The sun., 1903-11-17
A TREATY PORT AT WT.JU.


Our Government has asked Corea to open
the little port OF VII ju to the trade Of foreign
nations. circumstance favoring the
probability that our request will be granted
IL the fact that Corea has been willing for
months to make Witt treaty port and In
all probability would have opened 1t to
foreign trade early this fall II 1t had not been
for the opposition of Russia.
Perhaps few towns so inconsequential,
dirty and uniniting have ever attracted
| 30 much attention as Wi-ju has ayoused in
the last few years. Its prominence has been
due to its political position on the frontier,
with Russia just across the border, and not
to material development.
It stands on the east bank Of the Yalu,
the fine, navigable river that forms large
part Of the boundary between Manchuria
and Corea. Twelve miles from the sea, the
town overlooks lakelike widening OF the
river, like that of the Hudson between lrv-
inpton and Haverstraw. Across this water
expanse the people Of Wi-ju SEQ the Man
churian town Of Antung, which is to be
opened as treaty port under the provisions
Of our commercial treaty with China signed
last month; and the obvious advantage to
into both Manchuria and Corea on opposite
sides Of the river has doubtless instigated
| our request that Wi-ju be opened to COM
| merce.
Through Wi-ju and Antung passes the
imperial road that for ages has been the
great highway between Seoul and Pekm'
Until the Chinese-Japancse War the towns
men of Wi-ju saw every year the long pro-
ceesion Of carts and pack animals bearing
to the Emperor OF China the annual tribute
Of his vassal the King Of Corea They
heard also the guns Of the greatest sea fight
| between China and Japan of the mouth OF
| their river.
The intrigues, the moves and counter
moves relating to Wi-ju and Yongampho'
the Corean port at the mouth OF the falu,
In which the foreign representatives at
Seoul and the Corean court have been con-
cerned within the last year, have been
numerous. As far as they have come to
| light they are faithfully recorded in the
Korea Repository, reliable monthly pub
lished in English at the capital.
In June last the Repository said, in an
| editorial, that the Government Of Corea had
announced It's perfect willingness to open
| Wi-ju to the trade of tho world. II added
that the floor was now open for an inter-
national debate on the question and that
Japan would doubtless lead the discussion
in favor of Wi-ju as a treaty port and that
Russia would follow in the negative. Russia
was opposed to an open port at Wi-ju be-
cause ut would be too much like side door
| to Manohuria, which Russia was trying to
close to all outsiders.
| On Aug % last 1t was unofficially reported
| In Seoul that the Corean Government had
decided to open Wi-ju as treaty port This
report was confirmed on Sept. 4, when the
Minister Of Foreign Affairs announced to
the representatives of the Powers that
Pyeng-Yang, then an open port, would be
closed and Wi-ju would be opened to the
trade Of the nations; but the port was not
opened, and the reason was that Russia
and France opposed 1t.
Since Russia secured the privilege OF oc-
cupying Yongampho, the deep water port at
the mouth Of tho Yalu, on the ostensible
| ground that she needed this base in order
conveniently to guard the timber lands to
| the East Of the Yalu which Corea had leased
to her, the British and Japanese Govern
:nents have been 60 ger to have this excellent
harbor declared open to commerce. The
manner In which Russia secured this lease Is
interesting and illustrates her pertinacity
at tho Court OF Seoul.
On Aug. rs last the Russian Minister went
| TO the Foreign Office in Seoul and urged that
the lease of Yongampho, which had been
previously discussed. be granted at once.
The Corean Minister declared that this was
| impossible Two days later the Russian
Minister repaired again to the Foreign Office
and remained there till o clock In the even
Ing before he finally accepted the plea that
the Minister OF Foreign Affairs was ill and
could not zee him. The representative OF
Russia then declared that he would have
nothing more to do with the Foreign Minister,
but would appeal directly to the Emperor.
He did 30 with the greatest promptitude,
and few days later the Russians tri-
umphantly occupied Yongampho, where they
erected sixty houses, IN which they have
comfortably bestowed themselves. On the
day the lease WAS granted the japanese
Minister cent a letter to the Foreign Office in
which he said that If Corea should grant the
Russian demand relating to YongaInpho the
fact would be considered as equivalent to &
Reputation of the friendly relations between
Corea and Japan. The friendly relations
may have been strained, but evidently not
to the breaking point.
Meanwhile the railroad construction be-
tween Seoul and Wi-ju is making very slow
progress The concession was granted to
q French syndicate in 1896, but in 1900 it
was reclaimed by the Corean Government,
which declared its purpose to build the road.
The first section. to Songdo, fifty miles from
the capital, is not yet completed. The
! Government declares that, as time and
funds permit. the line will be pushed on to
Wi-ju and thlt ultimately 1t will doubtless
come into touch with the Manchurian line
and Europe. This prophecy has been hailed
with delight by the more intelligent Coreans,
which indicates that they are getting COM
pletely out of their shell and can no longer
properly be- called the Hermit Nation.
what Vienna Motormen Swear To.
From, the London Morning Adrrrtlser.
! The text OF the oath administered TO men who