The Washington herald., 1907-05-09
Imnotnnt International Agreement.

The understanding between NEtHdt
Britain. France. Russia, and Japan re-
specting their interests in the far East.
which seems on the eve of consumma-
ton. constitutes diplomatic achievement
of the first rank. BY smoothing out ira
Iditional antagonisms of long standing, it
makes for stability in Oriental relations
that should relax the anxiety Of more
than one European chancellery Its
fundamental bases are. of course. the two
! alliances involving Britain and Japan on
the one hand and Russia and France on
the other. Upon the foundation Of these
! alliances have been erected agreements
between the parties represented in the first
NAMED combination, and both of the parties
| represented in the second combination.
These subsidiary agreements, it may be
| assumed, cover all points affecting the eX-
| ternal interests of each power as 20
which differences have arisen in the past,
/ That is true, at all events. of the Anglo
| French understanding. and according to
| the statement Of the French foreign min
lister, the Franco-Japanese treaty soon TO
| be signed provides for the maintenance Of
| the status quo in the far East so far as
the parties TO IL are concerned, thus re-
moving any uneasiness regarding the Sc
curity Of the French possessions IN that
region. Minister Pichon asserts his belief
that the new japanese treaty viii
embody similar features, so that -four ma
tions viii soon have practically entered
into q similar undertaking not to inter-
fere with each others interests in the
far East
Such an undertaking. If carried out in
good faith. ought to remove the possibility
of war in the far East to a remote period
( in the future, unless, indeed. the awaken
/ ing Of China should arouse her military
/ spirit sufficiently TO make war upon her
neighbors, though it may be easily seen
that the combination against her is over
whelming and invinCible Against her in
the event Of war only, for unless the ma
tiOns concerned in the new Oriental align
ment have completely repudiated their
/ professions. it must have as one Of its
| objects the preservation of her independ-
ence and territorial integrity. Indeed, the
Frauco-Japanese treaty is said to contain
a clause 70 that effect
The only other powers outside Of the
Quadripartite Oriental agreement having
substantial interests in the far East are
the United States and Germany. Our ira
ditional unwillingness 10 enter upon en-
/ tangIing alliances prevents US from be-
coming party to European understandings,
but in the present case the cable conveys
an mtimation that this government has
/ been kept fully informed Of the negotia-
-.
offered no objections to them. If there
/ be any truth in this intimation, il implies
/ that we have tacitly consented to the
| Oriental status which it is the object of
! the agreement TO maintain. II so. by
parity of reasoning the other powers, not
ably Japan, have tacitIy consented not
10 interfere with American interests in the
same region. Thus we are warranted IN
assuming that the Philippines are as safe
from japanese aggression as if they were
protected by an actual agreement equiva-
lent to that which France and Japan are
negotiating. This assumption conforms
substantially with the statement of NJ.
Kurino, the Japanese Minister TO France.
who declares the new agreement an evil
dence Of the moderation Of japanese pol
| icy, and expresses the hope that it viii
put an end TO speculations concerning the
yellow peril"
We cannot doubt that the same consid-
erations apply to German possessions in
the Orient, for there IS no reason to sup
pose that Japan's moderate policy IS in
tended to be exclusive of any foreign
power, Notwithstanding the assertions
that the quadripartite agreement has the
effect of further isolating Germany. That
agreement, however, is but pursuance
and extension OF that diplomatic course
of which King Edward VII is so consplcu-
Gus an exponent. which looks 10 the COM
position rather than the emphasis of in
ternational differences. and so makes for a
better international feeling all around