The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-03-08
EDITORIAL
THE MEANING OF THE RUSSOJAPANESE
WAR.

STA has been SmOlderlng, but all the while with
growing heat and ferceness. We have now no
suddenly started confagration, but the violent
outburst of fires long pending. Japan has hated
Russia with a bitter and Unsurpassed hatred
ever since the end of the Chino-Japanese War in
1894. The result of that war was a magnificent
victory for the little island kingdom, a humiliat-
ing defeat for the ponderous but inefficient Gel
estial Empire" China renowned her claim to
suzerainty over Corea, and to Japan she coded
Port Arthur, T~alienwhan, the adjacent islands,
and a considerable strip of territory running in
to Manchuria. Great was the exultation of the
Japanese. But it did not last. Russia looked on
the spoils of war with greedy eyes. For more
than a generation the Cossack had been laying his
plans for the absorption of China, and he re-
solved that the Jap should not keep this foot
hold in the Flowery Kingdom. The Triple ALI
ance-Russia, Germany and France-presented a
formal note to the Japanese Emperor declaring
that Japanese occupation of the coded territory
would be a menace to the peace of the nations and
could not be allowed. While the note was polite
in tone, the Mikado realized that to disobey
meant war, and war with the Triple Alliance
meant defeat. He coded back to China the we'll
earned fruits of victory, while his people ragged
in bitter resentment against the decree of Rus
STA and its allies. But for this, says Senator
Beveridge. Japan would Immediately have be-
come a frst-class power. But more important
even than this, her sovereignty would have eX-
tended ultimately over all Manchuria. and the
sparsely settled portions of this immense domin-
ion would have given the Mikado's Empire ter
ritory where her surplus population could have
planted a new Japan on the Asiatic mainland.
And when it is remembered that Japan's area is
so limited and her population is increasing so
rapidly that it has become a physical necessity
to find room for it, the far-reaching Importance
of this consideration becomes apparent"
But this is not all. To make the situation
more CALLING to the japanese, Russia leased from
China the very ports-Talienwhan and Port Ar
thur-which she had forced JaDan to give up.
She obtained permission to construct the Sibe-
rian Railway through Manchuria, and to protect
it by military guards. The right 'to employ
military guards she construed to mean the right
to establish forts. 1nsteads of mere railway guards
she sent an army of occupation. Every strategic
point was strongly fortified. But the crisis did
not come till the day in last October on which
Russia had solemnly agreed to evacuate Man
churia. Russia did not evacuate. Of course,
there we're excuses, but the world did not regard
them as legitimate. Instead of abandoning the
military occupation of Manchuria. it developed
that the Cossack had been strengthening his
forces at all important points, both on land and
sea. Time after time Japan demanded that Russia
fulfil the solemn promise to evacuate; each time
Russia responded with a demand for extension of
time; with each extension of time Russia added
new strength to the forces it had promised to
withdraw. Thus negotiations went on until Japan
declared that the time for parleying had passed
and began the war with the now famous attack
nn the Russian fleet in Port Arthur.