The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-08-16
England and Japan.

vi luNbg "o huNV OANNh hoe
point out that at present the interests Of
Japan seem identical with those OF Great
| Britain and the United States In the Far
East, for the reason that all three OF the
Powers named are opposed to any further
mutilation OF China. Under the circum-
stances, the exhibition OF dislike or distrust
Of the Japanese on the part OF representa-
tive English newspapers would seem regret
table. Nevertheless. such sentiments have
| found utterance in the Spectator. the West-
minister Gazette and the Times. and have
naturally provoked resentment at Toxic.
1t is now satisfactory TO find a very differ
ent feeling expressed in the August number
Of the National Rerieip. which. II is well
known, Is n mouthpiece Of an influential
section Of the Salisbury Cabinet.
The usually sober-minded Spectator is
haunted. strange 10 say. with the " Yellow
Terror, " and opines hat the spectre Is GER
tain to materialize should the Japanese ever
acquire ascendancy at Pekin. IL entirely
overlooks the probability that the actual
crisis in the Chinese capital would not have
occurred had the Shimonoseki Treaty been
carried out in It's original form, which CAV
IL VIII Db ItIHciIlDtIcu' lHo llhOluhk
peninsula to the Japanese. TIL possession
OF Port Arthur would nave made the Mika-
dos Envoy ~preponderant at Pekin. and
we may be sure that his warning against
the violation OF a sacred international duty
would have been received with Difference.
II Lord RosEBERY. who was then Prime
Minister. had seen ft to back Japan. the
~interposition OF Russia. France and Ger
many would have been fruitless. and the
treaty Just mentioned would have been
fulfilled. We surmise that the ex-Premier
regrets that he did not take that position.
and that he now congratulates himself
upon the fact that, at all events. he did not
cooperate actively with the intervening
Powers, but kept a passive attitude.
The a~ntipathy disclosed by the Spectator
and by Mr.. FREDERICK GREENwooD's at
tack upon the Mikado's subjects in the
Westminster Gazette was sufficiently irritat-
ing. but it seems that intelligent Japanese
are even more aggrieved by a letter
published in the London Times from Mr..
FREEMAN MILFORD. who was formerly in
the diplomatic service. and is enormously
supposed to be a spokesman Of official
opinion. Mr.. MILFORD had 10 acknowledge
that the attitude taken by the Japanese
Government in the present Chinese crisis is
worthy Of all praise, but he proceeded TO
caution the readers OF the Times not
TO allow Admiration for this fascinat-
ing and energetic people to lead us
into playing their game TO our own
peril" What il the game" and what Is
the "peril'" Mr.. MILFORD answers that the
national character Of Japan is restless and
aggressive in the highest degree. and that
her great ambition is TO become the military
leader Of a vast Manchu-C hinese-Japanese
League. The implication is that the pur-
pose OF such a league would be TO revive
the design of GENGHIs Khan and his sue
cessors and effect a complete conquest OF
the West. As the National Rerietr suggests.
Mr.. MILFORD seems TO consider 1t better
that Europeans should be massacred by the
Chinese than be rescued by the japanese.
The National Rerie,c. for its part. declares
that the development Of The England OF
the Far East " into a flrst-class Power Is I'M
reservedly welcome to the overwhelming
mass Of Englishmen. Lord RosEBERY, it
says, is now "~applauded by all parties for
declining to Join the anti-Japanese concert.
and, to-day, the only reflection upon his
policy arises from the feeling that he ought
to have gone a good deal further in sup
porting the Japanese" Far from agree
ing with Mr.. MILFORD that England ought
10 assist Russia in excluding Japan from
northern China. most EnRlishmen hold, it
says hat there is plenty OF room for both
Japan and Russia in hat region. but that
the ultimate possession OF Corea is abso-
lutely vital to the Japanese II they are to
remain a great Power.
1t is understood that the Mikado's Gov
eminent was prepared from the early part
Of June. when the situation at Pekin became
perilous, to and In China within a few days
a fully equipped field force OF O,OOO or
90 1000 men. an army which would have
reached the Chinese capital by the end OF
June or the beginning Of July: that is TO say,
in ample time. as we now know, to deliver
the legations. Naturally. however, before
moving. the Toxic statesmen desired
TO receive a definite mandate from other
Powers which would guarantee them
against a repetition of the treatment
which they received after the close
OF the Chinese war. The National Reriep
declares that history will require an answer
70 the question why such a mandate was
not given. and 1t expresses the hope that.
when the facts are made known. 1t will he
found that from the outset the British Gov
eminent, at any rate was ready TO place both
its financial credit and its sea power at the
service Of Japan In the event Of her de-
spatching two army corps to Pekin. II
intimates-we must remember that this
reviews " limitations regarding the acts
OF the British Foreign ONCE are equiva-
lent 10 sem = official admissions that
England urged Germany to beseech
Russia not to object 90 the pro-
posed action on the part OF Japan. but
that the German Government behaved
with characteristic meanness. and exploited
the episode by representing England as
intriguing against Russia" At all events.
the mandate to Japan was not forthcoming
| NJ tha Tina xuhan a. uun,,ll h,,o .o,ol A.