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Show 9 Robbery of China Price Paid Island Empire for Signing Treaty, Leader Tells Senate. Act Takes Territory of an Ally and Gives It j to a Great Military Power, He Asserts. WASHINGTON, July 33. The stormy senate fight over the peace treaty shifted away from the league of nations covenant today and broke with a new fury about the provision giving Shantung peninsula to Japan. In five hours of debate the treaty opponents oppo-nents charged in bitter terms that the Toklo government had wheedled Shantung from China at tha peace table without the shadow of a cause except the ambition of conquest, and supporters of the treaty defended the course of President Wilson In the negotiations by declaring the only alternative was failure of the whole peace conference. I Chairman Lodge of the foreign relations rela-tions committee declared Shantung was "a price paid" for Japan's acceptance of the league of nations. Senator Norris. Republican, Nebraska, charged that Japan, In 1917, secretly had inveigled tho j European, allies into a promise to support her Shantung claims. Senator Borah, Republican, Idaho, asserted that if the United States must either underwrite the Shantung agreement or accept the challenge chal-lenge of another power, the country would choose the latter course. Senator Hitchcock, Nebraska, ranking Democrat of tho committee, replied that the German rights in Shantung were obtained ob-tained legally by treaty in 1898, and were won fairly from Germany by Japan long before the United States entered the war. PRESIDENT'S ACTION DEFENDED BY SOLON. Senator Williams, Democrat, Mississippi, said the president had to accept tho Shantung settlement or come home without with-out a general treaty of peace, and that Japan would never give up the peninsula unless forced to do so by war. In the end the senate adopted without a record vote a resolution by Senator Dodge asking the president for anj available avail-able Information about a secret treaty alleged to have been negotiated between Japan and Germany in 1 9 IS embodying a plan for Russian rehabilitation and promising prom-ising Japan's Indirect protection of German Ger-man interests at the Versailles negotiations. negotia-tions. "A sweeping request for information about the conversations at Versailles also was sent to the White house by the foreign for-eign relations committee, which adopted a resolution by Senator Johnson, Republican, Republi-can, California, calling for all proposed drafts for a league covenant, for reports of the arguments relative to the league, and for "all data bearing upon or used In connection with the treaty of peace." COMMITTEE BEGINS READING OF TREATY. At Its meeting the committee began the reading of the treaty, covering in less than two hours about one-fifth of its sections, but passing over for future consideration con-sideration the league- covenant, the boundaries of Germany and many minor changes. The reading will continue at a long session tomorrow, the senate having adjourned tonight until Thursday so the committee would not be interrupted in Its work. There was no discussion of Presidrnt Wilson's offer to consult with the committee commit-tee on doubtful points of the treaty, nor was any attempt made to have tho committee com-mittee open its doors to the public. It was said these questions might not conn to a had for several days afier the reading read-ing of the document was finished. There was a growing conviction, however, th;tt, should the president see the committee, . it will be at the White house and not at the committee room. "Shantung was a price paid, and all the world knows it," Mr. Lodge said. "There is no statute of limitations that runs against a great wrong Yikt- Dint." .'citing bow fJerniany secured 1 no Shantung n0nerssions and how Ja pan succeeded suc-ceeded ;erm;uiy by virtue of war, Senator Lodge continued : "Kngland and Fnnwf took Ttelglum iiwav from Germain' during the war. boos that give them a claim to Belgium? (Cu.tinued on Page 2, Column 3.) h SI IS BRIBE TP JAPAN. LODGE SAYS (Continued from Pago Ono.) Shantung was not enemy country like Flume. It was handed over to Japan against the protests of some of our delegates dele-gates and the experts charged with this question. 'lt was handed over because Japan s signature was needed to the league. It was done as a necessity. It takes the territory of a friend, an ally who had been loyal, and hands It over to a great military mili-tary power in the east." "Japan is building up a vast power in China,'" continued Senator Lodge, "and we in this treaty are helping her do it." The debate on Shantung was precipitated precipi-tated by Senator Lodge calling up his resolution asking the president for information infor-mation as to an alleged treaty secretly negotiated between Japan and Germany in 1J18. Senator Hitchcock. Nebraska, senior Democrat of the committee, said lie desired de-sired to protest against resolutions of tin's class, based upon such slender information in-formation and having the effect of indicating indi-cating to a friendly country that the United Slates senate "gives credence to newspaper reports of this character." "It is unworthy of the senate," he declared. de-clared. Senator Lodge replied that it seemed to him "that when we are making a treaty that includes the gift to Japan of thirty-six thirty-six millions of Chinese, we ought to know whether there is any truth in the assertions. treaty is in the hands of the state department de-partment and has been for some line. I think it perfectly reasonable that we inquire about it." When Senator Hitchcock declared that whatever China lost by tne Versailles treaty she gained "something more valuable val-uable than all else, protection under article ar-ticle 10," there was a burst of laughter on the Republican side of the