The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-02-28
MED BRACE TALKS OF THE REASONS WHY
 AMERICANS SYMPATHTSE WITH JAPAN
i HY are the newspapers and the people of this country so in
 sYmpathy with Japan as

NN HY are the newspapers and the l N people of this country so in
 W sympathy with Japan as against Russia?
 This question is propounded almost daily, and to 1t there are all sorts of answers; 1 vague, scattering and otherwise.
 The answer is simple. Americans are fair minded and believe in fair play.
 The explanation: In 1894 Japan declared war against China because China assumed by force of numbers and power to exer- else a suzerainty over Korea and declined to permit Japan to participate in trade in that country on equal terms. Japan pro- tested and the Emperor of Korea did likewise. China assumed to regulate the collection of custom duties in Korea and to appropriate large proportion of the same to the needs of the Pekin govern ment Japan remonstrated, and threaten ed war. Without deignng reply China started troop ships across to Korea Japa- nese war vessels destroyed them-troops and ships. Several thousand troops were drowned in the sinking of the transports Dy tHt7 JdpdUeSe cTulSefS.
 War was declared. China had modern navy, but the Chinese knew not how to use their ships The Japs destroyed the Chinese navy, landed troops in Korea and Northern China, drove back the untrained and poorly equipped Chinese army, cap tured Port Arthur and all the territory of the Lisotung peninsula. and up into if,1f ha Vol ri to,.x tory, and were preparing to march upon Pekin itself when u Hung Chang, repre- senting China, called upon Japan for terms of peace.
 After conference u Hung Chang will lingly agreed to Japan's demands, and the treaty as signed made three sessions to Japan, namely:
 1st. All of China's right title and do- main to Port Arthur and the Yalu and such inland boundaries as Japan might select
 2nd. The Island of Formosa.
 3rd. The sum of $25O,0OO, 900 in gold to be paid in instalments extending over three years.
 This treaty having been signed and the war ended Russia stalked upon the scene and brought France and Germany with her in binding alliance Russia advised Japan of the triple alliance, and told her that she could not have Port Arthur nor any of the Northern Chinese territory ceded in the treaty but must return the same to China. Russia desired this terri tory for herself because of the fact. that her only eastern harbor. Vladivostok, was frozen up and useless during several months of the year.
 Japan protested Russia simply replied: You have our ultimatum" Japan then offered to fight Russia alone, but an- nounced that she could not contend against the three combined powers. The result was that Japan was forced to give back Port Arthur and the Yalu territory, and Russia promptly took possession of all of it and has continued to hold and add to it.
 At that time Marquis Ito, the Premier of Japan, addressed note to all the powers protesting, and in arraignment of Russia and her allies used this language:
 ''Did not Russia, in her <dismemberment of Poland, and in her conquest of Siberia without just cause. in the name of 'in- demnity," appropriate every foot ,of that vast region stretched across Asia to Via divostok on the sea of China? Did not Russia's ally, Germany, in the Franco Prussian war, for indemnity charge the conquered nations a billion dollars and seize the fairest of her possessions Alsace and Lorraine? Did not France seize An nam of this same old China and exact money and concessions? And has not En-