Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-04-11
JAPAN AIM S
To Cause the Financial Ruin and
Gripping of Russia.

/
ton at the opening of the war that the
| conflict could be ended only by the
| pav,nent of an enormous indemnity
and that the terms of peace would be
| made i'm Toxic probably will prove true.
but not lin the way that the Cars
boastful ministers expected. 1t will Ia
| Russia that will pay the indemnity,
and in Toxic the japanese government
| Will decide without outside advice, the
| terms upon which Russia may escape
| further slaughter. the principal point
| will be that Russia must be crippled
| financially so she will care for naught
but peace for a century To come.
| Tnis briefly is the tenor Of an arti"le
! by Baron Suyematsu, formerly Japan
| ese minister of the interior, in the cur
rent issue of the Outlook.
The article. headed War and Indem-
| nity-1'hc Jar:ncse Claim. apparently
is inspired and is intended to be Il plain
| declaration To the world. The baron
| says.
"A canon of the Japanese Bushido
s: 'One Should not unshe;th the sword
unless in case of absolute necessity
nor restore ii To its Sheath EIleSS orc
| is Totally overcome or has secure !
| equitable satisfaction for ones cause.
| This is our ideal in international inter
| course. The Sstord 81 Japan is dra WI.
| and the aim for which it was UNI
sio;,thed has scarcely been attained.
| We want Il neare which VIII sr~Irc
| tranquility in the Far East for 1T least
| Il genera lion or two.
The world should know that in the
.,1
| istcnce, whereas with the enemy il was
| a mere war of caprice. VIM. then. in
case of defeat, should not Russia b.
| made responsible in equitable accord
| ance with the nature of the air? / be-
| licvo, therefore, that in case of the ad-
| versary asking for peace. the salts
| faction which she will have to make
| to Japan should include making good
| the material loss Of Japan; in other
W ords, indemnify"
Baron Suyematsu says further:
Japan has not formulated definite
| terms of peace, because she might be
accused OF slhinning the bear before it
| is shot. We have, however, outlined
our idea"
The article argues out the righteous
ness of Japan'S position in demanding
| idemnity Os q basic condition and con-
| trOverts the idea which, he says, he
| finds prevalent outside of Japan. that
| Japan is willing to make peace at any
price.
"Some say" the baron continues,
that for humanity's sake an armis-
| tiCe should be concluded with view
to negotiating peace. 1t is all very well
to talk of humanity. but no injustice
| must be perpetrated in the name of
humanity. If n proposition arising out
| of the question of humanity gives more
advantages to one than another of the
| cOntanding parties it cannot be JUS
| tice."
Baron Suyematsu treats sarcastical-
| ly the special plea that Russia should
| be allowed to save her face" and
compares Japan to dwarf fighting q
giant, and says:
THE public at large seems to have
gagged the relative value of Russia and
Japan. They are glad that the large
bubble which had been causing 4 night
mare to so many people for so long Il
time has been priclled. They have seen
that it was no use to suppress Japan's
aspiration by the combined force of
western powers. Yet there seems float
ing in the air some sort of compassion
For our adversary. This I deem an in
consistency. arising out of some psyche
logical instability"
Baron SuyematSu refers to the an
norncement of st. Petersburg early in
the war that an enormous indemnity
would be demanded and that the terms
would be dictated in Toxic. We are far
from assuming such an attitude" the
writer says. but believe that justice
ought to be done us. No more senti-
ment shall be allowed to decide the
merits Of the case"
In conclusion Baron SuyematSu SAYS:
Some say that Japan might be induced
to fo"egO q claim for Indemnity provid-
ed England and America gave good as
surance for future peace. We appreci-
ate of course the general sentiments of
England and America. We are anxious
to maintain the best friendship with
these two countries, more particularly
than other countries. We should, there
fore. he very sorry if we were to be told
that We should fOreSo on account OF
that friendship any claim to what We
deem justice to demand
This article MS followed by one under
the heading. "Russia's Alternative" by
Archibald Ross ColuuohOun, author of
"Greater America" and who has trav-
eled extensively in and written volumi-
nOusly regarding the Far East. He
scouts the possibility If Intervention
and says that the only possibility of
peace is in direct negotiation and the
payment of indemnity Of at least $500.
600, 900. either in money or in kind, and
describes Sakhalin ana EaIdivOstok as
of small monetary vaiue to Japan. This
article concludes:
IF Russia VIII not retire from the po-
sition which she has striven calamity
but unsuccesSfuly to holl and. finally.
will not accede to a proposition in which
there is nothing degrading. but which
merely follows time honored custom,
the alternative is simply continuance Of
the war;
THE ASIATlC RACES