New-York tribune., 1922-01-21
Senate Urged
TO Keep Hand
Off Sllantung

conference or their delegates in Wash
ingtop. and although tho American gov.
crnmcnt is not directly concerned and
cannot be directly concerned in that
conference the good Offices 'of our gov
crnmcnt ave been cxertcd and the
earnest desire OF tho American dec
gates to tho conference has bccn con
stantly manifested in favor OF working
out an agreement by which the sov.
crcignty Of Shantung shall be returned
to tho Republic Of China and the ter
rif oria' integrity preserved.
"A settlement has not been reached
A settlement now is approaching very
close 10 tho end, and from tho Ipforma-
tion have an hopeful that at a very
carly date II satisfactory settlement
will be arrived at
Senator Walsh pointed out that it
was currently reported the conference
's about to break up. and that it had
formulated the fcur-powcr treaty which
requires tho government Of tho United
States to participate in the adjustm cnt
and settlement of any Of these contro-
versics (which unhappily exist between
powerful nations in the Orient, and
which might lead to war involving the
insular possessions or dominlons OF
any Of the powers
Says Controversies Exist
"rhat war bctwccp any Of these
powers would necessarily involve the
insular posse ssions and domlnions. no
ono can question:; and accordingly it
would be then necessary to assent bic
a conference Of these four powers for
the purpose Of canvassirg these vari-
Gus questions and disposing Of them in
an amcabc way if that result could be
1.
do exist. They may eventually result
in war. The powers joining in the
four-powcr pact arc here now repre-
scntcd, so that it would seem as though
1t was the opportunc time t. take these
matters UP and cndcavor 10 arrive at
some composition of them
ut can DC very we'll understood that
there will be great hcsitancy upon tho
part Of the Senate in ratfyin4 n treaty
which would involve Us in any wav in
these controversies that even now arise.
and if they cannot be settled at the
present time it would seem rather
hopeless to look for a settlement of
them at some future time when the
powers shall assemble in accordance
with the provisions of the four-powcr
pact"
Senator Underwood said he realized
that if the Shantung question was set
ted 1T would have a very favorable
effect on the other treaties, both in
the country and in the Senate and
that it would be regarded undoubt
edly as unfortunate if the conference
were to adjourn without settlement
of this problem" He added that the
American delegation was doing all it
properly co1ld to bring about a set
Element.
Objects to Debate Now
"I'hc Senator from Alabama" said
Senator Lodge, "has explained very
fully and very accurately the exact
SITUATION only want to say this in
addition. The attention Of the Amcri-
can delegation and of the conference
mas been given to China and the qucs-
tons involving China from the be-
ginning, and the members of the con
terence have been working on that in
committee very steadily. Resolutions
nave been adopted and many points
settled acecting China which will be
extremely helpful to her and those reso-
lutlons in regard to the integrity of
China. both administrative and I>oliti-
cal, undoubt edly will bel emb bodicd in
treaty that will come before the SEN
ate for ratification.
II do not suppose that all of the de-
tails OF the negotiations between China
and Japan have yet been laid before
the President. | can only assure the
Senator from Montana and the Senate
that the whole American delegation
feels just exactly as he feels in re-
gard to the Importance of Shantung,
and there is nothing we have more at
heart than the settlement of that ques-
tion. We have been taking the only
i
and hope it will not be necessary to
debate the question in detail until the
conference has concluded its work"
is the one insuperable obstacle to
consideration by the conference of the
Shantung question, for instance, the
Versailles treaty?" asked Senator
Hiram Johnson
Johnson Brings Up Peace Pact
THE insuperable obstacle to takinp
the Snantung question before the con-
ference is the fact that seven of the
powers are already bound by the set-
Element of Versailles. Noth,nr would
be done IT it went before the con.
ference"
Does that apply to every determina
tlon that may have been made in tho
Versailles treaty-that the conference
cannot consider anything that has been
agreed upon in the Versailles treaty ?"
asked Senator johnson.
"Oh, that has not been suggested at
all answered Senator Lodge. "As
matter of fact this is the onlv cues
ton where they are bound if it is
forced upon them"
They arc only bound if thew want
to c?" asked Senator Johnson
81 take it," said Senator Lodge. chat
the seven powers that have signed the
Versailles Treaty would hesitate to
break it if Japan appealed to them 10
stand by their signatures"
"Do those six powers take the att;.
tude that they can do nothing unless
Japan agrees?" asked Senator johnson
or is that the attitude our delegates
tcke?' s"'es
~ have assumed" said Senator
Lodge, that if it was brought into a
pcnary conferencc-un open confer
encc-that would be the end Of the
Shantung question:
Charges Injustice to China
Senator Lodge went on to explain
that every power must agree in an in
cernational conference. and here arc
seven already bound. Senator Johnson
wanted to know if they desired 10 be
bound or if they took the position that
they were bound and would not con-
sidcr an injustice that was done. Sen
ator Lodge said it was not for him TO
comment on thcr ,,,oii,oc