Honin island. 500 miles TO the north,
TO connect with the. Japanese line
there: another was laid ica Manila.
(:2 miles east, and thence in gen
rrnl nOrlherly direction 1,2Gl miles to
Shanghai An a1l-American line to
China was thus completed but not per-
fecied for in case OF any damage to
The cable there was no alternate route.
yap provided an alternate line be.
yond Guam. but uptil the war the
cables there were owned by Germany.
From, Yap there was a direct line to
Shanghai. another to Guam. another
10 the Philippines. another to Mcnda-
'ln. The Japanese Ousted the Germans
fromstlp island at the outset of the
war. an:l cut and sealed the cables,
which have been hiSEsed since then,
% the irritation of American traders,
'nnse communication with the Far
Cast. The Philippines and the Dutch
East Indies was seriously hampcred.
The supreme c"'hcil is TO decide, not
merely Tie possession Of the island OF
Zap hut the ownership of these for
mcr German cables. r..
in the Far Eas, it is impossible to
'liSenlan.le economic and political in
,errSls. II Even though the United
States hls not helped herself to e
| slice of China. as. have the other great
movers. she has yet such vital eco
! nnnt interests in the Pacific that her
citizens cannot hope to ignore the po-
| litiral importance of that quarter OF
| The world. t ID.