St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-02
CLOUDS OF WAR IN COREA.
China Will Insist Upon the Vassaldom
of the Peninsular Cockpit.
JAPAN, ALSO, ISM THE SWIM
If the Celessials Employ Force Rus
sian Proteciorate Over Corea
Will Result.
Special Cable to the Globe.

Special Cable to the Globe.
LONDON, Dec. 1.-The British foreign
office has received a cablegram in
which the Marquis Tseng denies the
report to the effect that, tired of the
perpetual intrigues of foreign officials
and Of the consequent disturbances
among the people of Corea, he has pro-
posed the naturalization of the penin-
sula under a guarantee of the various
treaty powers. Marquis Tseng's view
suzerain of Corea; that foreign powers
had no interest there, and should there
fore be rigidly prevented from ac-
curing any beyond that given
to them by treaty with Chi
mas consent. The fact. how
ever, that such proposition is
generally accepted as one made by the
Marquis Tseny, and under discussion
by the Chinese government, is in itself
evidence of the exceedingly unSatifa G.
tory state of Corea. The peninsula is
really a kind of cockpit for the in
trigues of Eastern diplomatists, aided
by Corean public men. Periodically
these intrigues break out on the surface
as riots, Instructions, asSaSSlnationS
and the like. In the struggle which
has gone on for the past four years.
COrean ministers have been elevate d
and overthrown in the tWinkling of an
eye. One night the members of a min
istry in full power went to a bang uet in
a new building in Seoul. BY day break
several of them were dead OF
DYING BY ASSASSINATION,
no
the capital, either in flight to the mount
aims on the Russian frontier or to the
coast. in the hope of finding boat
which would carry them to place of
safety. At the source of all the Corean
troubles lies the question of vassaldom
to China. Since the treaties were made
with foreign countries, beginning in
1881, certain Europeans and Americans
who have gone to that country, either
in connection with the legations of
foreign powers OF in the service OF the
Corean government itself, have put into
the heads of the king and queen the
idea that Corea should be independent
of China. For centuries Corea has
been tributary to China. AS a rule,
the yoke was easy and the burden eX-
ceedingly light, usually consisting OF
a mission every one, two or three years,
according to distance, bearing trifllng
presents to Pekin. The missions went
back laden with the richest presents,
and were conveyed from and to the
boundaries at the emperor's expense.
They were charged no customs duties,
and of this privilege they took dyan-
tage to trade and
MAKE ENORMOUS PROFITS.
A common method of Furnishing the
misconduct of vaSSal was to refuse to
see the mission. But although this
suzerainty involved no very close and
constant relationship between suzerain
and vassal, China has sometimes found
1T expedient to treat it as very i'm
portant relation. The case of COrea is
of this character. That country is
close to the capital of China, its har-
bors command the Yellow sea and the
coasts of China, and therefore the
peninsula possesses a special value In
the eyes of the Chinese government.
When the powers first came to make
treaties with Corea, the very loose and
was shown by the fact that she dis
claimed all responsibility for the doings
OF Corea, though at the same time she
tried to get a clause acknowledging her
suZerainty placed in the first treaty.
This, however, was stricken out by the
American senate as amounting to
declaration by one of the other parties
to the treaty and an acknowledgement by
the other that the former, though MAX
ing treaty, really had no power to
make treaties. Corea therefore made
her treaties with Western nations on
an independent footing. and in all
Corean treaties China is sedulously ex-
cluded because she refused to demand
that the COrean treaties be made with
her consent. with the necessary corOl-
larry that she would make herself an
SWerable to foreign nations for the
CONDUCT OF THE COREANS.
The policy which produced this state
of things was that of Lii Hung Chang,
who is a persistent waiter upon events.
This insurrectionein 1882, the attack on
the Japanese legation. and the murder
of a number of japanese subjects led
China to fear that the threatened Jap
aneSe expedition would result in per-
manent Japanese occupation of part
of Corea. 1t then began to dawn on
China that she had made huge mis-
take i'm allowing Corea to assume to
foreign nations the attitude of an indie
pendent power. Accordingly. CHINA
began endeavOrs to regain her predoml-
nance over the king OF Corea and his
ministers. AnOtnef outbreak deaiuot
the Japanese decided China to dispatch
large force at once to put down dis
order. The rapidity with which this
expedition was sent was marvellous:
The disturbances were suppressed. and
the Chinese encamped outside the Co
rean capital. and remained there a few
years, overawing the government and
STRENGTHENING the hands of the Chinese
resident, Yuen, who virtually rules the
country. Any change in the position OF
Corea towards foreign powers must al
ways be matter of serious concern to
Japan, whose interests in the matter
are almost as great as those of China.
There are reasons to believe that ii
China employs force respecting the dis
pute over Mr.. Denny in order to pre-
serve her hold OH COrea. Japan will OBJ
ject and serious difficulties ensue be-
tween those powers, possibly resulting
in Russian protectorate over Corea,
an attempt to assume which will COM
pei England to show her hand.
Newberry Takes Hold.
CHICAGO, Dec. l.-Gen. w. c. New
berry took charge of the Chicago post
VI