The San Francisco call., 1896-03-28
The Government Cannot Raise
Troops to Cope With
the Insurgents.
AN INsUPP0RTABLE SITUATION
Departure of the King From the Rus.
sian Legation Will Cause the
Cabinets Downfall.

TOXIC, JAPAN, March 13.-Returns COM
piled by the japanese authorities covering
the period from May 26 to November Is,
1895, while the Formosan rebellion was In
progress, show the japanese lost altogether
195 men in battle and had $40 wounded,
but so severely did they suffer from sick
ness that 234 were thrown out of service
daily on the average. The Chinese, dur
ing the same interval, are supposed to have
had about 1900 killed, but the number is
probably below the truth, for 6760 bodies
were actually found by the japanese and
undoubtedly many wounded men crawled
or were carried away to die in the bush
or elsewhere.
The state of affairs in Korea goes from
bad to worse. Politicians in Seoul insist
that by taking refuge in the Russian iega-
ton ana remaining there the King has
virtually quilted his own dominions, since
the precincts of a legation are extraterri-
torlal. A similar view is held by the lead
ing citizens of the capital, who naturally
see that very little power of govern
ing can be accredited to a sovereign and
his Cabinet SO long as they dare not ven
ture beyond the shadow of foreign flag.
As for the insurgents in the provinces
they have adopted a new tone, dictated of
course by adherents of the prince parents
party. They say that the men by whom
the King was persuaded to seek asylum in
the Russian legation are traitors to the
country and must be exterminated. But
they also proclaim that all foreigners must
be expelled from the kingdom, an an
nouncement probably intended as blind.
They have pushed to a point not more
than ten miles from Seoul, and the Gov
ernment has no troops to cope with them.
The raising of several new battalions
of royal guards has been ordered by edict,
but money to pay them is not forth
coming, even if they could be organized
so speedily as TO meet the emergency.
Something like a panic was caused in
the Japanese settlement of Gensan,
owing to the apparent imminence OF
an attack by the insurgents in great force,
there being only mere handful of Japan
ese soldiers in the town. But calm was
soon restored, and Japanese man-of- war
is now ancnored in the port. Frequent
encounters take place between small
parties of Japanese and greatly superior
bodies of insurgents, but the courage and
discipline OF the former always prevail
unless the odds are overwhelming.
The whole situation, however. is rapidly
growing insupportable, and general idea
gains ground that the departure of the
King from the Russian legation will be
the signal for the downfall OF the present
Cabinet. 1t has been pretexted by the pro-
Russian party that the Kings residence in
tke palace is out of the question so long as
Japanese troops have their barracks in the
immediate vicinity. The troops were
located there originally by desire of the
Korean Government, but as the Japanese
authorities have neither need nor occasion
to keep them there they are about to be
removed. This state of confusion and trr.
MOL contrasts wildly with the tranquility
and good order that existed while Count
Inouye was in Seoul. His tact and ability
never failed to still the strife of factions
and to guide the country quietly into the
paths of reform. Russian interference has
produced exactly the opposite effect.
The United States representative in
Seoul is winning golden opinions among
the Japanese at this crisis. His influence,
they report, is steadily exerted in the cause
of right and justice. Strong, and in great
part successful, efforts are said to have
been made by him to mitigate the cruel
ties practiced by the Cabinet against it's
political opponents and to lessen the bru.
talities resorted to by the legal tribunals
in their examination of prisoners.
The Japanese Government has an
nounced another issue of the war loan.
Power to raise 200,000,0o0 yen was origin
ally vested in the Government by the
Diet, but of that amount only $4,000, 900
was put upon the market. The resources
actually at the Governments disposal to
defray war expenditures were thus only
81 ,000, 900 yen of the loan (the bonds having
sold at a premium); $4,000, 600 yen of
accumulated surplus revenue, and 1000 600
yen voluntarily contributed by enthusias-
tic persons, or 10000. 600 yen in all. On
the other hand the accounts up to the
present show an expenditure of 235. 600 oOo
yen. By borrowing money from the Bank
of Japan, temporarily diverting funds
from special accounts. and issuing war
checks, the Government was able to pay
its way, but the deficit of lis, 100000 yen
had ultimately to be met. For that pur-
pose $4,000, 900 were taken from the indem-
nifty paid by China, and third issue of