The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-07-28
cHISA's INTEREST IN PEACE.

CHINA'S INTEREST IN PEACE.
In Japan's constant attitude for q
number of years is to be found strong
reason for believing that China's demand
for the restoration 20 her OF Manchura
at the conclusion of the war will be
-graated. We're Russia the victor, il
would probably not be, for Russia pre-
cipitated the war largely to make per.
manent her conquest and annexation of
these provinces. Japan, however, has
not demanded Manchuria for her own,
excepting the small part of it which was
ceded to her ten years ago. When Admi.
raj Alexieif made his treaty with Gen.
eral Tseng, FIVE years ago. providing for
practically indefinite Russian possession
of Manchuria, Japan protested against
it, on the ground not that she wanted
Manehuria herself, but that the Chinese
empire ought not to thus be dismember-
ed. The Anglo-Japanese treaty of al
lance of January, 1902, explicitly de-
clared one of its chief objects to be the
maintenance of China's independence and
territorial integrity. In many other
ways and ON many other occasions Japan
has Enthusiastically committed herself to
the policy of restoring Manchuria to
China. We see no reason TO expect
reputation OF that policy.
1t is intimated that Russia will insist
that, if Manchuria is restored to China.
Japan shall have nc special and exclu-
sive privileges there, but all nations
shall be ON an equality. That is reas-
enable and just demand, but apparently
superfious. There is no indication that
Japan has any thought of any permanent
monopoly or exclusive privileges in Man.
churia. Such has never been her pol
icy. She stands explicitly for the open
door and equal terms for all nations.
Early in the negotiations before this
war Baron Komura telegraphed to Mr..
Kurino, at st. Petersburg, that Japan
objected to Russia's permanent oecu-
patton of Manchufia because amotg
other reasons, ''the principle of equal
opportunity would thereby be annuIed;"
and in the first formal note to the Rus
sian government, outlining Japan's pro-
posal for settlement of disputes, he
he wrote, in the first paragraph: "a mu-
tial agreement TO maintain the
principle of equal opportunity for the
commerce and industry of all nations"
lin China and Cereal. Throughout all
these negotiations Japan steadfastly
upheld that principle, and Russia as per-
sistently refused to recognize or accedeN
to it. 1t is not to be supposed that in
the coming peace negotiations Baron Ko-
mura will deny the principle which he
then 50 stoutly maintained, even though
Russia does now demand the establish.
ment of the principle which she then re.
fused to recognize.
There seems to be no adequate grounds
therefore, for thinking that Manchura
will not be restored to China, though its
restoration may be subject to two or
three conditions. One is, that Japan
shall administer affairs for a time until
order is fully restored after the war.
That would be for China's own interest.
Another is, that Manchuria shall be more
fully opened, on equal terms. to the
commerce and industry of all nations
That, too, would be for China's good, and
could be reasonably opposed by nobody.
A third may be that Japan shall perma.
nantly retain those small portions of
Manchuria which China ceded to her
in 1895 but which Russia compelled her
TO relinquish. II Japan should require
that, China could not reasonably de-
mur, since she fully and formally agreed
TO it ten years ago; nor could Russia
object to it as sopliation of China,
seeing that she made Japan relinquish
that territory to China only that she
herself might snatch it from China. The
presumption is, therefore, that Man.
churia will not prove a stumbling block
in the Russ6Japanese negotiations and
that after peace is concluded it will be
disposed Of in a manner satisfactory to
China.
--fl---
A r-r,rrlgr,