Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-05
i'm MODERN CHINA
XVI-Qmeer Japanese Diplomacy
BY Frederic j. HaSkin

from the affair have cost Japan much
money and all of Chinese friendship.
Inc Iatsu Maru was a Japanese ship
Whlch was seized by Chinese authori-
ties while in the act of conveying a
cargo of rifles to Chinese revolutionists
IN the south, near Canton. The rifles
were of the japanese government make
and had been used in the war with
Russia, although there is no evidence
to connect the Japanese government
with the actual enterprise of the sale
of the rifles in China.
Japan protested against the seizure
of the Tatsu Maru, and by diplomatic
hocus-pocus actually proved that the
ship, although unloading into Chinese
territory was at the time of it's seizure
lying In Portuguese waters, under the
protection of the flag of nation
friendly to both China and Japan. It
would be very difficult for a ship to
unload a cargo on Chinese territory
anywhere without being in waters of
Portuguese or British or German or
French or some other nationality. for
the greed of the nations has left China.
almost entirely bereft of seaports But
Japan insisted on the Portuguese fiction
and the Portuguese government was at
least complacent The Chinese stoutIy
maintained that they had a right as a
sovereign power to prevent the landing
their own coasts.
The Japanese, forgetting as they
have often forgotten, that their com
merclal future depends upon the friend
snip OF China, completely lost their
heads and threatened war The Chi.
nese, being unable to meet force with
force, capitulated with as much grace
as possible. They lowered their own
10 tho oh IL.
flag, saluted it with ceremony and
abjectly apologized to Japan for their
attempt to protect their own country
from the Introduction of contraband
arms
The Japanese were elated over the
success of their diplomacy and con-
graduated themselves on the aveny-
ing of an insult to their flag. But they
had failed to reckon with the fact
that China is the master nation of the
earth in its power of passive resist
ance. The Japanese boycott was in
sttuted. 1t affected only a portion of
China, it is true, but in that section
everybody stopped using Japanese
goods, merchants refused to patroni-e
Japanese shipping firms, and the Jap
anese commercial program came to u
sudden and definite end.
Lie IdlSu h1dTu dlIdlT 0dppeIeu
more than eighteen months ago, but
Japanese ships still leave the Chinese
ports in ballast, not carrying an ounce
of cargo on trips which two years ago
furnished enough freight to tax their
capacity. There isn't much said about
the boycott nowadays, because the
foreign newspapers as a rule prefer
to put the soft pedal on a discussion
which will awaken the Chinese to a
IA. L. ~
this weapon. In Peking diplomatic
circles one hears that the boycott is
practically over. At Toxic, however,
and in business circles there is proof
that it is still very much in evidence.
In the central part of China, high up
the Yang-tze valley, the Japanese
merchants have taken advantage of
treaty provision to enter into the GUS
tom and agreement which provides
that interior branches of foreign bust
ness houses must be in the hands of
Chinese German firms began to feel
the effects of this competition, and they
also sent their men into the interior
and established houses. Whereupon
the Japanese protested violently, setS
ting up a claim to special privileges
in the very heart of China to which
they cannot possibly be entitled, II
there is such a thing in fact as the
NN-A|
the subject of diplomatic representa-
tions at Peking it would seem that 1t
would tax even Chinese patience to
listen to it with respect.
The Japanese must look to China as
the market for their manufactured pro-
ducts. and as an important source or
their raw material. Their future sue
cess depends upon Chinese goodwin.
After the war with the Russians, the
Chinese turned to Japan with open
arms They sent tens of thousands
of students to Toxic, they welcomed
thousands of Japanese teachers IN
China. The japanese were looked upon
as the deliverers of Asia. If they had
been wise, if they had been fair, II
thev had been far-sighted, the japanese
would today have been established III
China as friends and brothers ana
their position Would have been OF DOM.
nant influence. But as a matter OIL
FACT in less than five years. by dls- b
honest business methods, by domlneer-
ing social attitude and by biunderlIis
dinlomacy they have turned the hearts
Of the Chinese against them.
Tor,orrow-In Modern China; ANll-iho
AToderD City of Peking.