The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-07-17
iAPANS GREAT STRIDE
Recognized as an Equal BY All the
Great Nations.
THE NEW TREATIES OPERATIVE.

1Tohty NVUhVub W hAoh HAhNc Deou IA
Vogue For Halfa Centurysupplanted
by Entirely New Methods OF Proceed
ure in Dealingwith Friendly Nations
Washington, July 1.-THE new
treaty between the United States and
Japan goes into effect today, as does
also new treaties between Japan and
nearly all of the countries Of Europe
and some of the South American re-
publics. It is an event Of far reach
ing Importance in the relations be-
tween Japan and the United States, as
It does away with the treaty methods
which have been In vogue for nearly
SO years and substitutes an entirely
new method Of procedure. The same
is true in the relations Of Japan with
other countries. Taken az whole the
many new treaties which go into eff.
feet today place Japan on an entirely
as she is recognized for the first time
as an equal in every respect.
Mr.. Jutaro Komura, the present jap
anese minister In Washington, was
seen at the japanese legation and gave
an interesting outline Of the more i'm
portant features Of this arrangement.
He said:
1.-THE 18th OF July marks the turning
point in the diplomatic history, not
ony Of Japan, but of the Oriental
countries in general. 1t will be the
first instance In which the western
powers have recognized the full sover-
eighty of an Oriental state This ac-
ton of the enlightened nations Of Eu-
rope and America shows that If any
country is ready to assume full
share In the responsibility and affairs
of the world at large these old and en-
lightened powers are ready to admit
such a country to full comfy among
nations. So we regard the advent of
this treaty as very important step,
not only for Japan, but for all the ma
tons of the east.
THE countries with which Japan
has made new treaties are the United
States, Great Britain, Germany, Rus
STA, France, Austria, Italy, Spain, Por-
tugal. Belgium, Holland, Denmark,
Sweden and Norway, Switzerland and
Peru. All of these go into effect to-
day, except those with France and
Austria, which are deferred until Aug.
4. With most of these countries Japan
had treaty relations before, but they
were crude and unsatisfactory.
"To understand the change 1t Is
necessary to look at the system under
the old treaties. This was essentially
based on two principles. First, that
ON In To chn1
joy the privileges of extra territorial
ity, that is, they should be amenable
to the laws and jurisdiction of the
consul of their own country, and not
to japanese Jurisdiction, and, second,
that foreign residents in Japan shall
be confined to certain open ports, out
side of which foreigners could not re-
side, own property, or engage in trade.
The result was in effect about Is or IS
systems of courts In Japan, for the
purpose of trying foreigners who COM
nit offenses in Japan. Furthermore.
most of the powers claimed that Jap
anese laws were not binding upon for
eigners. For instance, take our quar-
antine law. While it protected us as
against our own people, yet there was
no protection in the case of an in
fected foreign ship. The only excep-
ton to this refusal to recognize Jap
anese law was the United States, which
recognized from the first the binding
force of the Japanese law
Zone of the bad effects of this sys-
TEN was that foreign residents had
entire immunity from taxation. The
Japanese paid all the taxes. All this
has now disappeared and foreigners
have the same privileges as well as the
same obligations as the Japanese citi-
zens, no more and no less. The first
step in the new system is to put an end
to the old fiction of extra territorialty,
by which foreign citizens were judged
by different standards from Japanese.
'The second essential thing is the
opening Of the entire interior of Japan
to foreign residents and trade. Until
now there have been only five treaty
ports, Yokohama, Nagasaki, Kobe,
Hakodate and Nigatt. In these places
foreigners had been able to live, to
purchase property and to trade, but
outside of there they could not even
travel without special permit These
five places are an insignificant part
of Japan. Henceforth the entire in
terror of the empire, with its popu-
lous cities and inviting fields of in
dustry, are thrown open to foreigners.
They may live anywhere, engage in
any kind of business, and will be as
sured the same protection to life and
property that is given to the Jap
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