The Saint Paul globe., 1898-08-07

Hands of the POwers--Japan
Forced to Yield to Pressure
How Russia Was Treated in the
Berlin Treaty in 1873.
From the New York Tribune.
To the people of this country as well
as the friends of the United States on
yorder side of the ocean, one of the
most gratifying utterances made by
President Mckinley is the declaration
that he would permit no foreign power
to intervene between his government
and that of Spain with view to the
conclusion of the war. and that any
demand for peace must be addressed
by Spain herself directly to Uncle Sam
without affording the slightest preteXt
to any ruler of the Old World to act
as broker in the matter, or to demand
the usual territorial fees for services
thus rendered. This statement on the
part of the president is all the more
timely as, now that the end of the con-
f1ict is in sight disposition is appar-
ent at Berlin, St Petersburg, Paris and
in other continental capitals to subject
any demands which the United states
may make upon Spain as conditions of
peace to the same shaving down pro
cess by the great powers as that TO
which so many other treaties of peace
have in times past been subjected. In
fact, it is asserted in dispatches from
Europe that an agreement has already
been entered into by France, Germany,
Russia and Austria, with a view to the
organization of an international con-
gIess, to ln<e ct either at Berlin or at
Paris, for the purpose of discussing and
deciding just which of the demands
made upon Spain by the United States
H. loI H. 11A y
which rejected. The congress in ques-
tiCn would, il is mentioned, work on the
same lines as that which met in 1873
in the German capital to revise the
treaty of San Stefano, which marked
the conclusion of the sanguinary war
between Turkey and Russia, and the
mere reference by the European powers
to this Berlin congress of 1878 in con-
nection with the one which they pro-
pose to summon for dealing with the
Spanish-American treaty of peace con-
stitutes pretty trustworthy indica-
; ton that they look forward to melting
out the same shabby treatment to the
United States as that which fell to the
share of Russia exactly twenty years
ago.
GERMANY DEFIED POWERS.
1t is worthy of note that with the
exception of the treaty of Frankfort,
able struggle between Germany and
France in 1S10-'71 ha. dly a single na-
tion has been permitted to enjoy the
full measure of the fruits of its victor
les or to retain possession Of what the
defeateH pow r lad b en- wiling to con-
cede IL order to bring about the ter
nination of the hostil tics
The most recent instance in point is
that of Turkey, the victorious march
Of IL
half millicn of men upon Athens was
stopped within a few hours distance
Of the Hellenic capit-l by an o; d from
the great powers of Europe, Which
has now b. en- forced not only to restore
the conquered Giesk province of TheS-
sally to King George, but likewise to
consent TO d reduction of the war in
demEity from $4,000 001 to $10,010,C00
The Greeks have not even been called
upon TO give up their fleet to Turkey,
and, in fact, have pract cally ,ost moth
ms save honor and glory by their
ignominious defeat at the hands Of the
Turks, the war indemnity having been
practically paid by the great powers,
Eeo save joint guarartce for the loan
raised abresd for the purpose of its
setteKs.ft.
JAFAS YIESA OS TO PRESSURE.
The mikado suffered much the same
fate as the sultan. For, as in the case
Of the latter, the victorious march Of
his Wagnificent army of several hun
AIRED Thousand men upon the enemy's
capital, namely, Peking, was stopped
by q combination of powers composed
OF Russia, Germany and France. Not
content with this, the triumvirate of
powers in question took upon them
selves tC revise the treaty OF Simono-
seki concluded between the Japanese
and Chinese plenipotentiaries, accord
ing to the terms of which China recog-
nized JaPan's rights in Corea, and, in
addition to a relatively moderate in
demnity q think the amount was about
SI3U, coo O0O, consented to certain terri
torial concessions to Japan on the
mainland of China. The triumvirate
dtciiped to permit the execution of this
SlEonoscki treaty, cut down the war
Indemnity by one-half declined to ad-
init Japan's rights in Corea, or the
territorial concessions made to her by
China Oh the mainland and restricted
the territorial gains of Jaran in con-
nectloE with the war to the island of
FormCsa, which owing t. the savagery
o. the native races by which it is in
habited, or, rather, infes; ed has never
been of any use to China and has been
only source of expenditure of vast
amounts of blood and treasure to the
mlKado since he optalneu possession
thereof.
Had japan received at that moment
the slightest hope of any backing from
either the United States or from Great
britain, she would certainly never have
consented to submit to such a gross
piece of injustice on the part Of Rus
sia, Germany and France, who, as
shown since, had in view not so much
the greatly vaunted integrity of China
as their own selfish interests But
finding himself quite alone, face to face
with this combination of powers, the
emperor of Japan, somewhat foolishly,
In the opinion of those best able to
sjudge, submitted to being shorn of all
the fruits of his magnificent victory,
almost losing his throne shortly after
ward In consequence of his surrender
Still more S just was the treatment
to which RursEa herself was subjected
by the tSeaty ef Berlin Of 1873, to which
reSs-cnce has been made above. and
rShich, according to the great powers
Is to serve as q basis for the revision
Of the treaty of peace between the
United States and Spain. Russia had
shed rivers Of blood to deliver the Bal
kan states from Turkish thraldom. Yet
the czar was not allowed to annex anv
OF these states, or even to take the
place Of the sultan as their suZerain.
The treaty which he had concluded
with Turkey at San Stefano-that is
to say, within three hours march and
within sight of Constantinople, from
the ~ rrhio ioI, ~.