The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-04

subordinate officials appointed by him.
II one can trust the stories afoat, the
government is as corrupt an Organiza-
ton as can be found on earth. Just
who Is responsible IS not clearly know--st
but that offices are sold and all Sorts
Of extOrtion practiced there can scarce-i
Iy be doubt. There IS no spirit OF pa
triOtism, such as is to be found IN
Japan, and why should there be whsnl
the government gives so little returIK
for the burdens which It imposes 2
Changes In the cabinet are of freQuenc
occurrence, there having been sOme-i
thing like EiXty within a year.
For a long time Chinese influence was
paramount and the Chinese government
had a resident minister in Seoul who
was the confidential adviser OF -hsi
royal family. But Chinese Influences
ended with Japan's victory In 1884,
soon afterward Queen Min, the w1ra
of the present emperor, was put to-
death, and, the murder being charged
to the Japanese, the emperor took
refuge at the Russian legation. Now
that Japan has driven Russia out, She
| is virtually in control of the country
although the nominal sovereignty or
| the emperor has not been tnterferedi
with. Just what form the Japanese
| pTotectorate will take has not yet becn
| decided, or at least has not yet beens
announced. Marquis Ito is n SEOUL
! IlOH dS AAlc representative u his S0f-i
eminent, comforting with the emperor
and his ministry.
In the end the protectorate will be-
whatever Japan desires to have II, foT4
/ neither Korea nor Russia nor China is
| In a position TO question her decision
Besides building railroads through
/ Korea, the japanese have established
banks and issued q currency for Korea
/ in place of the copper cash generality
used. The government, recognizing the
| inconvenience Of currency which had to-
/ be kept in huge boxes and paid out att
| the rate of thousand or more to thu
/ dollar, had farmed out the right to coini
] feited. The counterfeit nickeIs have
| been classified as, first. better than
the originals; second, good mutations
third. poor limitations, and, fourth,
those that can only be passed on dark
night.
Japanese soldiers are to be seen
everywhere and japanese settlements
are to be found in all the larger cities.
! The Koreans as a rule regard the new
| japanese invasion with silent distrust
and are in doubt whether the purpose
of Japan is simply TO protect herself
from future danger at the hands Of
/ China and Russia, or whether she IS
expecting to colonize Korea with her
own people. If Japan purifies the gov
eminent and makes it honest: If Sha
establishes schools and raises the intel
lectual standard of the people: if she
revives the industries now fallen into
decay and introduces new ones; If, IN
other words. she exercises her power
for the upbuilding of Korea and for
! the advancement of the Korean people,
she may in time overcome the prejudice
/ which centuries of hostility have Gre
ated. But what nation has ever ex-
ercised power in this way2 And how
can Japan do it without developing an
educated class which viii finally ehal-
lenge her authority? IF she keeps the
Koreans in ignorance and poverty they
will be sullen subjects; If she leads
them to higher levels they Will the
more quickly demand their independ-
ence and be better prepared to secure
it. Which course will she pursue?
Copyright. 1906, by Joseph B. Bowles.
Copyright in Great Britain. All
Rights ReServed.l