Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-11


Battle of Mukden was the greatest
battle of historic times, measured by
the number Of men engaged and the
extent of territory actually in the bat
tie zone. The land war had been fought
altogether in Manchuria, in the Chinese
territory which Russia had been
wrongfully occupying and which the
Japanese contended must be restored
to its rightful owners.
The war has been a terrific strain
upon the victor as well as upon the
vanquished, and both Japan and Russia
were ready to listen to President
Roosevelt's intercession in behalf of
peace. The end came with the treaty
of Portsmouth, by which Russia adj
mitted Japan's paramount political,
military and economical interests" In
Korea; agreed to the Japanese retention
of Liaotung peninsula, and trans
ferred it's lease of Port Arthur to the
Japanese; and ceded to Japan the
southern half Of the island of Sakhalin.
Japan did not get any indemnity, and
it could not insist because it was at
the end of its resources and was finan-
cially unable to much longer prosecute
the war against Russla's gathering
strength.
BY the treaty of Portsmouth, follow
ing out of the line of Japanese profes-
sions, Russia and Japan mutually en-
gagged ito evacuate completely and
simultaneously Manchuria, and to re-
store entirely and completely to the
exclusive administration of China all
the portions of Manchuria now in occu-
patton or under control OF the Japan
ese or Russian troops" Exceptions
concerning the Liaotung peninsula
were made. BY the same treaty the
Russians declared "that they have not
in Manchuria any territorial advantages
or preferential or exclusive concessions
in the impairment of Chinese sover-
eighty or inconsistent with the prln-
ciple of equal opportunity" Article
w Of that historic treaty Is: Japan
and Russia reciprocally engage not to
obstruct any general measures common
to all countries which China may take
for the development of the commerce
and industry of Manchuria. Article
VII says: Japan and Russia engage
to exploit their respective railways in
Manchuria exclusively for commercial
and Industrial purposes and no wise
for strategic purposes"
When the Chinese read this story
they were naturally elated. Here had
come their doughty neighbor with men
and arms to chase away the Russians
and restore to the Chinese their invaded
territory and impaired sovereignty.
Here an Asiatic nation had defeated
one of the great empires of Europe.
Here had the proud white man been
forced to bow his head in humiliation
and defeat before the victorious Asiatic.
But China's jubilation was doomed to
be short-lived. Imagine her surprise
when 1t was discovere- that the Jap
anese claimed everything in Manchuria
that the Russians had Heretofore
claimed; Japan asserting the title of
conquest In property to which she had
gone to war to prove the vanquished
had no title!
The evacuation of Manchuria by both
Russian and Japanese troops was tech
nically accomplished after two years
delay, but as a matter of fact the SOL
diers of both empires remain on Chinese
soil In the grise of railway guards. The
Chinese authorities have resumed ad-
ministration of petty affairs. but they
have no voice in general policies or
the higher functions of government.
Japan, by treaty, engaged not to OBJ
struct China's plans for the develop
ment of the country, yet the Japanese
will not permit the Chinese to build
railways in their own territory. The
Japanese promised not to use their
r ilroad for strategic purposes, and If
the word be confined strictly to the
military sense they have perhaps kept
faith. But it is notorious that they
have used the control of the railway to
tighten their grasp upon the native
residents and the Chinese authorities
to further Japanese business schemes to
the exclusion of the trade of other
nations; and, in short, they have used
the railway to keep shut the tabled
and mythical open door"
Long suffering China, finding the
treaty of Portsmouth to mean almost
anything except what 1t says, so far
as Manchuria is concerned, was forced
to negotiate directly with Japan and
Russia. With the Russians they were
were fairly successful. The Chinese
had the aid and advice of the Wash
inEton government, and st. Petersburg
was inclined to be liberal and fair,
pe Knitting the Russian claims to be
limited to the actual business require
7 -nts of the Russian railroad, to
which no one objects.
japan, on the other hand was more
grasping than ever Russia had been
and throughout the negotiations acted
the bully The practical triumph OF the
Japanese is as certain as death and
taxes for China cannot resist the mill
tary power of Japan, when no other
nation can afford to espouse her quar-
rel, and Japan curtly declines to sub
nit the issues 10 arpitlation' ouSt a.
the moment it appears that the Jap
anese plan to include Manchuria with
Korec in the great scheme Of building
a Japanese empire on the mainland of
Asia will be successful. But Manchuria
is too large a stake to be lost without
a, struggle. The biggest war in history
has been fought over it, and that war
did not settle one single question con-
cerning it, The two nations which
4t,o a 70 fhnFa vet. race 10
face. The Russian advance was
checked, not stopped, by the war. The
Japanese advance is now on the march.
Another conflict is almost inevitable.
Tonnorrow-The Manchuriap Question
D,.Ia e., fha Enufb q