The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-20

natory. Russia alleges that her present
enorts to obtain a foothold In Korea will
not tn1ure Japan's position there. but Ia
pan remembers what came of the Rus
sian lease OF the Llaotung district from
China, and she 10 not disposed to let Ko-
rea surrender any part of her territory to
Russia for purposes that distinctly repre-
sent the entering wedge of supreme do
minion. She understands perfectly that
the thin disguise of commercial necessity
IN which those purposes are now clothed
VIII be flung aside whenever Russia feels
strong enough to do So An inch of base
given in Corea to the Great Bear will
speedily be stretched by him to the ell of
absolute sovereignty.
Contrary to general belief, Japan. and
not China, is the historical suzerian of
Corea. When the Christian era was
scarcely three centuries old a Japanese
empress, with all the aggressive ouali-
ties OF Catherine and Elizabeth of Russia.
seized Corea by force Of arms. For a
thousand years thereafter Corea acknowl-
edged its dependence upon the war lords
In the Land of the Rising Sun In the
middle OF the fifteenth century China dis
placed Japan in Corea to be herself in
turn displaced by Japan in 1892, when a
SIX years campaign was undertaken to
restore the lost supremacy of the island
tinGdom. But the success of the Lana
ms was not complete and Corea, ground
between the upper and neither miIlstones
q Chinese and japanese ambitions vas
compelled to pay tribute to both. The
Coreans preferred the Chinese to their
rivals, but the expression of that nref-
erence did not prevent yearly acknowl-
edgement OF Japan's suzerainty I'D to 1929
Japan also maintained strategic position
on the peninsula by holding the CITY of
Fusan. now one of the several free ports,
In the course of time, Japan, suffering
from internal disorders, and busy with
the new life upon which she had been
forced to enter by Commodore Perry. al
lowed Corean tribute to lapse When the
present emperor came into power in 1868
Japan sent mission to Corea, with a
request that commerce between the two
| countries be continued on a liberal basis.
Corea refused to enter into negotiations,
because Japan had adopted Western ideas
to the detriment of Oriental exclusiveness
| OF which Corea was such a conspicuous
| representative. The next year another
mission was dispatched. 1t was also re-
buffed. Japan grew angry and war TAX
was general. Corea replied by adopting
laws prohibiting trade with Japan. In 1878
Japan sent special agent to Pekin to
| learn whether China was still willing to
abide by the remuneration of suzeralnty
over Corea given by her in 1866, when
France was preparing what proved to be
an abortive expedition against the Corean
| coast. China assured Japan that the SUI
zerainty claim would not be revived and
the war party urged the Emperor to pro-
ced to extremeties. He decided, however
that the time was not ripe for the forcing
of Corea into a commercial alliance In
this resolution he was sustained by the
wisest of his ministers, who held that
IF Japan and Corea fight one another they
both would fall an easy prey to Russia. /"
The crisis came in 1875. A Japanese
man OF war, fired upon by a Corean fort,
landed a party of marines and captured
some cannon. The government at TOXIC
determined to open Corea to commerce,
and another mission, accompanied by q
strong military escort, was dispatched TO
Seoul. Corea submitted to these coercive
measures and in February, 1867. signed a
treaty by which the port OF Fusan was
declared to be a Japanese protectorate
Japanese subjects were guaranteed trial
under their own laws in all criminal Is
sues and the independence of Corea was
expressed in terms that left no doubt that
Japan regarded the elimination of Chi
1ese influence as final and complete.
Friendly relations having been estab-
lished" said the treaty. between the two
contracting parties. their respective sub
iects may freely carry on their business
without any interference from the author
tiles of either government, and neither
restriction nor prohibition shall be made
on trade" Such was the treaty of Kok-
wa the first agreement made by Corea
with modern power.
The opening of Corea to trade gave rise