The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-11-28
Hughes Proposal Most
Perfect Plan; Committee
Settle all Differences
Continued from page one

OCIIl6 d1l DlIICTC1CSS
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were allowed tonnage of 800, 900
she received more than she was en-
titled to on the present showing of
her navy in comparison with the
others, and Japan had Ito admit it
had to admit that it was giving her
more than her share, and yet she
asked for more. England put herato
shame by offering to make some re-
duction of her own strength and. that
left Japan in poor position to ask
for an increase of her own. But
Japan squirmed and insisted that her
great battleship the Matsu was abso-
lutely essential to her protection,
and she wanted her tonnage in
creased just enough to include the
Matsu. So some fellow on the COM
mittee suggested that that might be
| done, but that, of course, England
would have to be allowed one more
big battleship and America would
| have to be allowed one more big
battleship. That, of course, took
away whatever advantage Japan was
asking for, and there would be no
advantage in her pressing her re-
quest for an increase. Therefore she
naturally had to come back to t.
Hughes plan, unless she could show
some reason why her request for her
increase without increasing the.
others. IL
1t seems that at some stage in the
argument France took some of the
pride out Of Japan by offering to
abandon everything she controlled
in China, If England and Japan
would do the same, and that brought
Japan up to the question of abandon
ing Shantung. The whole world is
"s0re" against Japan for holding
Shantung and of course the whole
world applauded France for making
an offer that would force Japan to
abandon that province, or il Japan
fails to do that, in the face of the
offer of France and Great Britain to
give up their territory in China,
Japan would receive the scorn Of the
world and she could not afford to
have that happen. America has al
ways been afraid that Japan would |
go over and seize the Philippines, I
because of the great distance that |
our own feet lies from the Philip
pines, and Japan is so close. When
America offered to reduce her own |
navy to half a million tons, and al
low Japan 100000 tons it carried (
with it the implied decision that we I
trust Japan, and it made it rather /
difficult for Japan to insist on an in
crease Of her naval strength, in the !
face of these proposals. The United
States considers that if Japan went
over and captured the Philippines
the remaining small navies Of the
world could 60 over and take them
away from her and she would be
beaten, and deserve the scorn OF the
world and perhaps be boycotted COM
mercially, so that she would lose in
the long run. When the other ma
lions trust Japan so completely, it
makes it difficult for Japan to be
selfish and hold out for an increase
in her. own navy, but still she did it,
and here are some of the things that
seem to have happened in the COM
mittee rooms:
Somebody on the committee made 1
the statement, and this was probably
all arranged several weeks ago as to
who was to make it, made the state
ment that navy is for the purpose
Of protecting the nation and its
territory. This fellow
analysed the matter of geographical
territory belonging to Japan, to
Great Britain and the United States,
and showed that the amount of naval
strength allowed to Japan would be
$500 tons for each thousand square
niles of Japanese territory, and that
the same measures to- the
of the United States and
he allowance made to her in naval
strength, she would only have 800
ons per thousand square miles Of
erritory and Great Britain about
'ighty-five tons per thousand square
niles Of territory, and therefore they
we're giving Japan the best of 1t, to
he extent that $500 is greater than
100, or greater than eighty-five.
Naturally the Japanese speaker
you'd sit down and think again be-
ore he could say much. And then
seems that some Japanese speaker
ot up and made the plea that navy
7as intended for defending the ma
lonal wealth. and that because OF
his fact Japan needed greater naval
trength, and some expert who was
robably assigned to that very ques-
lon, got up and carried out COM
arison on that very line, showing
nat for every billion dollars worth