The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-11-11
CHINA ADMITS HER. DEFEAT.

treaty pledges the United States, in
case China is oppressively or unjustly
treated by another power, to use its
gooG offices to arrange the difficulty
IL is similar in scope to the first article
IN our treaty with Corea, which led
Secretary Gresham, at the beginning
OF the trouble, to write a note to the
United States minister at Toxic relative
to the Japanese occupation of Corea
which has excited SO much comment
Encouraged by the attitude of the
United States at that time the Chinese
government appealed to United States
Minister DENLY at Pekin to cause his
government to intervene, and Mr.. Den
by transmitted the application to Wash
ington where it was laid before the
president who has had it under consid-
Grafton for a week or more. AS our
representatives in the case of occupa-
tion of Corea had little effect, there was
no reason to suppose that a different
result would follow an attempt to use
our good offices in favor of China.
As already indicated, our government
was indisposed to cooperate directly
with the European nations i'm any effort
to coepce either party to the war, and
for this very reason we were an indie
pendent intermediary in bringing about
peace. Both China and Japan were as
sured that we were free from any of
the suspicious of a desire to secure ac-
cessions of territory in Asia which
hung over the great European powers
and their confidence in our f1rmness
and inpartiality was strikingly mani
tested by the selection of the United
States by both nations to care for their
subjects in the others territories The
United States is at the present placed
in a position which would naturally
i f1o ~ ~ 1.o+1,
to serve as an arbitrator in case of a
difficulty in arranging terms of peace,
and it is, therefore, very improbable
that we will forfeit this position by
yielding now to China's request to in
terVene.
''Arbitrate we may, but intervene we
cannot" is the manner in which the
situation is summarized in official cir
cles here. If the Chinese government
desires the United States to present
peace proposals to Japan, this may be
done through Minister DENLY, but it is
felt here that the better way would he
for China to submit her peace proposals
directly to Japan, when it would be en-
tirely within the bounds of propriety
for the United States to express the
qualification it would feel as a nation
friendly to both combatants to see
peace restored in honorable terms.
A department official presented the
Japanese views of the present negotia-
lions as follows:
Japan recognizes Chinese craft, and
she is not likely to be misled by any
empty offers of peace on terms which
seem to mean much and in truth mean
nothing. The sovereignty of Corea is
one of those empty propositions, and
China has been driven out of Corea
and has nothing to concede as TO that
country. Neither does Japan want any
Chinese territory, not even the island
of Formossa, which is in reality an
extension of the japanese group. What
she will undoubtedly expect is a cash
indemnity sufficient to recoup her for
her war expenditure That and the
prestige of japanese arms and the
hunbling Of China will give the full
fruits of victory"