Evening star., 1921-12-08
LATEST PROGRESS
HEARTENS CHINESE
Delegates Recover Second
Wind and Hope Storm Has
Been Weathered.
BY JUNIUS b. WOOD.

China's delegates have recovered
their second wind and with substan-
tial progress showing in the nine
power committee hope that the first
internal storm precipitated by their
conversations with Japan oyer Shan
tung have been weathered. The
timorous advisers have made the
"maenifcent gesture" SO essential to
oriental statecraft by resigning with
a stout string attached to the papers.
the excited students have subsided
for the time being and similar re-
action is expected in China when the
belated cables explain the real sig
niticance of the dual conference.
Much of the turmoil in the nome
cities was occasioned by the first
cables, which indicated that the Chi
nese delegates, by comforting alone
with Japan, had committed them
selves TO settling the Shantung Ques-
ton by that method, something 70
which China had been firmly opposed
Tor two years.
With a realization that the present
conversations are merely preliminary
d
entire conference, the local student
Indignation has abated, some OF the
advisers who Scuttled to cover are
ready to jerk the string and pocket
their designations and the home town
mass m ceilings are expected 10 ois-
perse as soon as the cables explain
that China has not been betrayed.
Negotiations May End.
However. from the little progress
which has been made in the last two
days there is strong probability that
the Chinese delegation may suddenly
refuse to continue the discussions with
Japan and demand that the Shantung
question be taken before the entire
conference Immediately. Though they
do not expect an oversympathetic
support from certain of the other
powers, they declare that all the
powers will be obliged to share re-
sponsibifity for the disasters which
may come in Asia in future years as
a result of any failure of the confer
ence to give China Justice on the
Shantung questions.
Ali of the powers in the conference,
except the United States and China,
are signatories to the Versailles treaty
of 1919. which awarded kiaochow
(Tsingtao) as well as control OF the
Shantung to Japan. Great Britain.
France and Italy also were parties to
the secret agreements with Japan in
1917, by which these powers. as well
as Russia agreed to support Japan's
claims. In discussing Shantung with
Japan, China has acceeded to the
wishes of the United States, and when
the question is brought before the en-
tire conference will count on the
American delegates as the strongest
supporters of her contentious.
Deadlock Over Peninsula.
The present deadlock is over the
restoration of the public properties In
the peninsula. In the scheme of Ash
attic empire Shantung is valuable as
one of the doors into Manchuria and
inner Mongolia. The importance OF
its coal and iron deposits has been
much ovefrated, and it's agricultural
and Industrial life is comparatively
small The railroad connecting kiao-
chow bay with the main line between
Shanghai and Tientsin and thence to
Manchuria Is its greatest tangible as.
set.
China wants this returned to her in
fee simple Japan wants to retain q
half interest and put the road under
Joint operation. Neither country will
recede from it's position. China says
| that when she declared war against