chamber. "Senators laugh," shouted Senator Hitchcock, "but they know that in the past China always lias been despoiled and under article 10 she will be protected. The samo senators who now shed crocodile croco-dile tears over the fate of China have never in all the past raised their voice against her spoliation." ENGLAND PAYS FOR MISTAKES. Mr. L,odgo said that England "stood by" and let Germany take Schles wig-Hols wig-Hols tein, Helgoland, and other territory near her door. "She's paid the bill of those awful mistakes," he added. "She's done it nobly, but at great cost. "There's another great power being built up on the other side -of the Pacific. We are asked to put our approval on the bottom of the robbing of China handing over control practically of ' that great province to Japan. I do not want to see my country's name at the bottom of such a thing." Senator Fall, Republican, of New Mexico, Mex-ico, asked whether in case China should use force to regain Shantung the United States would not have to contribute military mili-tary force against China at Japan's request. re-quest. "Not at all. The senator never was more wrong," Senator Hitchcock replied. "We are not making a gift to Japan, nor a bribe," he addecf. emphasizing that Japan was to receive no territorial or I sovereign rights in Shantung, but merely commercial concessions, including railroads. rail-roads. Senator Thomas, Democrat, of Colo-I Colo-I rndo, expressed condemnation of Ger-, Ger-, many's action in securing tho Chinese ! concessions, but said something should j be said in support of Japan's claims. : He read statements by Japanese statesmen states-men in an effort to establish the sincerity sin-cerity of Japan's intention to return Shantung Shan-tung to China, and continued: "I do not think it-is fair to assume that I our allies were actuated by any more dishonest dis-honest motives than those which actuated actu-ated us." i Debate on the peace treaty and its league of nations covenant was continued ! today with Senator Norris. Republican, j Nebraska, attacking the Shantung settlement set-tlement and Senator Underwood, Democrat, Demo-crat, Alabama, urging unquallJied ratification. ratifi-cation. - Senator Norris said he believed the treaty should be sent back to the peace conference for the rectifying of the wrong which, he said, was done to China, by giving Japan the material rights in Shantung Shan-tung formerly held by the Germans. He also declared the league of nations covenant cove-nant contained many objectionable features fea-tures which should be changed. The Alabama senator expressed the belief be-lief that the league would go far toward ending wars and said it involved no sacrifice sacri-fice of national sovereignty. Phipps Against League. Senator Phipps, Republican, of Colorado, in a brief address, declared he could not support the league of nations covenant in its present form because it did not give proper protection to American sovereignty. Declaring the whole reason for the Shantung decision was that Japan threatened threat-ened to quit the conference unless her demands were satisfied, Senator Borah said Japanese possession of Shantung meant that Tokio would control all three gateways to China, and that the result would be Chinese dismemberment. "Every nation that sat around the council table," said the Idaho senator, "was under a solemn duty to protect the integrity of China. But no nation ever played her diplomatic game with greater force than did Japan. In the first place, she put forward her racial equality clause, which she did not expect to be accepted. Then when the question of the German possessions came up, she was in a position posi-tion to say that she must not be refused twice on matters vital to her. "The president could do nothing else than give Shantung to Japan, if he wanted want-ed the treaty signed. But the whole question with us is whether the United States will become a party to that transaction. trans-action. "Cringed Long Enough." "I do not anticipate that if we refuse to underwrite and guarantee the rape-of China we will have to go to war. I do not thing Japan expects us to underwrite this. She would have been perfectly satisfied sat-isfied with a treaty with Great Britain and France. That is their business. "But If the time, Indeed, has come when the United States must engage in the enslaving en-slaving of peoples and must break her forty-eight treaties guaranteeing Chinese Integrity or face the challenge of ' another nation, then she will face the challenge of another nation. We have cringed long enough." "Suggestions that Japan may not keep her promise to restore Shantung are an insult to an ally," Senator Williams declared. de-clared. "Unlike some Christian nations," said Mr. Williams, "Japan so far has kept hr pledged word. If she does not, then the league of nations will have the right to say that Japan must vacate Shantung." Senator Borah, Republican, Idaho, interrupted in-terrupted to assert that Japan never kept any treaty obligations dealing with China or Korea. Senator Williams, however, insisted that Japan was scrupulous In treaty engagements, and took Korea only as an act of war. "Unless we wanted to leave the peace conference," continued Senator Williams, "there was nothing to do but surrender the point. The president did the best he could. To set aside or endanger this great instrument (the treaty) would have been foolish. Japan served notice at Paris that she would retire if defeated on this question, and Japan will not give up Shantung except by war." Warning that Japan may "awaken" China was given by Senator Williams. He asserted that China, if aroused, with her 400,000,000 peonle, might overwhelm the 3fi.000.000 Japanese and possibly even invade in-vade Europe. "The whole world had better let China alone and not teach her to war," said the ' Mississippi member. j |