The sun., 1900-09-17
What Japan Has Gained From tho
Capture OF Pekin.

a part Of China-in recognition Of the part
which IL has taken In Che relief OF the lega-
tions. II expects only reasonable peou-
mary indemnity for It's outlay In blood and
treasure. OF this IL Ia assured by the
guarantee received in advance from Great
Britain. Is this all that 1t can hope to
gain by its impressive and probably decisive
demonstration on behalf Of the collective
interests of the treaty Powers in China
This interesting question will be found
answered at some length by the London
National Rerieu for the current MONTH
in an article entitled japan and the New
Far East
The writer Of this article maintains that
the one Power which stands 10 gain enor-
monsly from the new situation In the Far
East is Japan. II would be- hard to over
estimate the advance which she has sud
denly made In dignity and in the respect OF
the civilized world. From a moral point
Of view her position has been revolutioniDed
since the spring Of 1895. when Russia, France
and Germany presumed to rob her OF the
fruits Of victory. II Is but short time
ago, indeed, when Count CAssINr who
WflS, IL VIII DF lilt itpl'oti'N-
ative Of Russia at Pekin before he was
transferred TO Washington, declared that
Russia could not entrust Japan with the
task Of bringing China to order, because
80 10 do would be 4" TO stultify herself, oede
her place TO Japan and lose her prestige
IN the Far East. In that part Of the world"
he continued. prestige means 50 per cent
Of power II there Is any Power, the In
huence Of which should he prevented from
gaining ground in China. It Is certainly
japan, which ia the one Power capable OF
realizing the ideals OF Pan-Mongolism 10
the terror Of all Europe" The very thing,
however, which the Count dreaded has
happened Not only has Japan taken the
leading part in the advance TO Pekin. but
she has taken II because her bitterest
enemies, could not act without her help.
The very Power which was warned of
Chinese soil In 1895. by Russia, Germany
and France. because she was yellow"
and because Russia and Germany wanted
for themselves her conquests in Liaotung
and Shanulng has had TO be begged
20 save the foreigners In Pekin.
The official correspondence which has
been lately published in London shows that
Japan would have moved even moro quickly
and effectively than she did but for the
ungracious, not TO say forbidding. at
tiulde assumed by Germany and Russia.
When the frat outbreak Of the Boxers
occurred, NJ DE GIERs the Russian Minister
nj Pekin insisted that pressure upon China
was needless, and that the Chinese troops
would suppress all disorders Even In
the latter part Of June the Russian Foreign
Of1ce asserted that. in A fortnight from
June 20. the crisis would be over. and that
the insurrection would collapse before
troops from Europe could arrive. This.
NJ course, was tantamount To saying that
Japan's Intervention would he superhuous.
This was not the opinion held In Toxic,
nor fortunately for the besieged legations,
was II entertained In London or In Wash
inEton. England, however. did not act
on her opinion with the quiokness which
the crisis required The fact should not
he lost sight Of that. IA far back as June
II. the Toxic Foreign Ofice Informed the
British Government that Japan was ready
20 send n considerable force to the support
Of Admiral SEYMOUR. provided Great
Britain approved The offer was not then
accepted. though three DAYS later Japan
was civilly assured that England intended
20 act in concert with her and with the
other Powers interested In the restoration
OF order" IL was not until June %, when
the situation at Pekin was recognized
a. critical and the jeopardy OF the legations
was appreciated. that Lord SALISBURY
addressed an urgent appeal to Japan,
asking whether she was not going to send
n larger force than tho body Of about a
Thousand men already despatched. and
suggesting that her geographical position
enabled her to intervene with effect. With
this tardv request Japan now hesitated
10 comply, for several reasons. In the
first place, she had no mind 70 make costly
sacrifices and then to be ordered back
haughtIly from Pekn a second time, az
she had been in 1895. She foresaw COM
plications with Russia, not only while the
,Tapanese soldiers should be operating in
Chih-i, but also after China should have
been humbled She also perceived that,
practically. she was being asked to give
Russia indirect assistance in Manchuria.
for toward the end OF June It was known
in Toxic that Russia was going TO have
trouble, not only along the line of the Man
churian Railway but on the Amur River
itself Above all, it had come TO be rec
ognized that Japan was a poor State.
and that the despatch OF large expedition
70 northern China would impose a severe
strain on her resources. In view OF her
unpleasant experience in 1895 she naturally
wanted guarantees Of decentralization for
the losses that she might suffer in men and
money.
on receiving a response to this effect
lord SALISBURY az once inquired OF the
Gar and of the German Kaiser whether
they would approve Of the landng of some
thirty thousand Japanese troops at Taku.
The Kaiser delayed his answer for six
DAYS. and then said that order could be
restored only by European concert, and
that he could not Judge whether or no
Germany could undertake the respon-
sibhty Of supporting Japan. This he said.
although he was aware that no strong