Durango semi-weekly herald. (Durango, Colo.) 1899-1907, 1905-06-15

in the world which could act disin-
terestedly in enecttng a settlement
But the terms OF settlemen, a,
least in tneir broad lines, will have
20 be arranged between the com.
batants themselves. When the arm
lstice comes Japan will offer the
terms and Russia will accept or re-
ject them- Outside nations will have
no hand in debating the adjustment
Russia, Germany and France with
Russia in the lead, interviewed in the
settlement between Japan and China
ten years ago and tore up the peace
treaty. They demanded that Janan
give up Port Arthur. which she 1ad
captured from China as she now has
won II from Russia. and forced her
to surrender the whole peninsula of
which that was and Is the kew Re-
fore making this demand they mob.
iliZed their navies in Chinese waters
| and made 1t known that Japan's re-
fusal to adopt these conditions would
lead to war with those countries. As
Japan was weakened by her struggle
| with China she bowed to superior
force, Japan is stronger in 1905 than
she was in 1895. She has vastly
better navy and army. England i.
her ally. The United States, too. Will
warn other powers TO let Japan ana
Russia settle the terms between them
selves without any outside dictation
The United States knows that tae
settlement which Japan will exact IL
one that will favor our interests. As
Seward said long ago, the Pacific will
one day become the center Of the
worlds activities. That day was
nearer at hand probably than that
prophetic statesman imagined. It Is
within sight now. In the Pacific the
| United States has a greater concern
than any power in the world, except
Japan. No European nation has any.
ming like the interest in it which we
hold. On one OF its shores we have
thousands Of miles OF coast line We
have possessions scattered through it
from the East to the West, one OF
them being over in the shadow OF
Asia Japan has a direct PHYSICAL
concern, and the United States has
an indirect moral concern. in keeping
Russia out of Korea, in breaking
Russian DONNA ton in Manchuria and
in preventing the division of the great
empire of China. Our interest in
these things is not territorial, but ii
nancial and commercial The Rus
sian German and French assertions
that Japan will reach out for the
Philippines as soon as she tnishes
with Russia does not frignten any
body in this country. Japan's dip
lomats deny any such intention. ia
pans interests forbid it. For the
, next hundred years after the close OF
he war Japan's energies will be ful
, ly occupied in pushing iler CONNER
cial conquests in Korea and ManchI
ria, in which all the nations OF tne
world will be on an equal footing. il
up to resist possible European aggres
sion and in taking measures to de
: fend herself against possible Euro
pean attack. In all OF these diret
lions Japan knows that she will hay
the moral support Of the Unite
y, States, whose trade witn China, jar
an and the rest OF Asia is CROWN
faster than is that OF any other Srea
nation. Into the Pacific the world
center of political gravity must ult
mately be swung by the settlement
- which will be reached between Japa
- and Russia, and, in larger degre
than Europe realizes or is willing t
> acknowledge. the Pacific il destine
: one day to become an American lake
acknowledgements.