The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-09-08
Tho German Emperor's Ideas.

Those were curious yet characteristic
remarks which the Emperor WILLIAM
H. is reported to have made the other
day to some American visitors. 1t was
he, they were informed, who had sug-
gested to President ROOSEVELT the
expediency Of inviting the belligerents
to q conference. He added the surpri-
sing statement that the suggestion had
been made at the Cars request. The
German Kaiser explained that in order
to be accepted at Toxic, where it would
be apt to be looked upon as premature,
the invitation had to come from Wash
ington, because the United States, ow-
ing to its geographical position, is the
only Power that is feared by the Japa-
nese. Before quitting the subject, WILL
lam II. expressed the misgiving with
which he is known to regard Japan's
exparAion on the Asiatio mainland, and
persisted in describing 1t as the yellow
peril"
If what the Emperor said has been
correctly reported. he will scarcely
serve as a model Of discretion for other
sovereigns and statesmen. Had he de-
sired to give grave otfense at Toxic, he
could scarcely have hit upon a moro
effective means. For our own part,
we do not believe that the German EN-
peror ever made the statement that the
suggestion OF conference came orig
inally from Berlin and was offered at the
Cars request. He may like to be thought
az outspoken as was BISMARCK; but the
old Chancellor, blunt as he was, was not
accustomed to tell all he knew.
We have, on the other hand, no doubt
that Kaiser WILLIAM is correctly re-
ported to have predicted yellow
peril" as the outcome Of Japan's success
He would have liked to convince the
English that duty to the white race
forbade thon, to tighten Or even renew
their present alliance with the Japanese.
He foresees that tho combination will
exercise a preponderant influence at
Pekin, and that his contemplated absorp-
ton Of the province Of Shantung, with
its twenty-five millions Of inhabitants
and vast natural resources, is likely to
encounter serious impediments. 1t is
even questionable whether no will be
permitted to keep Kiao-Chou. The
British lease of Wei-hai-wei was ex-
pressly made terminable when the
Russian occupation Of Port Arthur
should cease. Suppose the Mikado,
who b now at liberty to use Corean
harbors as if they we're his own, should
restore to China Port Arthur and Dalny,
tho value OF which is known to have
been greatly overrated, England would,
OF course, evacuate Wei-hai-wei, after
which the pressure for Germany's sur
render of Kiao-Chou might be irresist-
fble. The notion that the German fleet
would be strong enough to hold that
naval station against the wishes of
England and Japan is of course absurd.
The maintenance of the open door"
and the exhibition of sincere respect for
China's territorial integrity call in
dubitably for the performance Of such
acts of restitution on the part Of the
Powers concerned in the process OF
dismember!nent carried CT during the
closing years of the nineteenth century.
The yellow peril apprehended by
the German Emperor is the loss of his
naval station at Kiao-Chou and with it
that exploitation of Shantung mines and
railways whereof he has been dreaming.