New-York tribune., 1922-01-21
Far East Issue
D[elaysApproval
OF Navy Treaty
Shantung Held Keynote of
Entire Arms Conference
Situations; us. and Britain
Want Speedy Settlement
Agreement Seen Near
With Chinese and Nippon
Reaching Decision, Par
Icy Will Conclude Labors
BY Carter Field

By Garter tIc!d
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20. With the
definite information tonight that the
naval armament limitation treaty is
practically being held up for final ap-
provalSuntu tho Far Eastern questions
have been settled Shantung is now the
keystone of the whole armament CON
ference situation. Shantung is not
only delaying the final disposition OF
tho naval trea,Y is tho straw by
which tho other powers can sec which
way the wind is blowing in tho whole
question of the relations between
China and japan.
If a settlement should be reached on
Shantung tomorrow afternoon, which
is not probable. or on Monday or Tues
day, which is entirely probable, tho
armament conference will end in a
"blazc of glory" within another week,
according TO several very important
participants in the conference.
This speedy and satisfactory settle
mcnt Of Shauntung is desired with tre
mcndous carncstncss by the American
delegation. and to an only slightly less
or degree by the British. The Chinese
arc not worrying about anything else,
tho French arc not worrying about any
ing their delegation here, and the chief
hope of the entire conferences rests on
tho fact that the Japanese arc begin
ming to understand the chief factors
which are driving Britain, but eSpc-
Cially the United States, into this pres
sure for q satisfactory settlement of
the question.
Far East Settlement Near
Despite what great many critics
are writing in their attempts TO prove
the conference failure, the prospects
at the present moment are brighter
than they have been at almost any
stage since November 12, when the con-
ference opened.
These prospects rest to a very large
degree on the satisfactory outcome of
tie Shantung discussions between the
Chinese and Japanese, but Unless
every one concerned is deliberately mis-
repre- sentng the situation on these ne
gotiatons, a salts factory settlement of
Shantung is actually not only poss iblc,
bu. extremely proba bic
In taking the view that the prospects
OF the conference arc brighter than at
any previous time. observers here point
out what the critics in the Senate and
outside have apparently forgotten
that at the outset only a few cxag-
%cratcd optlmists really thought that
tnere would be anything approaching a
satisfactory settlement of the Chinese
problem, and those who thought that
China would get much more than Japan
has already Offered in Shantung were
even more limited in number.
Borah Wanted Them Excluded
Senator Borah, for example, from the
frs. opposed the inclusion of the "Pa-
ciic and Far Eastern problems in
/ the armament limitation conference for
the reason that he did not believe it
would be possible for these questions
to be satisfactorily adjusted, and, there
fore, he wanted them excluded SO that
their presence would not endangcr his
hopes for armament limitatio.
Now Senators attacking the confer
ence are demanding a Shantung set
tlcment at once, by just what means
they do not so clearly explain. Ger
tainly very few of them want this coun-
try to join the othc. powers in the
conference in using force to compel
China and Japan to accept dictated
settlement.
The Shantung asc. however, is more
or less the needle Of the compass for
the other powers as showing what
Japans real intentions are with regard
to China. A Willingness to release the
advantages she now holds in that
province. which could so easily be
used 20 advance her own trade as
against the merchants of other nations
which is the whole kernel of the
Shantung railroad controversy-w
show to the other powers that her
promises with regard to the various
resolutions which have been adopted
by the conference may be accepted at
full face value, without mental rcserva-
tions.
Basis of China's Disputes
Nearly all the controversies with. re-
spect to China are illustrated by the
Shantung case. What is the milk of
the cocoanut with regard to Shantung
is the milk of the cocoanut of the
twentyonc demands; or rather such
Of them as were embodied in the Sino-
Japanese treaties of 1918. 1t is the
milk of the cocoanut with respect 70
spheres of influence, postal systems
control of tariffc. and almost every
other question which has been dis
cussed.
The whole question is, Shall one ma
ton have an instrumentality in China
the operation of which will give the
merchants O. that nation what ap-
proaches a monopoly Of the trade of
that region?
For example, the chief difficulty
about the Shantung controversy is as
TO the terms by winch the railroads
running through the province. up from
the former German port of Tsngtao,
shall be turned over to the Chinese
The Japanese own this railroad. 1t
was turned over to them very specin-
cally by the terms of the Versailles
Treaty. which every nation except
China and the United States approved