Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-05-15
VALUE OF THE ANeLo.JAPANEsE
ALLIANCE.
IJapan Gazette.l


wisdom of the step; only few months
ago the japanese press. or portion q
it, was grumbling that year had gone
by without any tangible results from
that Alliance. Just now. however,
there are no doubts heard from either
quarter as to the value of the tie. Rus.
STA, with that extraordinary effrontery
which the alliance.makers presumably
counted on. is threatening the peace of
the Far East by claiming exclusive SOW.
ereign rights in Manchurla. The ALI.
anCe is thus Immediately brought into
active play. The japanese press duly
welcomes England's protest addressed
to Russia, and the London Times cor.
daily expresses British confidence in
! Japan's steady adherence to the policy
land down in the Alliance. So far, in
fact. the objects of the agreement have
been realized and the perspicacity OF
its authors entirely justified. The inn
mediate result OF its conclusion was
the Manchurian Convention, which
gave Russia check. Then Japan, here
on the spot, watched that there should
be no evasion OF the conditions of that
Convention and no encroachments on
the part of any power which would be
likely to menace the status quo. There
was no aggressive action contemplate.
ed by the parties to the Alliance, such
as the lingo press seemed to expect.
Japan's part was to pursue a pacific
development while watching for any
foreign action that threatened peace.
She has apparently performed her part
satisfactorily. Russia duly executed
the first period evacuation enjoined by
the ManChuran Convention; then Ko-
rea, under Russian pressure, tried TO
discriminate against japanese trade.
and England lent her Influence till the
First Banks notes were restored to
currency; now Russia has failed to
make good her pledge to withdraw on
the second period evacuation, and ia.
pan Is in position to give her Ally mi.
mute details of the facts of that failure,
without which England never takes
mOmentous International action. We
know at least that the facts of he
Russian demands must have been ac-
Curately transmitted because of the
strong protests against their conces.
sion. which have already been put in
by both Great Britain and Japan. A
natural expectation is that. upon Off.
cial Misrepresentation of the facts of
the failure by Russia to implement the
second period evacuation, another
strong identical note will be dispatched
to China. implying the necessity for
its enforcement. In this note 1t is an
ticipated the the United States may
join. These are some of the chief
fruits OF the Anglo-Japancse Alliance
so far. 1t represents force, and force
IT. apparently the only effective argu.
ment with certain powers. In The
first place, the Alliance brings into
concert two powerful navies and ar
mics. There Is no need to dwell on
this point. At the end of last year, OF
ia war vessels in Commission, Eng.
land had about 80 Immediately avail.
able for the Far East, while the Jap
anese Navy could contribute almost as
|
paper, gave a total of 40 battleships
and cruisers, and these could hardly
all be concentrated at one time in the
Far East. It will not be lost sight Of,
however, that any conflict with Russia
would be land rather than a Naval
war, and that Russia has an immense
capacity for raising troops and facili-
ties for transporting them. She
would likewise probably claim the as
sistance OF her Ally, France. But the
preponderatlng naval strength of Great
Britain and Japan would enable the
Allies to keep the seaway open for the
rapid and swift concentration of the
japanese armies in Manchuria and ST.
IBERIA, which might prove the decisive
factor In any war. But the material
: strength gained by the Far East,
through this treaty, is less, in our opin-
ion, than the moral strength. 1t has
become common to admit that Russia
laughs at treaties and agreements.
Russian faith" is becoming an inter,
national by.word. Her present evasion
of the Manchurian Treaty Is considered
what might be expected from Russia
Apparently she gains by such Punic
methods, but there are many who be-
lleve that permanent stability cannot
be built up on any such foundation. II
~ to England's credit that she has es'
tablished an opposite reputation.
England has doubtless faults of pride
stiffness of movement and antipathy
to adapt herself to the times, but for
; eigners like to live under her juris
diction; she does not Cypress and
blunderingly, it may be, sometimes
struggles through the greatest tasks
somehow successfully, holding on to
, ner conceptions of principle. 1t is this
; moral force Of justice and good faith
. that Japan has Joined. and this is the
force that Is fittingly and inevitably
destined to oppose the aggression sus
tanned by Russian bad faith. 1t is a
case of RuSsian formulation Of world