The sun., 1895-04-17
Japan Makes Peace.

There are two remarkable features in the
treaty of peace which, on the authority of
the son-in-law of LII Hung CHANG, is said to
have been signed on Tuesday by the pleni-
potentiaries of China and Japan. We refer
TO the moderation ultimately evinced by the
Toxic Government in the matter of n pc
cuniary indemnity, and the formation of an
offensive and defensive alliance between the
two empires. This means that the two
great powers Of the far East have agreed
upon the programme of Asia for the
Asiatics," and that with view to its full
flment the Mikado has consented not to
cripple his prospective ally's financial re-
sources, thus leaving them applicable to
thorough military and naval reforms.
OF course, China acknowledges the in
dependence of Corea, and makes over to
Japan the island of Formosa in perpetuity.
These it was known, would be indispensa-
bic conditions of any treaty The amount
Of the money indemnity is cut down to
SlOo,oOO,0OO presumably computed in
gold but we suppose that the Toxic Gov
ernment will accept the equivalent in silver
ut the market price of the white metal.
This sum is less than half of the original
demand, which was for n number of taels
worth about S215 100000 in gold. China
should experience no great difficulty in bor-
rowing the needed funds especially when it
comes to be understood that through an in
timate alliance with her progressive neigh
Dor she may be reasonably expected to enter
on the path Of regeneration. The retention
by Japan Of the conquered Places and
especially of n part of the extra
mural province of Liau-tung, including the
peninsula OH which is situated the naval
arsenal of Port Arthur, may be looked upon
rs guarantee not merely of the payment
of the greatly curtaied indemnity but of
the sincerity and pcrmanence of the stipu-
lated league. So long as Japan holds Port
Arthur, especially if she also retains Wei
hai-wei, at the southern end of the entrance
TO the Gulf Of Pe-chi-li. it will be the inter-
est Of the Manchu dynasty to cooperate with
the Mikado for mutual protection against
European aggression, and to accept his ad-
vice touching the methods of developing
Chinas industrial capabilities and means
of self-dcfcncc.
This conclusion OF til offensive and defen-
sive alliance between Japan and China sug-
gests comparison with the master stroke OF
diplomacy By which BISMARCK, after humil-
iating and isolating Austria, formed close
league with her, thus securing her from in
ternal disintegration and shielding central
Europe against Russian attack. But the
HAPsBURGs ut Vienna had but little to gain
through combination with the Berlin Gov
ernment, compared with the immense value
Of the moral and material support which
the Manchu dynasty at Pekin can obtain
from the Mikado. The knowledge that it
will have behind it the fleets and armies of its
Japanese ally will discourage the insurrec-
tions which otherwise would have rendered
its position at Pekin UItenable, and it will
nolonger be necessary to appeal to European
powers which might have exacted large
price for their assistance. On the other
hand, Japan, by propping up the Manchu
reigning family deprives Russia, England,
and France of any pretext for intervention.
Moreover it assures the stability of the
official machinery, which, in the opinion of
Toxic onlookers, who understand the Chinese
far better than Europeans can, may, if
thoroughly cleansed and properly directed,
be effectively employed in the work of
national rehabilitation. The Japanese them
selves have known how to combine the
study of the ethics of CoNFUCIUs with a
mastery Of the utiltarian triumphs
of Western civilization; and they believe
that it simply would be requisite to
rccast the curricula of the Chinese
schools, and change the subjects of the sue
cessive official examinations, to turn the Chi
nese powers of acquisition into the path
which the Japanese mind has pursued for n
quarter of a century with such astonishing
results. 1t must be remembered that the
Mikado's subjects have already undertaken
III Corea q regenerative task incomparably
more difficult than any which China could
offer; for whatever signs of misgovernment
and decadence are observable in the Celcs-
tial Empire, 'hcSe are insignificant compared
with the proofs of utter ruin everywhere ell
eountered in the Hermit Kingdom.
Mr. HENRY NORMAN, the author of THE
Peoples and Politics OF tho Far East" who
predicted, that the japanese would stud-
ously avoid overthrowine the Manchu En-
peror of China. and would aim to use him
as reformatory instrument, as they are
usimg the Corean sovereign, declares that
the Mikado's ubjects have no doubt of their
ability to reorganiEe China. On this point
he quotes u leading Toxic journal, the
IIOcht ShtmbuTi. which said recently;
"The Chinese are the worst-governed people
In the world and consequently the easiest
to bring under n foreign yoke Besides.
they have no strong national pride, like that
entertained by the French. the Germans, the
English. or the Japanese. TALLEYRAND's
saying that Italy is a mere geographical
name may oe applied to China with
much greater force The Chinese. ur-