Willmar tribune., 1907-08-28

ments in Korea there is one point
on which it may rest confident, and
that is that Japan will dominate and
direct all the affairs of the kingdom
This the Japanese are frank to ad-
NIT, even to the Koreans themselves,
for Marquis Ito, resident general at
Seoul, said recently in an address:
You may talk all you please about
the independence of Korea, but no
country can be made independent by
| others if it cannot stand alone One
who wants independence must learn
how to get it." And it may be safely
| inferred that Japan in her control of
the kingdom will take good care that
the Koreans do not learn this les
son.
There is reason for regret that cir
cumstances have arisen by which
Korea has not been permitted to de-
7elop it's own racial individuality and
| to work out it's own destinies, but in
all its long existence it never has
been, for the Land of the Morning
Calm has always been a battlefield
for other nations. Throughout it's
history China and Japan have stimuli
taneously claimed and alternately ex-
ercised authority over the land. Seven
teen hundred years ago Japanese
woman, the widow of a mikado, ap-
peared in Korea with a fleet and army
The king of that country submitted
without struggle. He tied his hands
together and suffered Queen Jingu to
| hang her bow over the gate of his
| palace and to inscribe on it THE King
| of Korea is the Dog of Japan" Ever
since the Japanese have claimed the
! domination of Korea. And recent
events are but repetition of history
Yi-Heui, the erstwhile emperor, was
but following in the footsteps of his
distinguished ancestry, when he alb
dicated in favor of the crown prince
at the polite but emphatic invitation
! of Marquis Ito.
1t is undoubtedly true that Yi-Heui
during his reign of over 40 years has
done little for his people, but the
disihterested World-spectator is ask
ing the question, Will Japan do more:
For nearly IL years now by the right
of conquest and usurpation, the Jap
anese have from time to time exer
cisesd sovereignty in Korea.
| Their most prominent agents have
been the late Mr.. Hoshi Toru and Gen
Miura. Hosti wnen he returned t
| Tokio and ondoovOrod m in+roduoo +h<
system Of graft and corruption which
had characterized his official conduc
in Seoul was promptly assassinated
and Gen. Miura was sent to prison fol
making possible, if he did not actually
inspire, the horrible murder of the anti
Japanese queen. Undoubtedly at time:
the intentions of the Toxic govern
ment have been honorable and a sin
cere attempt made to elevate Korean
morals and the bureaucratic ideals O
the slothful Yangbans. However, al
most invariably the men chosen fo
the difficult task have added by thei
activity but little honor to the war
like halo of the rising sun banner.
| The political chances would seem tt
be in favor of the early removal of thu
emperor of Korea to Toxic, where HI
could play royalty in exile with thu
former king of the Foo-Choo islands
the last Of a royal line with whom
Commodore Perry made treaty o
peace, amity and commerce som,
MOT this before his memorable entr,
into Yeddo bay and the closed worlt
of Japan. With the head of theil
royal house in exile or prisoner tn,
sleeping Koreans may be aroused tt
the danger of what is more irksome
the discomforts of their situation, and
once aroused, there is historic prece
dent to show that the Korean can b,
an awkward customer. On two sepa
rate occasions and. without foreign
assistance he has driven back the in
vader who came from across the Sc,
of Japan to rob him of his believe,
fatherland, his wide-flowing sleevea
and his top-knot hairdress.
But such developments, while no
impossible, are highly improbable
Japan has settled down in Korea t.
stay. Yi-Syek, the new emperor, will
give the official stamp to all tha
Japan does. and be content that b,
is permitted to live in regal splendo,
He was born in 1874, and is the sol
of Queen Min, who was so brutal,
xeoeeeeeeeeoee