The San Francisco call., 1896-03-07
DR.. HAMMER ON THE WAR;
The Zeitung's Correspondent on
Russia's Masterly
Intrigues.
Some Strange Phases of the Eastern
Question-Lao TuDg and Korea
Both Gone.

DR.. Heinrich Kanner, special corre-
spondent Of the influential German daily,
Frankfurter Zeitung, who has been travel
ing in China, Japan, Korea and other
countries and making special study OF
the Eastern question for the past six
| months, is at the Palace.
DR.. Hammer is one of the best-known
journalists in Europe. He was formerly
correspondent of the Bulgarian Times,
published in Sofia, and it was he who OBJ
tanned the interview with Stambouloff
which so offended Prince Ferdinand.
| He is also the editor of the Weekly
Vienna Die Zeit. DR.. Kanner has been in
terviewing Lii Hung Chang and other ia
nous men of the East. He thinks Russia
has long way the best of 1t. so far as the
| Eastern question is concerned.
| To his mind the Russians are the great.
est diplomats in the world. He says Japan
| has shown that she could fight, and has in
| that way gained standing and glory for
| herself; but Russia, which did no fight
| ing, and only stood by till it was all over,
has got everything except Formosa and
the moneyed consideration which China
gave Japan.
"She got the Lao Tung peninsula" said
| DR.. X amer, ''and Korea. TO whose inde
pendence Japan was fighting, aside from
her own minor interests, Russia controls
instead of China. 1t is Russian intrigue
that has caused the recent murders in
Seoul. The King Of Korea, instead OF be-
| ing king is a miserable old woman
! mere putty in the hands of the Russian
! intriguers.
'"The Ministers in Korea who have been
favorable to Japan have been put out OF
office and others favorable to Russia have
been put in. 1 have no idea that Russia
for moment wants Korea. That would
simply put ner in trouble with other
nations to hold her position there. All
she wants to do is to keep Japan off the
continent of Asia. She wants to contine
| her to the islands.
"That is why Russia insisted that Japan
let go of the Lao Tung peninsula. Japan
| lost that and control over Korea, and
while she go: an indemnity of $50, ,00O, 600
| yen the cost of her war was 225, COG. COO
! yen. So it might be asked what good it
did Japan anyway, and it may be replied,
as was stated before, that she got simply
some glory and better standing with the
| nations of the world.
Russia has an agent in Korea, :.and in
Japan as Envoy and Minister, with resi-
dence at Toxic, is the noted Russian,
| diplomats in the world, who is credited
with causing all the trouble in Bulgaria a
few years ago. Personally he is one of the
most affable ana charming of men.
at is believed throughout japan and
China that the agent of the Russian Gov
ernment in Korea is under the direct con-
troll of Hitrovo, and that they are IN
] triguing together for Russia"
| DR.. Kanner will remain in America only
about month. He was in this coun-
try during the Worlds Fair. He will
| return here in October and study the
political campaign.
The Zeitung, which he represents, is
| published at Frankfort-on-the-Ma and
though it has but 10000 inhabitants, the
paper is one of the most influential politi-
| cally and commercially in all Germany. 1t
circulates among the higher classes.
1t has, through long years and the exer-
else of great care. attained reputation
| for accuracy second probably to no paper
in Europe. The Zeitung is like the Bible
to its readers. Strange as it may appear
it's circulation is but 10000. The paper is
sold for pfenig (or about ~ cents), a
Gum equal to cents here.