The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-22
TROOPS FROM KOREA,
Japan Will No Longer
Keep a Force in That
Country.
DISGUST OF STATESMEN.
The Tai Won.Kun Has Again
Established His Power
at Seoul.
DICTATED A SHAMEFUL EDICT
Prominent Army Officers of the Mikado
in Custody on Charge of
Treason.
DISGUST OF STATESMEN
DICTATED A SHAMEFUL EDrCT

| TOXIC, JAPAN, Nov. 6.-The exact terms
of the convention concluded in Picking on
| November 4 for the restoration of the
Liaotung Peninsula to China are kept Sc
cret for the present The facts that China
has agreed TO pay 80, 000, COO taels; that the
money is to be at once handed over to the
japanese legation in London, and that the
| evacuation of the peninsula is to take
place within three months are well known.
But there is also clause not yet published
| by which China pledges herself not to cede
| the peninsula to any other nation or to
grant to a foreign power any special
| privileges connected with the territory.
| The withdrawal of the Japanese troops
will commence at once, and it is probable
that the operation will be completed and
| that the restoration of the peninsula will
become an accomplished fact before the
close of the year. Meanwhile, as Japan
| has dismantled the fortresses at fallen and
| Port Arthur and destroyed the dockyard at
| the latter place, many years must elapse
before the peninsula can recover its old
| significance from military point of view.
| Japan has decided to withdraw her
| troops from Korea. She never contem-
plated keeping them there permanently
but it is possible that if her programme of
reform had met with greater success she
| might have been disposed to make a more
continuous effort for the preservation of
public peace and good order in the PENN
sular kingdom. Her statesmen, however
seem to be thoroughly disguised with
Korea. They see plainly that to push the
icr, ,trxv he of
require constant and often forcible inter-
ference in its administrative affairs. No
reliance whatever can be placed on the
progressive instincts of the Koreans them
selves, and to civilize them by force would
expose Japans action to great Disconcep-
ton. She has accomplished her object by
freeing the peninsula from China's effete
protection and by securing from the great
powers of the West constructive declara-
ZION of it's independence. Hence she
| thinks that the time has come to with
draw her troops, and though by superficial
observers this step will be falsely inter-
preted as an abandonment of her self
assumed mission in Korea, it is, in truth,
quite consistent with her policy through
out She never had any real object except
to avert the occupation of the peninsula
by Russia, and that is practically attained.
With the settlement of the Liaotung
question, the withdrawal of the Japanese
troops from Korea and the complete sub
| jugation of Formosa, peace may be said
| to be finally restored in the East. All sorts
of rumors have been recently circulated,
the general tendency being to attribute to
Russia warllke designs against Japan.
These conjectures are based chiefly upon
| the fact that Russia has raised her Pacific
| feet to an exceptional strength. People
cannot believe that so many ships have
been brought from Europe for nothing.
But the truth is that Russia, not having
been accustomed to play leading part in
the affairs of the far East. entertains a
somewhat exaggerated estimate of the
force suitable for that role. She has as
sembled large number of ships rather 20
Justify her new status than to pursue
belligerent designs, and, on the whole, the
effect of her display of strength has been
to avert warike complications. All out
standing issues having now been disposed
of, an era of tranquility man be expected,
the anti-foreign, or anti-Christian lawless-
ness of the Chinese population being the
only dark spot on the immediate horizon.
The war with China has cost japan an
other imperial life. Prince Arisugawa,
uncle of the Emperor, died last year from
an illness contracted at Hiroshima, the
heavy work falling upon him as chief OF
the staff having undermined his constitu-
ton; and now the country has to mourn
the decease of his Imperial Highness
Prince Kitashirakawa, cousin of the EN-
peror. The Prince commanded the Guards
throughout their arduons campaign in
Formosa. On the 8th of October, Just as
the insurgents had been completely
quelled, his Imperial Highness was at
tackled at Tainan by the terrible malarial
fever for which the island is notorious.
He expired on the 18th of the same
month, but. in accordance with the ETH
quet OF the japanese court, no official
announcement of the fact was made until
the corpse had been carried to the Princes
palace in Tokio--that is to say, until No
vember 5.
ieutenant-General Viscount Miura, who
represented Japan in Korea at the time of
the recent coup d'etat; Colonel Mayabara,
who commanded the Legation Guards, and
several other officers and officials, as we'll
as private persons, were arrested immedi-
ately on reaching Japan, whittier they had
been ordered to return, and are now under
going criminal examination. They num-
Der about fifty, and are believed to COM
prise all the responsible Japanese that took
any part in the coup d etat. The Japanese
Governments theory in arraigning Wis
count Miura on a criminal charge is not
merely that innocent lives were sacrificed
and the public peace disturbed by an
emeute for which he was in great part re-
sponsible, but also that be was guilty of