Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-12-31
EXCITEMENT IN JAPAN.
fapers there Say European Nations arc
Without International Morality.


Washington, Dec. 3l.--A high state
of public feeling in Japan over the
complications of the Far East. center.
ing in China, is shown by the last
l'ress advises received here from
,sapan. Ihat the government. itself
mas an eye to the gravity of the cues
,'hon Is shown by O statement of tn
! prime minister in the course of a re-
ply TO delegation. He said:
| with affairs tending toward danger
Gus developments as is now the case
IN the East we shall not hesitate to
ASK the Diet for 30000.O00 yen or even
10000 il necessary"
rms was only short time before
| the premier was forced to resign be-
cause OF the public feeling that the
CABINET was too weak to deal with the
descent of the European powers upon
CHINA and the probable disnember-
| ment OF the latter country.
The Jill Shimpo, the most influential
paper In Japan, contains Il scathing
arrangement Of Germany's course. de-
claring the occupation of Kalo Chou
SHOWS that the laws and tenets of
International morality have ceased to
be anything more than specious pre-
tense ny european powers, and that
ths rule by which their conduct Is
really regulated is the flesh of the
weak is the food of the strong" After
declaring that Germany has thrown off
the mask and has taken the lead of
western powers in the struggle to de-
YOUR emma, the paper adds as to the
attitude Of Japan:
The confederation Is on the other
side of the river. but the river is n
narrow one and the sparks may easily
ny across. The lesson for Japan. Is
that country's security depends
solely on its strength to resist agrees
sion, and that aggression has come to
her own gates. 1t will not suffice that
she should be merely on the defensive.
To preserve what one already has. IL
IS sometimes necessary to add more
crisis in the Orient now confronts
Japan. and her undivided strength
must be devoted to guarding against
the perils that menace her"
The Nichi Nichi Shimbun takes a
similar view, declaring that 1t is n part
of the plan of encroachment of Euro
penn nations upon the East. 1t adds
for Japan, that it has the greatest in
terest at stake in these openings. and
that the Japanese foreign office should
lose no time in obtaining from Ger
many clear expose of her purposes.
The kokumin Shmbun says that
Germany's action is a sequel to the
three powers Germany, Russia and
FranceD interference with Japan's
holding Port Arthur after having taken
that fortress, and that as these powers
are again in collision, Japan must dill
gently prepare herself for emergency.
The Nippon says the crisis calls for
resolute foreign policy by Japan and
AYERS that nothing tends to impair am
ity more than tame submission to in
suit and wrong. The course of Ger
many is arraisned as Il fragrant viola
ton of International law.
The Sehuo declares that the time for
the partition of the Chinese empire
has arrived and adds that in the occu-
patton what shall Japan do. Shall she
join in the scramble for pieces of the
doomed state. or shall she oppose its
partition? In such crisis the like of
which has not occurred since the res
toration, the portfolio of the foreign
affairs is in the hands of a man in
whom the nation has no confidence.
The Toxic Shmpo takes the radical
position that 1t is Japan's duty to
succor China at this tuncture on the
ground that the boosted civilization
and Christianity of the Western world
justice in It's descent upon the Orient.
Aside from the excited discussion of |
the problem in China, the Japanese
press is mainly concerned in the coun- |
try's extensive naval and military de |
The expenditures on
be soG5i,721 yen, and next year. 3d. |
100000 yen.
brilliant field maneuvers have been |
executed by the two army corps of the |
North and South, in the presence OF |
many foreign diplomats and military |
experts.
The battleship Yashlma has Just ar
lived from the English shipyards. She
Is the second Of the big battleships
added to Japan's new navy the first
being the Fugi. They are slster ships
II 12,5l7 tons displacement each, of 90
Snots speed and in armament and gem
.ral appearance much like the United
states battleship Indiana The va !