The National tribune., 1900-08-09
ASIA FOR THE AsiATIcs.
The Reason Why European Statesmen Feal
to Give Japan Too Much Power in China.

The vigorous opposition to giving Japan
the predominating share in the operations
in China is not based so much upon jeal-
ousy as fear. ], They fear an ultimate
Japano- Chinese lalliante, under the leader
ship of Japan. whose motto shall be Asia
for the Asiatics.'S
This idea was apparently uppermost in
the recent debate in the French ParIia-
ment. ". Piou, a Deputy Of the French
Chamber, in the course of his recent in
terpellation concerning the conduct of the
Cabinet in the Chinese, question, said:
From that immense Empire of 400,
100000 of people the European is driven
away as being foreign devil The ia
panese, too, may be a devil but he is not
Il foreign one. He belongs to the same
origin and race as the Chinese. He is his
young relative, relative ambitious, ac-
tive, even disGuieting, but belonging, after
all, to the same religion and the same
blood. Between Japan and China there
are no racial GlEIrrels, but only family
disputes. What should we be, what would
Europe be, if after having allowed Japan
to assume the first place in the combat,
she came to claim the first also in the
fruits of the victory accomplished! What
would we have done but to have increased
the danger by losing another and great
er one, perhapSF
To these words NJ. Henri Turot, who
Travelled quite lately in the Far East, to
study the countries from a moral and po-
litical point of view, has added in the
Petite Rcpublique, of Paris, the following
comments:
.'AIl those who have visited the Far
East will be of the same opinion ex-
pressed by Deputy Piou 1t is a folly to
q he toek nP natf fvtn h.,
reyoted Chinese provinces. Hatred for the
foreigners is at least as acute and violent
in the Mikado Empire as in the Celestial
Empire During my recent voyage l have
been able to notice that insults were no
more spared to the foreigners in the
streets Of Kioto and Osaka than in those
of Canton or Foo-Chow. Nay, in Japan
insults are still less excusabie, since they
proceed from the men who are supposed
best to represent civilization. 1t is, in
deed, almost impossible to pass near a
group Of students and other school follow
ers without hearing words of menace and
without noticing gestures Of contempt. In
China, at least, you do not run the risk
ordinarily of being insulted by other peo-
pie than coolies. 1t is also an error to be-
lieve that the Chino-Japanese war has
angered forever Chinese and Japanese
against each other. For long while on
the contrary, Japan's statesmen, Marquis
Ito among them, have been dreaming of
an alliance of all the yellow people against
those of the white race, and several times
have been opened in that di-
rection. These negotiations have not
reached any result yet, I admit, but it is
sufficient to incite Europe to be on her
guard. 1t would require a great ignorance
of the duplicity and trickery Of Oriental
diplomats to believe for single instant
in the disnterestedness and sincerity of
Japan when she offers her services. Give
her free rein and it won't lie long before
the consequences will be seen. II the Jap
anese go to China they will not fail un-
to organize there fight against
Europe, and to place themselves at the
head Of the Boxers in order to annihilate
the white race" w