The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-15
THE ANGLO-JAPANEsE ALLIANCE

The ANGLO-JAPANESE ALLIANCE
The consummation of the Anglo Japan
csc alliance, marked by the exchange OF
congratulations between the royalties OF
each nation, yesterday, is no doubt a sur
prise to those who have yolubly descanted
upon the Isolation" of Great Britain, and
who have been amusing themselves pre-
dieting rapid disntegration of the Brit
ish empire. John Bull has not lost his
cunning. He is not in his senility.
The power having the most valuable
interests In the orient to defend; having
such an asset as India and Burmah, the
latter coterminous with southern China,
and the largest trade with China and the
east, with the sentinel post Hongkong a
center Of commercial and financial &C
tlvity, Great Britain has made a shrewd
move in effecting an alliance with the
vigorous Japan, only thirty odd years
emerged from oriental seclusion and eff
fectively appropriating all the IDEAS OIL
the advanced civilization of the western
nations which can best help her strong
ambition to be potential factor In the
determining counsels of the world. The
alliance is an emphatic protest against
the Russian program of absorption OF Cnl-
nese territory and it speaks as emphat-
fcally as the young and progressive Japan
and the old and powerful British empire
can do it. ,...- ~s..-
Does the alliance mean war? 1t would
tip1, nf
war There are those who have been pre-
dieting for some time war between
Japan and Russia. Senator Beverage,
who has been on a tour of observation IN
the far Orient, seems to think war is in
evitable, Judging from a paper he con-
tributed to a recent issue Of the Phlla-
delphia Saturday Evening Post on Ihe
Coming War Between Russia and Japan,
in which he suggests the definite plan OIL
Russia, ever since she sWindled CHINA
out of maritime Manchuria forty years
ago, to bide her time and opportunity Tor
the seizure Of southern Manchurla. Rus
sia is patient. When checked she waits.
The Boxer uprising in China gave the
opportunity to complete her occupation OF
lower Manchuria. She Is there and Will
stay there. She began her attempt 10
Russify Korea quarter Of century ago.
When Japan whipped China in 1894, Rus
STA interfered and prevented Japan from
occupying that country, as she wanted IL
herself Japan fought that war to as
sert her claim to Korea. The new al
lance settles the question of Russia's re-
1ations to Korea. 1t is given out
that the chief object of the compact is to
maintain the Integrity of China and
Korea. Will the allies attempt to drive
Russia out of Manchuria? Will the Eu-
ropean powers who contributed money
and blood to rescue their delegations at
Picking and crush the Boxer uprising unite
in a crusade to restore Manchurla tc
China? Hardly. France is the ally OF
Russia and she will not WELD her sword
against her. Moreover, France holds on
to her colonies, Anam and Tonquin, terri
tory which she stole from China. Ger
many sticks to Kiao Chow and very ex-
tensive hinterland in Shantung province
which she jockeyed out of China, and she
will not NEEDLE with Russia's acquisitions
of a felonious character. Russia viii
stay in Manchuria, but there is very lit
tie doubt that the Anglo-Japanese al
lance will make her modify the "conces-
sions" she got out of China by the secre
treaty against which the United States
Great Britain and Japan have very Wig
orously protested, because under it Rus
STA would be able to dominate CONNER.
cial, financial and municipal affairs in the
province and seek to monopolize trade b.
closing Niuchang and other ports to othel
nations, including ourselves, an operation
which would hurt our large cotton goods
trade through those ports. Our gov
eminent demands equal rights With Rus
STA to enter Manchuria for trading pur
poses and 1t will insist upon such ia
cilities under any other domination. Ou1
government naturally is satisfied with tn
Anglo-Japanese alliance, for it will carr!
out the principle of maintaining the in
tegrity of China, which our government
insisted upon during the peace negotia
lions of 19O0-1901 against the evident dis
position or France, Germany and Russia
to enlarge their spheres" The al
lance, in seeking to protect the importan
business interests represented by 1t, Is
concurrently, protecting and furtherin!
our own substantial interests in China.