New-York tribune., 1901-10-21
JAPAN AND RUSSIA.

| The remark is again made by qualified OBJ
| servers that Japan is preparing for war with
| Russia. II is probably true as it has hitherto
! been true. 1t does not necessarily mean that
] war is inevitable or near at hand. France and
| Germany have been preparing for war with
| each other for the last thirty years, but they
| are to-day further fIom actual war than at any
other time in all that period. 1t is necessary for
| Japan TO be in constant state OF preparation
! for war with Russia. But the more complete
her preparation is the less is the danger of war.
Russia never resorts to war with a strong and
prepared power when it is possible TO avoid 1t.
Her victories and conquests have been those of
diplomacy and intrigue rather than OF battle,
and in such ways will she doubtless endeavor
to attain her ends in China and Corea, and she
will not fight Japan if fighting can be avoided.
A noteworthy example of Russias methods is
afforded by the case of Manchuria. When Rus
sa proposed to China the famous Manchurian
Agreement, which was to cede Manchuria to
Russia and to establish Russian protectorate
over more than half of the Chinese Empire and
began taking steps to coerce China into accept
ing il, Japan demonstrated in no uncertain
terms, and insisted that she must have a voice
in any partitioning of the Chinese Empire which
might be undertaken. To this Russia replied
in a note which enthusiastically suave
and courteous, but which, nevertheless init
mated pretty plainly that what Russia did in
China was none of Japan's business. That
came dangerously near to causing open trouble.
But the Japanese Government controlled its
temper, and began the preparation Of retOrt
as courteous and certainly as forcible the
Russian note TO the effect that Japan meant to
make the fate of China very much her business
That second message was not sent. however for
the reason that Russia learning what its pur-
port would be- abandoned her extraordinary
claims and let the Manchurian Agreement drop
In fact. however. Russia is practically enforc-
ing the Manchurian Agreement. at least in Man
churia itself. That province is now substan-
tally a part of the Russian Empire Russia
has closed its treaty ports and has forbidden
the entrance of Americans or other foreigners,
and in nearly all respects is acting as though
the Manchurian Agreement had been signed in
stead of being dropped: and the latest report Is
that she is reviving for formal signature the
same old agreement under a slightly different
guise Japan all this. She remembers, too,
that at the close of her own war with China
she proposed to retain possession Of a small bit
of Manchura and that Russia strenuously OBJ
jected. declaring that at all odds the territorial
integrity of the Chinese Empire on the main
land must be preserved. Japan is now asking
by what right Russia now does the very thing,
only on a much larger scale, which Japan
forbidden to do. That is what enrages Japan
and causes her TO prepare for war with the ut
most zeal She sees that she was compelled TO
retire from and to relnQush her lawful spoils
of war not that China might he saved from
spoliation but that those selfsame spoils might
be seized by Russia.