Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-09-24
Must Be Satisfactorily Adjusted
if Disarmament Is to Be
Success.
BIG STEP TOWARD PEACE
Once an Agreement Is Reached on
These important Questions Matter
Of Getting Together on Cutting
Armaments VIII Be Easy.

Washington or failure OF
the disarmament conference In Wash
ington this fall depends primarily on
"A satisfactory adjustment of half a
dozen Ear East problems"
Only with these major issues ami
cably adjusted would the irritants
that might ultimately lead to clash
Of arms be removed. And then only
could the nations involved agree to a
considerable reduction of ornaments
at least a cessation of building new
armaments-withOut feeling that
safety was being je0pardized.
These problems are:
Mandates under the League of Ma
tions, particularly that of zap.
Shantung.
The open door In China.
The territorial integrity of China.
The territorial integrity of Asiatic
Russia.
Communications.
Once an agreement on these Is
reached the matter of getting together
on cutting down the size Of armies
and navies viii be easy. But this first
necessary agreement, officials recog-
nized, viii not be easy. That, rather
than any actual disarmament com
pact, will be the big step toward
peace, If 1t Is achieved.
u. S. to Make Protest.
zap and Shantung, Japan has in
,dicated, she holds to have been dis,
posed of by the treaty of Versailles.
The United States, however, on the
basis that she, as one of the principal
allied and associated powers, even
though not member of the League
of Nations, was entitled to voice in
the distribution of the former German
islands In the Pacific, has protested
the granting Of special rights In zap
to Japan. Because of Yap's impor-
lance as Pacific cable center, this
country has insisted that 1t be inter-
nationalized and equal rights assured
to ALL
With respect to Shantung, no Off
ciai stand has been taken, although
many senators have attacked the be-
slowing upon Japan Of the German
rights In that peninsula
The unbiased view, however, has
been that any dispute over sovereignty
In Shantung should be the matter of
negotiation between China and japan.
There Is indicated considerable
desire in several quarters that the
zap and Shantung questions be Climi-
mated In advance of the Washington
conference. That, 1t is recognized,
would greatly simplify questions be-
fore the conference. This government
will not, however, concede that the
treaty of Yersallles-in the absence
Of any acquiescence by this country
could dispose Of zap. The case has
been stated so plainly that Japan has
no illusions as to the basis on which
our claims stand, and the vlgor with
which they will be presented.
China Demands Province.
AS to Shantung, Japan has contend
ed that title to the former German
rights in that province was largely
vested In her and cannot be disturbed
so long as the Versailles treaty re.
mains international law.
China, on the other hand, coptends
that her declaration of war against
Germany restored to China all rights
previously granted Germany. That
being so, she claims, there were no
German rights Ia China to be dis.
posed of at the Versailles conference.
China refused to sign the treaty be-
cause Of the Shantung provision.
The open door In China and China's