New-York tribune., 1900-10-01
JAPAN AND RUSSIA IN CHINA.

There is a wheel within a wheel in China.
The general problem is how the demands Of all
the Powers are to be met by the Chinese, Gov
ernment In that the United States, Japan and
six or seven European Powers are interested
But within that-or perhaps 1t would be more
accurate to say beside it or apart from it's
the question of the conflicting interests of Japan
and Russia How are the Russian designs of
wholesale conquest to be executed without seri-
ously clashng with the rights and welfare of
Japan? That is nominal1y a smaller problem
than the other, since it appears to involve
directly only two instead of eight or nine
Powers. But it will not be surprising if it
prove actually more difficult of solution and in
the end involve as many factors.
Two details Of current news give point to
these considerations One is the change of
Ministry in Japan. That is significant not of a
change of policy, but rather Of the invioIable
continuity of japanese policy, ut least upon this
one paramount issue. There is no tenable
thought that Lord Ito, who exacted the terms
of peace from China, will be less regardful Of
Japanese interests in China and less resistant
to Russian intrigues and aggressions than his
militant colleague, Marshal Yamagata who won
that war in the field. We may therefore conf
denty expect Japan to remain as hitherto
opposed to the threatened Russian conquest Of
integrity
China and the "open door" and thus in SYM
pathy with the policies of the United States and
Great Britain. The other detail is the official
report of Russian progress in the conquest of
Manchuria. This more than confirms the unofi-
cial reports Of a few days ago. Russia has not
merely seized the Chinese bank Of the Amoor
and the Immediately adjacent territories; she is
sending conquering army down through the
heart OF Manchuria to complete her possession
Of the whole of that vast country. Already
she has taken Kirin, a great city nearly four
hundred miles south of the Amoor and less than
one hundred and fifty miles from the Corean
border, and her army has thence proceeded TO
Moukden, the capital of the Province Of Lao
Tong only sixty miles from Corea on the one
hand and from Chilli on the other. Moukden.
moreover, is the religious capital the Sacred
City, of the whole Chinese Empire, to which the
Emperor and his Court are constitutionalIv
bound to repair al least ONCE year Now. the
shrewdnesS Of Russia in seizing this place and
making it her own is apparent in the fact that
henceforth whenever the Emperor. of China
visits the graves Of his ancestors he will have
to do so on Russian territory, by Russian per-
mission, as a suppliant and thus practically a
vassal and dependent Of Russia
We can imagine nothing more offensive and
justly so, to Japan than this. 1t will be remem-
bered that at the end OF her war with China
Japan proposed, with China's consent as a
part of the moderate rewards of victory which
she claimed, TO retain possession of a tiny
fraction Of Manchuria, merely as a naval sta
ton and point of observation To that Rms
sia strenuously objected on the ground that the
integrity of China must be maintained and she
got Germany and France to join her In forcing
Japan to withdraw. Yet now without even the
pretext OF war or treaty. Russia coolly pro-
ceeds toward the conquest and annexation of
the whole Of Manchuria, a country as large as
France, Spain and Germany united The renlv
Of Japan is yet 70 be learned. 1t is scarcely
conceivable that she will tamely submit to such
action on Russia's part, at least without sub
stantial compensation. She may not undertake
a war TO drive Russia out of Manchuria But
she may declare that partitionng is a game at
which two or more can play as well as one. ard
that If Russia is to have Manchurla she will
take Fu-Kien, including the great cities of Foo
Chow and Annoy. If she should do so it is diff
cult 10 see on what grounds any other Power
could object, unless it had already objected to
Russias conquest of Manchuria 1t would
scarcely be logical to acquiesce in Russia's sefz-
ures and TO object 10 Japan's. If China is 10 be
partitiOned Japan certainly has as good right
10 share as any other Power and better