New-York tribune., 1902-02-14
DEBATE IN BOTH HOUSES.
GOVERNMENT LEADERS REFUTE AT
TEMPTS TO DISCREDIT TREATY

Anglo-Japanese treaty of alliance COM
municated to the United States Government be-
fore it's text was published, and If so, whether
the government of the United States expressed
any opinion thereon, said the substance of the
agreement communicated to the United
States Government before publication. The
United States did not express any opinion on
the subject.
Lord Cranborne added the information that
Manchuria was no more excluded from the
scope of the agreement than any other province
of the Chinese Empire.
The substance of the agreement. Lord Gran
borne also said. was communicated to Germany.
Mr.. Norman subsequently said that he OBJ
jected to the British japanese treaty the
ground that it evidently anti-Russian
threat and that it tied Great Britain to the
wheels Of Japanese policy, whereby she might
be forced to go to against her own in
terests.
DEFENCE OF MUTUAL INTERESTS.
Lord Cranborne explained that the contract
ing parties only bound to undertake
mutual defence OF their interests when the dan
ger was due to the aggression of others, and the
power called upon to help the other must judge
whether the conditions of the treaty had been
fulfilled
Continuing. Lord Cranborne said Russia had
recognized Japans special position in Corea, by
the agreement of 1898. and almost every power
had indOrsed the principle of the open door and
the territorial Integrity of China. The
treaty, therefore, merely along lines already
accepted by almost every power. Great Brit
aims commercial position In China of the
greatest Importance. and who could say what it's
Importance would become in the future, with
China's infinite capacity for expansion? Great
Rritain's commercial position though great.
not unchallenged. Spheres of influence did not
suit her. She wanted the whole of China open
to industrial enterprise. The government was
bound TO take every care in safeguarding it's
commercial rights in the Orient Japans spe-
cial interest w9s governed by her geogra aphicaI
position. Her army and Great Britain's navy
were acting in concert, and were peculiarly able
to maintain the foregoing policy.
FULL SUPPORT OF AMERICA.
Lord Cranborne said in conclusion that he
would supplement his earlier statement regard
ing the United States by saying:
Throughout all the doings in China the rela-
tons between Great Britain and the United
States We're marked by the greatest cordiality.
At almost every crisis and in the of every
small difficulty which has arisen during the
negotiations at Peking. the United States and
British representatives have always acted to-
gether There Is no doubt that In this agree
ment we shall command the full approval of the
government of the United States.
This statement was received with cheers.
Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman the Liberal
leader. thought that the identical interests of
Great Britain. the United States and Japan
could have been sufficiently secured by an in
terchange OF notes. instead of by explicit
dertaking Of this kind.
The government leader. A. ]. Balfour, said
there seemed to be an impression that some
thing hostile to peace behind the agree
ment That not The treaty was not
based on secret information of impending dan
gers, but the broad facts OF British inter
csts The treaty made strongly for peace, be-
cause even the most adventurous nation would
shrink from attacking Japan with the knowI-
edge that Great Britain would also have to be
encountered The treaty was not unfriendly To
other nations. 1t would, Mr. BalfOur hoped.
schools Of thought. which imperilled the worlds
peace. An interchange of notes would have
suited in ambiguity.
LANSDOWNE'S FRANK STATEMENT.
The Foreign Secretary. Lord Lansdowne in
the House Of Lords to-day, made a somewhat
similar reply the subject Of the dual
alliance 10 the made in the House Of Com
mons to-day by the Under Foreign Secretary.
Lord Cranborne. Lord Lansdowne added that
nothing In the agreement did violence to the
accepted policy of the other powers. So far as
the treaty concerned the integrity OF China
Manchuria must be taken forming part OF the
Chinese Empire. The object of the alliance was
threefold-the maintenance of the status quo,
the policy of the open door and the maintenance
OF the peace in the Far East
No other powers interests in the Far East
We're at all comparable with those Of Great
Britain and Japan. While it true that the
alliances of Great Britain with other powers had
been regarded heretofore with considerable sus-
picion ne frankly admitted that the government
going TO be deferred by these conSidera-
tions or admit that because an agreement in
Volved departure from the policy of isolation It
therefore open to adverse criticism. They
all sides the tendency of the great powers
to form groups, and the ever increasing naval
and military armaments. involving increas-
ing burdens on the people.
CHANGE IN POLICY NEEDED.
In these days wars broke with a sudden
50 that the country adopting without reserva-
ton the doctrine that all alliances must be
avoided must be endowed with an extraOrdi-
nary amount Of self -sufTiciency. They must not
be swayed by old fashioned superstition in re-
gard to isolation but must consider whether
the objects of the alliance were cOmmendable
and whether the price was too great. If these
questions satisfactorily answered then an
alliance a good thing. There was much
greater danger in leaving great questions Of
international policy 20 vague. hasty under
standing than IN embodying them explicitly in
an agreement the purport OF which can be
understood
Great Britain desired to protect Japan against
what she conceived to be the gravest peril that
might menace her-namely. a coalition of tne
powers against her The agreement would com
pei Great Britain to come to the rescue OF
friendly country whose obliteration by a coaIi-
tiOn of the powers Great Britain could not under
any circumstances tolerate. The treaty was NOT
connected with the governments decision re-
gardng Wei-Hai- Wei but the maintenance of
the independence of Japan and the protection of
Corea were of the utmost Importance to Great
Britain we'll to Japan.
Lord ROsebery expressed general approval Of
the treaty. He said that the effect of the treaty