The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-08-08
coREA.

The conditions preceding and indirect
ly occasioning the present oriental com
plIcation can best be understood by 0
consideration Of the altogether peculiar
nature OF Corea, both as regards its
topography and It's government. The
narrow peninsula which projects be-
tween the Japan and Yellow seas, is,
like Italy, severed from landward COM
mercial communication by range of
mountains. In this isolated strip Of
territory, net quite the area Of one-half
Of France, the inhabitants for years
have been awaiting civil warfare and
revolt.
With ore bearing and fertile lands and
resources which may prove to be quite
as rich as those of Japan, the estl-
mated population of 1O.OOO,0OO or 12,oOO,-
900 has been held back not by a lack
Of the trait of Industry, but by ex-
tremely crude and primative methods
and government rotten with the
abuses OF civil Office. The mobiles, and
particularly those Of military rank, live
upon the people, and are themselves ex-
cmpt from taxation. Fellow the mobiles
oro tt,a ,,arohont, QUA oarto,, ortt.o,,
Beneath the caste come the "despised"
classes, including other artisans and the
serfs.
The sovereign Of the country is an
absolute monarch, honored as some one
possessed OF superhuman traits, whose
person II is treason even to touch Com
plete rs his authority Is, he Is yet at the
behest OF the all-powerful mobiles, upon
whose traditional privileges he does
not dare to trench. These mobiles and
the nine members OF the supreme coun-
ell OF state, together with large class
of idle and superiuous functionaries,
have managed for years to oppress the
people and crush them under heavy tax
alton.
It was as much In revolt against this
oppression as in dread and hatred Of
the royal power that the Corean revo-
luton of 1884 was Instituted, and al
though the revolt died with nothing
more disastrous than the loss OF few
hundred lives. II was significant. The
people were tired Of supporting the
wasteful extravagances Of S22 governors
and an innumerable host OF mobiles to1
whom stroke OF work Is dlshonor
Lake the Chinese, the coreans have
qualities of long suffering and patience,
but when oppression becomes unbeara-
Bile they protest with explosive sudden
ness,
The immediate cause OF the present
internal warfare was just such popu-
lar outburst OF indignation. the peasant.
ry rising In their wrath and worstlng
the government troops in the first en-
gagements The conditions which fol-
lowed were better than anarchy, and
Tho Intervention Of Japan was step
taken both In the protection Of her own
interests and in the ouelling OF what
promised to be bloody civil war
throughout tho hermit kingdom.
II has long been patent to the Japan-
esc government that the trade interests
Of the orient might be greatly bright
ened were reformed civil and fiscal
system to be imposed on corea. There )
were opportunities in the peninsula.
but in the present condition Of their
development, either by the native Co
reaaa or BY the numerous Japanese res 3
dents, Is impossible. should the strug-
Gle growing out OF this state of affairs 4
demand European Interference. one Of
The later problems to be considered L
would be the reform OF the corean gov :
srnment h
Ia
r,ne.es 80 r.s.., ....s.,~- ~