The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-04-07
China's Insult in 1894 Seems Now
Largely imaginary.
RUSSIA Is STILL DETERMINED
She VIII Now Allow Japan 10 Force
China to Pay the War Indemnity
When It is Due Next Month and
Wei-Hai-Wei May be Lost.
Correspondence Of The TimesD
Tokyo, Japan, March u, 1898.

men must draw literally upon his imagi-
nation IL he desires to report satisfac-
tory result. IL is not because there Is
any difficulty I'm securing the interview.
Send I'm your card. and If the Minister Is
not actually engaged, M viii receive you.
II Is also dollars to peanuts that, unless
the correspondent is the most obtuse ass,
he will wish that such business as In
terviewlng did not exist. before he has
been live minutes I'm the Minister'S pres,
| ence. lie will overwhelm him with
politeness that makes him conscious OF
! being obtrusiye, impairment, and what ls
! worse, a fool
Suppose you and I go 10 Kojimachi, to
| the official residence OF Marquis Ito IL
| is a modest but neat two-stOry house in
| our style of architecture, and not far
| from the Gaimecho or Foreign Office n
young page dressed in the national cos
tune Of Kimono gown. haori. (crested
crepe mantleD, and hakama- (bi-furcsted
petticoats), takes our cards and We are
| invited TO enter q large, handsomely
| furnished room to the left He points
out chairs with an: 20 Kaki nasi' or
| take a seat sol presently returns with
some LilliputiaB cups OF tea and box
| containing charcoal TO light your cigar
| or cigarette. and with "tadaima' which
! means Din the sweet by and by. leaves
1 US. NvN thtIClSt your sONi III BhNltiS@s
| Time is no object TO a japanese. You
| are wondering perhaps what business
| so many Japanese have I'm this room.
| Well. they are taking our measure ana
| II we could hear their estimate OF us,
| we would not feel flattersd. After
| while a gentleman dressed In an imma-
| oulate cut-away suit comes in and IN
| PRODUCES himself as Marquis lto's secre-
! tary What might be- our pleasure? An
1 ruEa " ~ q
| Gazette? Why, certainly. The Marquis
| knows all about that famous publication.
| Was i'm fact, Just thinking of subscribing
\ for Il: has confessed, privately OF course
that he could nor do without IT," You
| begin to feel Ike asking: What are you
giving us? You feel that he is making
fun OF YOU that he Is taking your mea-
sure, and that he hides with difficulty
| the amusement you afford him, under
this mask OF politeness But this Is only
! the man. here comes the master. the
| secretary drops his aggressive politeness
i and SAYS simply, but with good deal or
dignity. This Is Marquis Ito"
II you intended 10 take a mental picture
| OF this man. one Of the few survivors OF
| the generals or statesmen of the Revoin-
| ton YOU stop at the eyes There Is an
| expression combining contempt, haught-
| mess. boredop, and amusement In these
| amOnd-shaped eyes, as he prepares 10
| listen. and withal that expression con-
veys 10 you the conviction that you have
no business here. that you are intruding,
and you begin 10 wish yourself well out
of here. But you are here in the pursuit
of your duty and. confound II, no saffron
colored almond eyed son OF Japan Is go
ing 10 interfere with your business. You
have an uncomfortable feeling that Ito
Is reading your thoughts and plunge into
the subject with the courage of despair.
Ito Is non-committal. Although very
fair English scholar, he has the happy
faculty of forgetting a word or express
sion and, while he IA evidently hunting
for It. the subject is changed. II any
| correspondent OF a foreign paper wishes
10 Interview Japan's Premier or has in
| terviewed him. l am prepared 10 take
heavy odds that can write down tbs
bona hde answers he has received. Those
prompted by Imagination, do not under
take to fathom.
THE JAPANESE STYLE.
1t IS humilating and unsatisfactory. but
the fact remains. The late Col. John A.
Cockerill. who was decidedly a type Of the
best and most alert of American news
papermen. was at headquarters waiting
for the transports TO 90 TO Wei-hai-wei
The authorities had promised him a pas
sage and he was watching: yet the trans
ports were four days on their way before
the Colonel knew that he was left. The
japanese press. although they have in
troduced interviewing. considers that it,
patriotic duties precede those owed Il
the public. In times like these, when tn,
very national existence is threatened. tn,
government needs only give a hint thai
| publicity must be avoided. and the papers
| are silent. Remember how during the
war with China. the native press Of Japar
furnished complete and detailed account.
| OF past events but not one of the paper:
would have entertained the idea of posi-
bly, interfering with the government,
| plans by attempting TO unveil the future
There is a most remarkable absence OF
articles on the crises in the far East. TIL,
fact Is mentioned that China has Off
cially applied for an extension Of tim'
for the payment due May Sth. and alst
that the government has declined 10 ac
cede to the request. The Yomiuri saw
that It Is convinced that the European
powers I'm dealing with China have al
some well-defined policy which they ar
resolved 10 pursue. That policy though
not the same I'm every case Is always n.
of a power having interests I'm China. I
Is only natural therefore that our gov
eminent too should have definite
Chinese policy TO abide by with deter
1 minatOn. The YOmiuri. however doubt
II the present Foreign Minister has an,
|
| IL follows Zip this remark with It's char
acteristic structures on the general polio
Of the new incumbent as compared witt
that Of his predecessor.
| IL concludes with: Let there be a re
solute Chinese policy; and there will b
nothing to worry about in the prone
solution Of the indemnity question. For
| TO grant the delay or not, may easily b
decided upon according as the policy ma,
| permit such a. step or not"
Rather indefinite fancy. but that /
| the style of most OF the Japanese editors
| They start with an important headin
and end In insignificant generalities. i
| thu mean while the government Is pre-
| pairing for the worst. II China has no
the money. why. Japan must be able I
| do without il. III Russia can prevent II
| the Peking Cabinet will not be able I
| pay and e will be with some inwar
| satisfaction that the sages of the Tsun
: | II yamen (Foreign Office will ask Q
( | Japan. What are you going to do abou
IL? You will see that when the Sth q
May comes. Japan will make an officis
, | demand for the instalment then due;
I | she Is foolish or rather bold enough 70 d
; | so under threats. Russia will declare tina
China stands under It's protection; tina
| China has no money and that II woul
| be best for Japan TO remit the balanc
| and eyacuate Wei-hai-wei And FINAL
that refusal to follow this friendly az
vice will endanger the peace of the IA
| East and will be considered as an vi
friendly act. This forecast is subject
Japans making threat at China's d.
fault Ito knows now what dreadfl
!, blunder he made when he gave in 10 N