Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-26
EMBASSY IS SHOCKED
Ito'S Assassination a Blow to
Japanese Here.
MATSUI KNEW HIM WELL
State Department Gets News From
General Sources.
STEVENS KILLING RECALLED
American Assassinated in San Fran
cisco Was Princes Right
Hand Man.
MATSUI KNEW HIM WELL
STEVENS KILLING RECALLED

the ARRIVAL mere OIL lHS new dIuudSsduol
| now Ell route to Washington. The charge
| received his first news Of the assassina-
! ton of Prince Ito through the press, but
| up to nearly noon was not in receipt of
any official advices from his own govern
ment
He did not. however for an instant
| question the accuracy of the report. Nat
| urally Mr.. Matsui, who was personally
at tached to Prince Ito. was very much
cast down by the news When official
confirmation is at hand he probably will
take steps to put the embassy building
| in mourning and meet the other require
ments of japanese etiquette.
Mr.. MatSui was inSistent in his declara-
ton that Prince Ito was not in Man
churia on any official mission. He point
ed to the fact that the princes severance
OF his relations with the active admins
tration of affairs in Japan dated from his
retirement from the office of japanese
resident of Korea about year ago.
The position he held at the time OF his
death was rather an honorary one, for
the privy council, of which Prince Ito
was president. is body without admin
lstrative functions. 1t is purely advisory
and without regular dates for meeting.
being called together by the emperor at
irregular intervals, when he feels in need
| of advice from the venerable statesmen
VIII udke up the council.
OF course 1t was generally recognized in
Japan that relations of peculiar init
macy existed between the emperor and
Prince Ito. who was regarded as one Of
the manStayS of the throne. Ito was a
man fond of original investigation: he
always desired to learn at first hand the
conditions which he was obliged to meet
In the opinion of the embassy people here
that was the reason for mis- presence In
Manchuria when he met his death. OF
hn
| tunity to meet and confer with such a
man of affairs as NJ. Kokorsoff, the Rus
sian minister of finance, who happened
to be In Hardin. But the embassy people
are firmly convinced that there was in
| the visit nothing in the nature of q for
NAL appointment between the two men.
Remember San Francisco Killing.
The officials were quick to draw a
parallel between the killing of Prince Ito
and the assassination in San Francisco
| about year and half ago of Durham
Stevens. who had been Prince Ito's right
hand man in the reorga nization of the
korean government following the Rus
so-Japanese war. Mr.. Stevens had been
very active agent in carrying out Prince
Ito's plans for the restoration of peace
and order In Korea and the regeneration
OF the dynasty, thereby mourning the
hatred OF a considerable element in Korea
which was attached to the old order Of
things.
1t was known that the lives of Prince
Ito and Durham Stevens were in constant
Jeopardy and every precaution was taken
by the japanese officers to protect them.
IL Is g. curious coincidence that 50 long
as the two remained in Korea, the very
center OF the disturbance, their lives were
spared. but this was doubtless owing to
the remarkably effective protective
measures adopted to safeguard their per-
sons 1t remained for each Of these
men to meet his death after he had
concluded his work In Korea and appar-
emily had returned to ways OF peace and
safety. Stevens had been granted q lib
eral pension by the Japanese govern
ment and had returned to America to
rejoin his family. only to fall before the
bullet of vengeful Korean, just as he
crossed the portals of his own land.
SO, Ito, after winding up his career
In Korea and having devoted the re-
mainder OF his life to quiet investiKa-
down in Manchuria by a Korean, when
1t was supposed he was no longer an
object Of their resentment.
Railroad Negotiations Stopped.
A very probable result Of this last
assassination will be an indefinite post
ponement of the negotiations regarding
the railroad conditions in Manchuria,
which have so actively engaged the
foreign offices Of the great powers for
the past two months. or. rather. to be
exact. since August 81, the date of tne
signature of the treaty between China
and Japan, which practically clothed
the latter country with authority to die
tate the future construction Of railroads
in southern Manchuria.
When these negotiations are resumed,
after q reasonable period of mourning, it
may be that the Japanese government
will find itself in a position to come into
close accord with the understanding of
the powers, and especially of America, re-
garding the exact meaning to be given to
that part of the treaty of Portsmouth
which declared against the cultivation of
any special interests by either Japan or
Russia in Manchuria.
There is said to be a striking resem-
blance between Japan's claims to SUI
perior influence in southern Manchuria
and those of Russia to a dominant posi-
ton in northern Manchuria. and this COM
munity of interest may have had impor-
tant results had the meeting between
Prince Ito and Minister Of Finance Ko-
kovsoff not been prevented by the assas-
sins bullets.
Confirmation of the assassinatio of
Prince Ito was received at the State De-
partment today from various official
sources. including the embassies at Toxic
and Picking. The acting Secretary of
State issued the following memorandum
VII tnc SuUJcSt.
State Department Shocked.
THE news of the attempted assassna-
ton Of Prince Ito is a great shock. He
had lately relinquished his onerous duties
as resident general in Korea, a post of
the greatest difficulty, which he had filed
with masterfuI skill in spite of his ad-
vanced years. with tact and fairness to
foreign interests which had made his re-
gime appreciated by the foreign mission
Larry and business interests in Korea
among which Americans predominant
above all others. excepting the Japanese.
after this heavy task Prince Ito had
retired to the comparatively quiet duties
of president of the privy council (chief
adviser to the emperor. that Isl, to which
official position was added that of the
greatest of the ''genro" or elder states
men. an -appellation having no official
probation upon those half dozen men
who have rendered their country the
most distinguished services. At the age
OF sixty-eight Prince Ito was thus to
spend the closing days of a most arduous
career.
ITO describe the career of Prince Ito
from the time when he left japan as a
boy for England, sailing before the mast.
to the time when he retired from his
recent post in Korea would be to recount
| the whole history of modern Japan, with
which the life Of this man was so an
timately entwtned. His career throughout
has been marked by bredth of view and
a fraYikness of expression which make him
Justly regarded as one of the great states
men of the world. Prince Ito was q great
nRl fCfo md h,,e