The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1922-01-06

csc delegate to the Washington
conference, we have some rather
erroneous ideas regarding Japan.
activities in China. 1t is vel
to read the Japanese viewpoint
as expressed recently by this
delegate, always keeping in mine
the expression on the cats face
as he says mo ma'am, | haven't
seen your canary
''The popular idea in America
seems to be that Japanese have over
run the Chinese province of Shantung
that they control the railways; the
government, and everything else
That is all bunk gentlemen. If any
of you here believe that is the case;
you have had one put over on you
The actual condition is this: There
is a north and south railway which
crosses the province, section of the
main line from Picking to Marking
A part of that road is controlled and
operated by the Chinese themselves
and a section by British interests
From that main road runs a line
eastward to the port of Tsingtao on
Kiaochow bay. That line, 289 miles
long, is now held by the japanese.
Policing it and stationed at the
terminals at Tsinanfu and Tsingtao,
we have 2;7OO men guarding the line.
Your papers pay us great compli-
ment by saying that this force holds
the province with it's 40, 200, 900 Chi
nese in subsection. If we were real
ly so brave and so capable we should
not have to strive for a seventy per
cent or any other proportionate navy
for defense. But / am encroaching
upon Admiral Kato's subject; I must
stick to Shantung.
1.-THE leased territory of Kiaochow
covers an area of two hundred square
miles, which is less than one-half OF
one per cent Of the area Of the
province. We took it from Germany,
not from China Not only did we
take nothing from our colossal neigh
Dor; we have actually offered to
restore the port to her and to give
her half right in the former. Ger
man railway.
"We Japanese considered that, for
the cost that we paid in blood and
money, in taking the German fortress
at Tsingtao, we had some right to
compensation, but we planned that
that compensation should come from
Germany only. What we have in
tended is that those mining rights
which the Germans held and a half
share in-not all the railways, but
the 2S9 miles that run from the port
to the provincial capital-should be
our compensation. Our way of think
ing may be peculiar, but we general
ly doubt whether Englishmen or
Americans; placed as we are in the
Far East, in absolute need of raw
materials and markets for our manu-
features, would have made so gene
rous an offer to China.
"However, we are glad that through
the good offices of Mr. Hughes and
Mr. Balfour we are having friendly
conversations with our Chinese
friends with a view to an early
settlement of the question in a
manner fair and satisfactory to The
parties concerned. We japanese and
the Chinese have got to live together
in the Far East, and we, for our
part, have nothing but friendly feel
ing towards the Chinese, and are
willing to make serious effort to
come to an amicable understanding
with them. But we do not want the
railway or mines to fail to function.
If they did those Chinese of Shan
tung who live by means of these en-
terprises would suffer equally with
the Japanese who would be deprived
of raw materials and of markets.
eve have already agreed to with
draw our twenty-seven hundred-not
twenty-seven thousand nor million,
soldiers as soon as the Chinese au7
thorities provide guards to protect
the line.
eve have agreed to hand back the
Kiaochow leased territory to China if
she will open it and other places
along the railway for the trade and
commerce of all foreigners-not of
Japanese alone. We have agreed in
the general conference to the policy
of the open door-which we Japanese
have not everywhere obtained nor en-
joyed up to the present.
"The other matters in dispute in
the question of Shantung are of abb
solutely insignificant Importance. The
Chinese authorities are in control of
Chinese affairs and of Chinese people
practically everywhere throughout