New-York tribune., 1908-01-20
J4P4N'S DISPUTE WITH CHINA

The commercial strategy of the railroad am
paign between Japan and China in Manchuria
is readily perceived through reference to the
map. Two railroads exist in Southern Manchu-
ria. One is the former Russian and now
Japanese line beginning at Tairen and Port
Arthur at the tip of the Regents Sword penin-
sua and running nOrthward and eastward 70
Moukden and Harbin and at the latter place
connecting with the Chinese eastern division
of the Russian Trans Siberian Railroad. The
other is the Chinese line from Peking and
Tien-Tsin through Yung-Ping. Chin-Wang Tao
and Kin-Chow to Hsin-Min Tun. It's course
is generally parallel with the other road,
though as far as Kin-Chow it is on the other
side of the Gulf of Liao-Tong and for the rest
of the way il is on the other side of the Lao
River From Kin-Chow spur runs across the
head of the Gulf to New-Chwang and 10 kai-
Ping on the japanese road. the two roads being
there more than eighty miles apart From those
points the two steadily approach each other,
until at Hsin-AIin-Tun and Moukden they are
only about forty miles apart.
The Japanese object TO the proposed further
extension of the Chinese road for various rea-
sons One Is that ii would form a competing
line drawing traffic from the upper Liao Val
lev. in which without ii the Japanese line would
have a monopoly, and perhaps in time tapping
the Siberian road itself. Al present all traffic
between Moukden. Harbin and Siberia, on the
one hand and Tien-Tsin. Picking and the Middle
Kingdom on the other. must pass over the
Japanese railroad as far as Kai-Ping- With the
Chinese line extended. it would not use the
Japanese road at all. and the latter would he
deprived of its most profitable business. An
other reason is that this Chinese line lies west
of the japanese line and between il and Pc
Chilli and Mongolia and thus forms a barrier
against the extension Of branches of the Japan
ese line westward into those rich regions. In
brief the completion of the Chinese line would
menace the Japanese line with disaster leav-
inc 10 il nothing but the comparatively petty
traffic of the country lying between the Lao
River and the Corean border.
There can he no question. then of the menace
10 Japaus commercial interests which the
Chinese railroad would be. But the question
of Japan's right TO forbid and prevent its con
struction is entirely another matter. If Japan
has such right ii is obviously tantamount
10 practical sovereignty over the whole prov
nce Of ShingKing the southern part of Man
chura a sovereignty about as complete as that
which Russia formerly assumed TO exercise.
OF Japan's succession to Russia's lease of the
Regents Sword and TO Russia's prOprietOrship
of the railroad from Tairen TO Harbin there can
he no doubt. But her control OF the distant pOr
rions of Manchuria may be challenged. Of
course the case is unpleasantly complicated by
the fact that it is an English syndicate which
proposes TO build the extension Of the Chinese
railroad. There is an interesting course open
10 the Chinese in case Japan maintains her
present ground and prevents the proposed rail
road building. and that is TO abandon the
northern part of their line to Hsin-MnTun
and extend ii north and west across the Pc
Chilli border into the latter province. and thence
run il on parallel with the Japanese line. That
would put it only a little further away from
the japanese line than at present and would
make il just as effective a rival of and bar
rier to the latter. and we can scarcely sup
pose that Japan would try to forbid the build
ing of a Chinese railroad in Pe-Chi-Li and Mon
golia.