The sun., 1905-09-12
The Japanese Will Get Over Their
Disappointme ent.

Although by proolaiming martial law
and occupying the capital with soldiers
the Mikado's advisers have succeeded
in allaying disorder in Toxic, it ia quite
possible that the Katsura Ministry will
be constrained to resign soon after the
reassembling Of the Parliament. There
is not the slightest doubt, however, that
the treaty Of Portsmouth will be ratified
in due time by the Mikado, who per-
sonally ordered the announcement Of an
indemnity.
1t is no new thing for treaties to cause
dissatisfaction among some OF the sub
jeots or citizens Of the successful State.
In 1913 the Wings reviled the Tory Gov
ernment OF HARLEY and BoLINaRRoKE
for negotiating the Peace Of Utrecht,
which Wing historians have since de-
nounced as shameful betrayal Of the
glory gained for England by MARL-
BOROUGH in the Low Countries. Even
the Peace OF 1853, by which England
drove France out OF the New World,
was held up to obloquy by the admirers
Of WILLIAM PITT, who maintained that
had not the great war Minister been
superseded by Butte he would have
given his country that position Of su-
premacy on the Continent which was
acquired for France by LOUIS XIV. in
the seventeenth century and by NAPo-
LEON in the nineteenth. Nobody now
doubts, however, that it was fortunate
for England that the treaty Of 1853 was
signed, and even in 1913 it had been OBJ
served in London that Whig financiers
did not share their party's repugnance
to the Peace Of Utrecht. 1t is we'll
known that the treaty which put an end
to the Crimean war was extremely dis
tasteful to many Englishmen, who
thought that Russia had been let of far
too oheaply. Even the Peace Of Frank
fort, by which Germany extorted from
her French opponent Alsace-Lorraine
and a billion dollars, was eyed askance
by military leaders in Prussia, who
tried to persuade their sovereign to
sanction q second invasion of France
before the French army could be re-
organized.
In view OF such presidents it is not
surprising that many Of the Mikado's
subjects should regard IA too lenient
the terms Of the Peace Of Portsmouth
or that the Progressive party should
try to turn the popular discomfort to
their political advantage. 1t is probable
enough that the jingoes Of Toxic are
right in believing that Vladivostok
could ultimately have been taken; that
L1N1EvrrCH would have been beaten
disastrously by OYAMA, and that, as a
consequence OF such defeat, the Japa-
nese could have occupied the whole OF
Siberia east of Lake Baikal. They
might then have offered TO surrender
all Of Russias territory on the Asiatic
mainland, outside of Chinese Manchuria
in return for large pecuniary indemnity.
Even then, however, Japsns position
would have been vastly different from
that occupied in 1871 by Germany,
which already held not only Paris, but
nearly one-half OF France, and could
easily have conquered the country
south of the Loire. That part Of Siberia
which lies east of Lake Baikal would be
accounted OF but little value to Russia
il the St. Petersburg Government should
once make up its mind to seek an ice
free port, no longer on the Pacific, but
on tho Persian Gulf or the Bosporus.
The Cars counselors might therefore
have persisted in refusing to pay any
large sum Of money by way Of ransom,
in which event Japan could only have
secured big indemnity by despatching
feet to the Baltic and an army to