The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-02-09
!. Japan, RUSSIA AND KOREA.

Russia proposes to await blow from
japan before committing an act OF
war She wants to be In the position
of the aggrieved party japanese d.
plomacy, however. is astute enough TO
force her hand, in that japan will not
attack Russia but will simply seize ko-
rea. which does not belong to the Car,
and thus compel Russia to invade n
foreign country for the sake Of putting
the Japanese out of 1t. 1t is hard to
see how the Car can act in such a
case without becoming the aggressor.
AS the crisis develops the Manchurian
issue recedes to the background.
Nothing is said by Japan about COM
polling Russia to evacuate Chinas
great northern province. In fact, for
a long time past 1t has been plain that
Japan began on Manchuria so as to
engage the good will of England and
the United States and to bluff Russia
into a compromise by which. in return
for the possession of Manchura, she
would concede Japan the ownership or
Korea. That is why Great Britain
Withdrew from her quasi alliance with
Japan and why Americas diplomatic
interest in the affair cooled off. Now
we have the case stripped of it's d.
plomacy and If war comes it will be
over Korea as a bone of contention be-
tween two hungry powers.
Someone has said that Japan will be
ruined II she goes to war and ruined
If she does not. Perhaps the case is
not so bad as that, for a war ending
in victory would put Japan precisely
IT, 20, bf. h,,t q. ,, al
" certain that, If war should end in
defeat or If it should not come at all,
leaving territorial matters in statu
quo, the case of Japan would rapidly
go from bad to worse. The alterna-
tive, expansion or starvation, is not so
far off. Japan, with territory of
about the same size as California. has
as many people in it as the United
States had at the reorganization, after
the Civil War: and they are increasing
at a portentous rate. In Japan babies
are everywhere under foot. Poverty
increases as the population presses
upon the means of subsistence; and
the only remedy is to be found in emf
grafton. There must be an outlet for
surplus people. But where?
Certainly the world is not at the feet
of Japan to choose from. Australia
wants to be white and is not thospit
able to the brown man. South Africa
prefers Chinese. Toxic understands
that it is not wise to flood the western
United States with coolies. China is
crowded What room there may be in
the tropics, Japanese, being a northern
race. do not covet. The one place left
in the world where millions of them
could be accommodated, is the place
nearest home, the hermit empire of
Korea, the population of which could
be doubled without impairing the re-
sources of the soil; a land which could
easily come under the japanese impe-
rial system. Unless Japan acquires
it, there must soon occur a struggle
for existence in the island empire end
ing, as such struggles do, in the sur
vival of the fittest.
Russia's remedy for this state of
things would undoubtedly be the alb
sorption of Japan into that vast con-
geries of provinces, races. nationalities
and creeds which go to make her
mighty and complex empire. She
would open her domain to her new
subjects. But Japan is as Jealous of
her own identity, which she has main
tanned for nearly 1000 years. as is any
other power and she cannot be blamed
for not sacrificing honor to safety. She
does not wish to lose her people in the
yellow and white hordes where Russia
would make room for them; but rath-
er, in the old manly way, carve out a
place with the sword where she could
keep her surplus inhabitants under her
own flag. In this adventure Japan
will find wide sympathy, not only be-
cause her case is desperate but be-
cause it is not best for civilization to
let Asia become Cossack
As usual the Chinese court is sign