New-York tribune., 1872-11-05
THE sPECK or VAR IN THE ORIENE

THE SPECK or VAR IN THE ORIENr.
Dispatches from the Far East indicate the
imminence of an armed conflict between COrea
and the recognized Empire of Japan. 1t
would seem almost a fatality that Japan,
with which we have such interesting
relations, and for which our country
men cherish such lively sympathy,
should be 80 soon involved in war which
NAV test the value of international friend
ship. But the japanese are confident, and,
with fair share of what we can afford to
call Yankee bOastfulness, express their deter
mination to yindicate their ancient claim to
the fealty of the COrea.
The original conquest Of the country, it is
claimed by the japanese, was about 1000
years ago, when the Empress JingO-Kogo, at
the head of q considerable army, invaded the
Corea, subjugated the people, and laid them
under tribute. This tribute was regularly
paid for several centuries but Japan becOm-
ing involved in inteTnecne wars, the COreans
took occasion to allow the payment to lapse !;
and many years passed without the annual
levy being exacted. When Iaico Sama, the
FOUNDER or the dual system OF imperial
government, and a warrior of reDOwn,
came to the TycoOnate in the sixteenth
century, he demanded renewal of the
tribute from the COreans, and, on their
refusal, invaded the country and brought
them to terms. The tax was paid until the
downfall of the late Tycoon, chief of the
Tokugawa clan; and when the Govern
ment, after q short struggle, was rehablitated,
and the present Emperor became firmly seated
on the throne. he sent word to the COrean
Emperor that the annual tribute payment of
which had been suspended, must be forth
coming with arrears. The COrean Government
replied in these concise terms:
"we have received your letter. and have givon it
very deep consideration. comparing yonr dispatch with
other dispatches 1t is long time since there has been
any intercourse between our two countries Your dis-
patch demands payment Of tribute. We will
show how this affair stands. TaicO Sama, without
provocation Of any kind. invaded COrea. aud
made Corea sign document agreeing to pay tribute.
In those days COrea was uDprepared for war and had
not even been informed of the intention of Japan But
it is very different now Tho invasion by TaicO was
crime committed against Corea by Japan which is not
yet punished Your demand is unreasonable that n-
stead OF Corea paying you tribute it for you return
the money paid by COrea."
This was turning the tables on Japan and as
tribute had been paid for about ten centuries,
it will be seen that COrea has an enormous
demand against Japan to offset that for the
tribute in arrears. 1t can hardly be expected,
however, that COrea is in earnest in anything
further than q vigorous defense of the threat
ened invasion. Such conflict would
be farther complicated by the atti-
tude which China would be compelled
to assume foG China, in its turn, has held
loose sort of domination of the Corea. When
the famous Shang dynasty was Overthrown,
b. C. 1922, the ViscOunt Ke. determined
enemy of the Chow dynasty which succeeded
to the throne, fled to the Corea, where he
was afterwards invested with the sover-
eighty of the country by the reign
ing Emperor of China. In this char
acteristically Chinese manner the Corea
was annexed to the Celestial Empire, and
show of tributary dependence was kept up
until modern times. China cannot be neutral
an any war between Japan and country
which has up to very recent period ac-
knowledged dependence on the Chinese En-
pire.
Corea has a population of 1sOOO,OOO, an
army of $4,000 men, and navy of 200 ves-
sells. But Japan, with population four times
as large. and an immense, well-drilled army,
equipped with some of the modern improve
ments of warfare, may well boast of being
able to subdue her semi-barbaric adversary.
The contest must needs be largely naval; and
the world would have an opportunity to dis
cover of how much practical value her new
fleet and armament really are to modern
JaDan