The Washington herald., 1908-05-07
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

srssssl Correspondents The Washington Herald
Tokyo, March 2.-Japan is playing q
diplomatic game with a definite purpose
in view-to become the leader of Asia, TO
dominate the richest and most populous
continent on The globe. and 60 become a
World-power In fact as well as In the
courteous acknowledgements Of diplomat
lists, The japanese nation is stlh under
control of the same men who brought it
out from the yellow monochrome of Ash
attic heathenism and made it one Of the
first-class nations. This fact must net be
lost sight Of, for II means that men wise
enough and able enough 10 accomplish
that great feat in forty years are too wise
and too able 10 be wasting their energy
in a purposeless pursuit.
The two wars fought by japan in the
last fourteen years had the same ultimate
object in view-the securing OF a foot
hold on the mainland OF Asia II Japan
Is eabined. cribbed, and confined witain
the narrow limits Of its island home. il
VIII never be a great power. The Japa-
hese know that. But If, like England il
can make that island home a basis from
outside world, then it can hope to be-
come in the Pacific what England is in
The Atlantic
As a result of the war with China, ia
pan Wrested from the Chinese the pre-
dominant influence in Korea and seized
an important piece Of Chinese territory,
the Liao-Iung peninsula The powers
1orcee Japan TO retTocede this tract. Time
went on, and Russian influence in Korea
became menacing, Russia obtaining a
lease on Port Arthur, on the same penin-
sula which Japan had once held, and Rus
sian aggression threatened China Again
Japan went 10 war, ostenslbly to free
Korea, to maintain the open door" in
Manchuria, and TO save China from the
Russians.
The real result Of the war was that ia
pan practically annexed Korea; that ia
pan mas followed the Russian initiative
IN Manchuria with more than Russian
aggFesslveEess, and that it is now Japan
which threatens the Chinese Empire. All
OF these events. stretching through a pc
riod OF sixteen or seventeen years, serve
10 point out the course Japan Is pursuing,
looking always 10 japanese domination
Of Asia.
japan has not been signaIly successful
IN the world Of diplomacy. The victories
u won on the field and sea In the war
WIN Russia were not reflected in the ne
gotiations at Portsmouth. It's success In
forming the alliance with England and
The subsequent ententes with France and
RUSSIA was due in large part to the de-
sire OF the European parties to the cen
tracts. That Japan made a fatal error in
w her
concerning the San Francisco school in
eident is everywhere admitted, for Ii was
the beginning OF the end of America s
purely sentimental regard for Japan
Within the last few weeks Japan so bun
gled the quarrel with China regarding
the gun-smuggling ship Tatsu Maru that
CHINA was enabled to call the attention
or the world 10 the fact that its stronger
nelghbor was taking advantage OF Chi
neSG weakness TO force acceptance OF
japanese demands without a hearing.
Whatever advantage Japan has gained
IN its struggle for supremacy has been
the result OF war or Of some other na-
tons aid. But these facts do not prevent
the japanese dipl0matists from pushing
forward in their own peculiar way. The
story OF the strangulation of Korean in
dependence by the japanese has been told
TO the worlS- That Japan is determined
10 use its domination Of Korea for ite
own purposes and as a base for further
aggression on the mainland Of Asia is
clearly indicated by the trend of events
Korea just now is the most fruitful
field Of endeavor for Protestant mission.
aries in the world. American mission
boards are sending scores of men and
women into the country. and they ara
meeting with a measure OF success lln-
precedented in the history OF moderr
missions. The japanese attitude toward
these missions is that Of suspicion. A
home they welcome the missionaries fo,
the gifts Of education they bring. But tbe
japanese know that the American mis-
sionaTy is always a partisan OF the pgo,
pie among whom he lives and works
Thus the missionary in China is pro-Chi.
nese, in Japan he IS pro-Japanese, and IN
Korea he is pro-Korean.
Prince Ito. resident general in Korea
actual head Of the Korean government
and real head Of the japanese govern
ment, was asked what he thought about
the American missionaries in Korea. He
picked up a match and placed it at arms
length from him on the table. Then he
took two other matches and placed them
near the edge of the table in parable
lines, pointing toward the first match
This first match represents the better
ment Of the condition OF the common peo
pie Of Korea" said he. ''These two mar
allel matches are the missionaries and
myself. We are both working for tbs
betteTment OF the Korean people the,
along religious lines and I along political
and economic lines. As long as thes,
lines are parallel there will be no con,
fiiet. But If the missionaries turn asid,
ever so slightly to interfere in politics
then the time will come when our paths
will cross. continued Prince Ito, movine
the two matches in illustration. "Wher
that time comes the elder Statesman
ficked the missionary match from tn,
table with his hngernail.
But the world powers have signifef
their acQuiescence in the japanese occu.
patton OF Korea. and perhaps there car
be no objection to the japanese method:
there from a diplomatic point OF view
Manchuria, however, is another story
The Russians occupied this Chinese
province just after the Boxer trouble
eight years ago. They continually prom.
ised TO get out, but refused TO go until
the japanese army drove them from the
southern and richest portion of the terri.
tory. The japanese took possession and
announced that the open door" policz
was IN force and that all nations might
come III and trade. Japan controlled the
South Manchurian Railroad. and OF
course would keep enough soldiers there
to guard it, although ostensibly uIrntne
over civil authority to the Chinese gov
ernmenE
But Notwithstanding this 'open door. .
American trade in Manchuria fell of
and all merchants other than Japanese
have since laboTed under great disad-
vantages. japanese merchandise is
shipped In Manchuria In cases marked
military supplies for japanese govern.