The Washington herald., 1921-12-01

Shantung will not be a decisive
problem to be passed upon by the
conference now in ses-
sion i'm Washington.
This was decided yesterday. Rec
Cgnizing that there WAS very ma
terial danger that the discussion OF
the ShantunE situation would spel!
serious difficulties, the pressure
from outside was eSerted upon the
Chinese and Japanese delegations
To- try 70 settle their troubles out
side.
The response was immediate.
Both sides agreed that If they were
properly chaperoned they might
agree on a form of settlement that
would he beneficial to the cause OF
world peace. The only question was
how they could proceed.
Secretary Of state Hughes. chair
man Of the conference. and Arthur
J. Balfour. representative of Great
Pritain's common people and COM
mon sense, rose to the occasion.
They suggested that II the Japa-
ncse and Chinese delegates woUIr
take up the problems-inch by inch
they would sit in with them and
act as mediators
This was the most acceptable
suggestion yet made. Both sides at
once agreed. The result is that
Shantung has been marked of the
slate Of trouble SO far as the gath
ering here is concerned.
Hughes and Baifour SIT in.
There will be meeting of the
entire Chinese and Japanese de.e-
cations in the near future. At the
outset Messrs. Hughes and Balfour
will sit in. They will listen To the
conservation" which is the in
ternational cognomen for the dis
cussions II there is an apparent
lack of accord from the outset, and
Of course there may be. then the
two disinterested individuals will
set into the play. If there is not
then they will suggest the manner
of reaching an agreement and
gracefully withdraw
Last night at the headquarters of
the Chinese and japanese deleEa-
lions it was suggested that the re-
suit of shifting this disputed prob
lem to the outside means that an
agreement will be reached.
II was believed that the final
agreement will be phraSed about
as follows:
Japan will withdraw all Of her
troops from Shantung.
The port of Eiaochow will be
thrown open to all foreign com
merce.
VIII Recognize Chiua's Rights.
Japan will agree to carry out the
'uggestions made by Baron Chinda
~ Paris. that she will recognize
lie rights of China to everything
~ the ShantunG peninsula except
ing the domination of the railroads
And. even in that matter she will
accept dual control by Chinese and
Japanese officials for a period of
time after which the Chinese will
have everything surrendered to
them.
However. there will be many
days of discussion before an agree
ment is reached. And in this con-
nection. the Chinese delegation last
night issued the following state
ment of their position:
The so-called Shantung question
vitality affects the territorial integ-
rity of China, the maintenance of
which has been laid down as one
of the fundamental principles that
would govern the deliberations on
the problems Of the Pacific and the
Far East at the Washington con-
ference.
Murder Leads To Tangle.
The question has historical signif-
icance. Growing out of the forci-
BILE seizure of Kiaochow Bay and
it's surrounding territories by Ger
many in 1897, which was the direct
result of the murder of two German
Catholic missionaries in Shantung.
the question has, since the lapse OF
more than a score of years, grown
in proportion and become more
complicated than ever before.
The lease convention was signed
at Pekirg. March 6, 1898. Among
other things, IL conceded, subject
to China's rights OF sovereignty"
in "a zone of fifty. kilometer 600
Chinese Lii surrounding the Bay
of Kiao-chow at high water" the
free passage Of German troops"
at any time, lease of both sides
Of the entrance of the bay for nine
ty-nine years, the construction by
Germany Of two railway lines In
Shantung. the right for German
subjects to hold and develop mining
property for distance OF 80 Ii from
eaclh side of these railways and
alon8 the whole extent on the