Evening star., 1903-12-23
THE EASTERN CRISIS.
Important Opinions Thereon Reported
From Pekinc

G4VW Z ch1uS.
PEKING, December 23-That war be-
tween Japan and Russia cannot be averted
IS said to be the opinion of the two men,
bers of the diplomatic corps at the Chinese
capital whose opinions regarding the pres
ent critical condition Of affairs in the far
east are probably most valuable, namely
Japanese Minister Uohida and Sir Ernest
Mason Satow. Their views. in fact, are no
secret. ,Htt 90
Minister Satow was connected with the
British diplomatic service in Japan for a
quarter of century. He is one of the
greatest living authorities on Japanese his
tory and literature. and is in constant COM
munication with the foremost statesmen Of
Japan. He Is quoted as saying that any
one who tmagines that Japan will not fight
for what she conceives to be her greatest
interests does not know the japanese peo-
pie.
Minister Uchida is an adherent Of the
Young Japan Party and has always ad-
vocated war, If necessary, to secure the
evacuation of Manchuria.
Expects China to Suffer.
Sir Robert Hart. director of Chinese inn
perial maritime customs, said today that
he feared China would be the chief sufferer
should war occur, for she might be ground
between the two millstones.
The decadence of the Chinese govern
ment has never. been more complteiy dis
played than in these times. when her min
listers go from legation to legation implor-
ing other governments to help China, with
out any thought Of China's helping her
self. There is absolutely no strong man
among the ruling ministers-no Prince
Chung, Marquis Tseng nor Ii Hung Chang
all are venerable conservatives like
Prince Ching.
Despairs Of China's Future.
WI Ting Fang. the well-known ex-minis-
ter to the United States, tells his official
friends that he despairs of China's future
Il see no hope" he says, "for China. The
partition of the empire sooner or later is
inevitable"
He is disgusted with official life at Pc
king, and proposes to resign his present
position at the first opportunity. His ex-
perience is that of the majority Of the en-
lightened Chinese officials. He did good
work in negotiating the commercial trea-
ties recently signed and was summoned to
Peking and given the vice presidency Of
the board Of commerce.
China Needs an Able Man.
The president of this important board is
Prince Tsai-Chen, a youth whose only
qualification Is the fact that he took hur-
ried trip around the world when he rep
resented China at the coronation of King
Edward Yet he vetoes most of the prac-
tical proposals made by the other mem
bers of the board. ~
The greatest encouragement prevails
among the provisional officials who come
to Peking. They all declare that they
never before found the government so
lacking in able men.
Views Of Japanese Minister.
LONDON. December 23.-Baron Hayashi.
the JAPANESE minister here, in an inter-
view with a8rep resentattve of the Asso-
ciated Press, said:
Nothing has actually been arrived at
between Great Britain and Japan regard
Ing the course Of action Great Britain will
pursue in the, event of a Russo-Japanese
war, beyond, the snpulations of the Anglo
Japanese treaty."ax
The minister, while admitting some such
for the support OF Japan by
Great Britain provided Japan agrees to
accept q certain specified compromise, as
surmised by the German embassy, fails to
see how Japans demands can be mod
Grated.
Il am getting very pessimistic regarding
the eventual outcome" he said ''but do
not expect the question Of peace or war to
be settled until after the new year. If the
dispute can only be settled by war the pres
ent delay, of course, is greatly to Russia s
a4sfs
In common with other diplomats In Lon
don, Baron Hayashi shares the belief that
Russia's reply Is not likely to be decisive.
o