Evening star., 1909-01-24

Count Okuma, the distinguished leader |
of the opposition party. in the TOXIC |
Taiyo the SUM, raps Japan sharply on
the knuckIes because of "Japans unfor- |
tunate contempt of China. The count
says in brief that Japan understands Chi-
ma less than western nations ana Is IN.
juring herself by her failure to study real
conditions in that country. at the same
time doing injustice to China. Nhlle
western countries are stepping in, Japan
risks being isolated in Asia.
Japan was once the pupil and lmitator
of China adds the count. China Is now
offended by the airs which the conqueror
of Russia assumes and consequently WIN
not trade to the extent which would pe
possible If only Japan were a little less
selfish and exacting. Western nations
have not been slow to understand that
their interests in that country can be pest
promoted by dealing with the ohihese III
! a spirit of sympathy and tolerance. ia
pan, OH the contrary, Intentionally as
sumes an overbearing attitude toward the
Chinese, looking down upon them as
hopelessly effete people. Perhaps the
western nations have no more respect Tor
! the Chinaman than we have but their
contempt Of him is concealed under the
| cloak of sagacious diplomacy. Not oEl!
does the individual Japanese snow no such
| caution In dealing with the Chinese. but
| Japan's policy In China has been such as
| to cause even among ourselves a suspi-
cion Of severity
| The United States occupies an excep-
tional situation in the esteem and ahec-
| ton of both Japan and
Regard for China. In the former
country this country is
regarded with almost
filial love because Of the act of the
American naval commander who first
| opened her ports to the world. In the
| latter because of the American soldiers
who conquered for her the formidable
TAPPING rebellion, because of the Burlin-
game mission which first opened her
| doors to the world, and now because or
the remission Of an indemnity, gilt OF
| ST., 900 600 gold
| The United States is Japan's best client.
and furnishes her raw materials, ma
! chinery, etc. in exchange for raw and
manufactured silk. tea, mats. camphor
etc China purchases cottonades, mineral
| oils, copper, etc, and sends In exchange
| silk tea. etc.
and Traders says NJ. Auhert in the Re
vue de Paris, have great advantages
over the American workmen with small
sala by government legls-
| lation, subsidies, loans to bankers, TO
merchants and manufacturers, and pre-
miums to navigation companies along the
coasts and rivers, clerks who understand
| the language and. customs and who are
| accustomed 10 WOTk anu are uiStipiiilco'
| The American, on the other hand. has
the advantage OF capital, raw material and
organized industries And NJ. Aubert
asks: "Why will not the American utilize
/ the Japanese as courtiers and Wagoners
| in the far east and also as manufacturers
\ of cheap merchandise for China in estab-
| fishing manufactures in Japan!
The writer invites the attention Of the
commercial and industrial world to the
| foregoing suggestion, with the remark
| that such an undertaking should include
also China.
| With China our traditions and trade in
terests are more actual and valuable than
| those in Japan.
! Mr.. Putnam Weale wrote, in 1907, a
book bearing on the present conflict en-
| titled 1.-The Coming Strug-
Manchu gle in Eastern Asia He
n. says: 'The Manchu dy-
| nasty although honestly
desirous of escaping from the undignified
position of complete and undisguised In
| ternational weakness which 1t still occu-
pies is equally anxious that the reforms
| shall not come from below. Thus there is
a dual movement to be noticed in provin-
| cial China-a reform of the administration
! and a tightening of the Manchu hold
| THE Manchu party began to realize
that if the new conscript army which
was being slowly raised all over the en-
pire became accustomed to the idea that
! the Tientsn viceroy (Yuan Shi-kai
was the life and soul of the whole move
ment and its real leader. 1t would re-
quirc only some Peking palace disaster
such as the death OF the empress dow
ager or the emperor to reduce the palace
and the Manchus to a position of tu-
| telage-"
I'm 1907 new scheme of army or
ganization placed the control of the
1 v,n1
in the hands of a Manchu war minister
So the more recent events seem to have
been long preparing.
| Here We have the reason for Yuans
undoing. which appears to have escaped
the attention of the foreign
Yuan's representatives at Peking.
r.u The general opinion in dip
| lomatic circles is that this
fall of Yuan Shi-kai is a very bad thing
! for the reform movement. On the other
hand We are assured that 1T will bring
back to Peking from exile Mr.. kang Yu
Wei who was the late emperorS ad-
wiser. and who inspired him with the
reform ideas, of which those of Yuan
Shi-Kai were but very pale imita lions:
In the month of August 1907. it will
be recalled, Yuan Shi-kai was permitted
to return to Peking, where he was made
member of the grand council and presi-
dent of the waiwou-pOu. Or foreign Of
fee His old rival was appointed at the
| same time member of the grand coun-
ell as a sort of intination that his res
toration to favor was not absolute. But
the empress dowager. desiring to ce
ment the forces in government. endeav-
ored to effect a marriage between the
son Of Yuan Shi-kai and the daughter
of Tcheng Che Tong. The latter. how
ever. celebrated man Of letters and au-
thor Of "Exhortation to Study" full of