The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-11-27
THE BOMB OF CONTENTION.



to the Oriental War.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2O.-The Japan
ese Government has anticipated the re-
cent offer of China to the foreign pow
ers to furnish the complete official cor
respondence leading up to the present
war. and has itself made public the
as q part of the recent proceedings Of
the Japanese Diet, which have been
received by the Japanese Legation
here. The gist of the controversy has
already been made known to the pub
lie, but the official letters between
China and japan give the first account
of the sharp diplomatic fencing be-
tween the two countries up to q few
days before the war. The letters run
from June 7Ch to July 14th, and are
numbered from 1 TO 9.
No. 1 is from Wang, Chinese Minister
to Japan It informs Japan that g
telegram has just been received from
LII Hung Chang, stating that the Corean
Government has request; d China to
send troops to suppress q rebellion OF
the Tong Haks.
VicerOy Lii, it says, considers the re-
bellion serious, and therefore complies
with the request for troops to protect
''our tributary State" first notifying
Japan in accordance with q treaty pro-
before entering Corea.
No. Q is from Mutsu, Minister of For
eign Affairs of Japan. livery pointedly
states: I'm reply / beg to declare that,
although the words of tributary State
appear in your note, the Japanese Gov
eminent have never recognized Corea
as a tributary State of China"
No. 8 is a notice from the Japanese
Government that it intends sending
troops to Corea to suppress the rebel
lion.
In No. 4 China shows her teeth for
the first time. It is q letter from the
Tsung Lii Yamen. the Chinese Cabinet,
to the Japanese Minister at Pekin The
letter EXPIRE ssed surprise that Japan
should send troops to COrea when it
has not been 70 requested by Corea
1t adds the following significant Ian
guage:
sending troops is evidently to protect
the legation, consulates and CONNER
cial people in Corea, and consequently
it may not be necessary on the part of
your country to dispatch a great num-
Der of troops, and, besides, as no appli-
cation therefor has been made by COrea
it is requested that no troops shall pro-
coed t o the interior of COrea so that
they may not Cause alarm to her peo-
pie. And, moreover, since it is feared
that in the event the soldiers of the
two nations should meet on the way,
cases of unexpected accident might
occur, owing to the difference of lam
guage and military etiquette, we beg
to request, in addition, that you will
be g )Od enough to telegraph the pur-
pose of this communication to the
Government of Japan"
No. 5, is Japan's answer to the Tsung
Ii Yamen, in which Japan also shows
her teeth. It says:
las to the number of troops to be
sentt to Corea the Japanese Government
are compelled to exercise their own
judgment. Although no restriction is
placed upon the movement of the jap
anese troops In COrea, they will not be
sent where their presence is not deemed
necessary. The Japanese troops r
under strict discipline, and the Jap
anese Government are confident that
they will not precipitate a collision
with the Chinese forces. 1t is hoped
that China has adopted similar precau-
tions."
- No. 6 is an offer of the Japanese Gov
eminent to join China in a joint read
justment of Corea on modern lines.
No. z is China's~ rejection of the offer,
in which she says: The idea may be
excellent, but the measures of improve
ment must be left to Corea herself"
No. 8 is from Japan to China, stating
that Japan cannot longer disregard the
law of self preservation, which impels'
her to reform the ~deplorable conditions
of Corea at the root of her frequent re-
bellions.
No. 9 is from Japan to China, stating
that as China has declined to join in
the administrative reform of Corea,
the only conclusion deducible is that
the Chinese Government is disposed to
precipitate complications.
This closes the correspondence, the
last letter being dated eleven days be-
fore Japan sank the Chinese transport
KOw Shing, carrying the Chinese troops
to COrea. Japanis declaration of war
followed six days later.