The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-07


but rather the emperor who,
through the diet, has been bitter in
his attacks against America, is the
opinion OF Deyore n. Simonson OF
the firm Curtis & Simonson. Mr..
and Mrs. Simonson returned yester-
day from four months trip to
China and Japan.
bapan-that is, the militarists
| who rule the contingencies the
Washington conference and is Sc
we're in the editorial comments
made against the United States. es-
pecially since the ratio for naval
disarmament has been signed. Mr.
Simonson said in explaining the
conditions in the orient.
Japan suffered the same indus
trial troubles which the United
States has since the war. and as a
result the price of everything there
is considerably higher than ever
before and is twice as high as in
China. Mrs. Simonson, who has
visited in the orient four times. no.
ticed the change in particular.
The factories complain of very
few orders and the stores of great
ly reduced Sales" Mr.. Simonson
said. The exports have come to
be very much less than imports,
which is a serious situation in ia
pan, since to be successful COM
mercially she must, because of her
large population, have her exports
heavier than her imports"
Mr.. and Mrs Simonson left Rock
Island early in September for the
ct
at Honolulu, coming home by way
Of San Francisco. They made a
collection of beautiful porcelains,
some 500 and 600 years old. Of
jades, brocades, and antiques.
Discussing his tour. Mr.. Simon
son says:
Shanghai in many respects
strikes one as a British rather than
a Chinese city. The dominance of
England commercially in China,
and especially in the Yangtze val
ley, is here illustrated.
I'VE went by rail from Shanghai
to Marking, to Picking, and saw
many instances of famine condi-
lions, resulting from floods. At
every stop the train was surround
ed by famine sufferers, and there
was the greatest joy when they re-
ceived anything, no matter how lit
tie, even a small piece of bread. At
the time of the last famine China
was considerably criticized, be-
cause, as nation, little was done
toward alleviating the sufferings of
the people, but this year both the
government. and the people are do
ing as much as they can along this
line, and I do not think that China
is at all subject to the same crit
icism-
I'VE were very much interested
in having the opportunity of traV-
cling across Shantung province,
about which there has been SO
much discussion at the conference
at Washington. 1t is easy to re-
alize why both China and japan
desire it, for it is an extremely
large farming province. We were
on the Using Kaou-Tsinanfu rail-
road, which China has been DESTROYS
of buying from Japan if the latter
is to retire from Shantung. 1t was
thickly patrolled by Japanese SOL
diers, and there was always num-
Der of them at each of the stations.
Koo and Ise Independents.
"The government in Picking fell
soon after we left there, which was
not at all surprising because any
government there now is of tenn
porary life The officials are con-
trolled by the war lord of the north,
Chang Tson Lin, who, in turn, is
controlled by the japanese. There
was great criticism all over China
about the appointment of the dele
gates to the Washington confer
ence because they were largely
controlled by the Japanese, the
only two who were not being Drs.
koo and Use
ION the returning steamer L met
Mr.. Abbott, vice president of the
Continental & Commercial bank of
Chicago, who had been in Picking
when 1 was there trying to collect
a S5,000,000 loan which was due
from China. He was unsuccessful
in his attempt, and the non-pay-
meut illustrates the chaotic condi-
ton in which China now is, be-
cause the security, which was the
wine and tobacco revenue. was suf-
nCleuI u pay lhS ivan anu h4NSA 80
if it had been properly collected
and placed in reserve fund year
by year.
But regardless Of the present
chaotic political condition in China.
| am nevertheless confident that in
time she will work her way out.
and a stable government Will be
established, while I think it must
he a monarchy. We must realize,
of course, that France and America
were a long time in establishing
stable governments. and China is
really not much slower. if at all,
than we were.
There is no real war between
the north and south of China. and
I doubt if there ever will be, be-
cause DR.. Sen, the ruler of the
south, has practically no army at
all.
"Of course. one finds conditions
amazingly different in Japan, but
the people are not so attractive or
so well liked by the tourists, and
we were no exception.
Japan Militaristfc-
Japan has made wonderful prog
ress in the last so years, and we
must admire her for what she has
done. But her attitude toward many
things is so different from the rest
of the world, except Germany be-
fore the war. that we cannot re-
har