Evening star., 1909-05-15

ed the system of taxation: and that in
such way as to materially reduce the
burdens imposed by the tax-gatherers OF
the past. We are starting schools here in
Seoul and elsewhere and we are doing all
We can to give the Koreans square
deal"
But you have not been able to give
them peace. your excellency," said I.
NO. there is still trouble in different
parts of the peninsula. This is due some
what to disaffection as regards the gov
ernment, but more to a system of brig
andage which has gone on for years.
There are in Korea companies of bandits.
known as fire-robbers, because they
blackmail the villages and often burn
them down in order to rob the people We
are more afraid of this element now than
of any other. 1t rises at certain times
of the year: and is at its worst just after
harvest when the rice is gathered and all
other work stopped. Then these robberes
begin. They are performed by bands of
from five to twenty-five more brigands
and they seem to break out simiIltan-
eously over the country. During certain
years there are as many as fifteen thou
sand Of these men, and they have been
operating from year to year for almost
a century. They are so many that we
could not easily control them if they were
organized. but we are policing Korea
and thus keeping the oands apart In time
we shall wipe them out. You will re-
member that You had similar trouble
with your people in the Philippines. 1t
has taken us eight years to get the
aborigines of Formosa into satisfactory
shape and / judge it will take several
years before we can bring peace safety
and quiet to every part OF this land.
Are the Koreans as easy to govern
as the Filipinos?
Il think not" replied the resident gen
era!. The Filipinos are more simple, less
educated and more easily handled. 4 ne
Koreans have had a government and
fair amount of civilization for many,
many years. 1t is difficult to change
them. and the rank and file are not anx
ous to take up new things. AS have.
said, can only expect to teach them
by works by giving them a practical ard
an optical demonstration of our ideas"
What do you mean by that, your ex
celency?"
Il mean that we shall show the ko-
reans that we are their friends by the
development of their country. AS it is
now. the woods have been cut from the
mountains and many Of the peaks are as
bare as desert. This makes it i'm
possible to conserve the rainfall, and we
have not the water needed for irrigation
One of our first works will be along the
lines of reforestation. We are planting
model forests near Seoul. Ping Yang and
Taiku. These forests cover thousands of
acres and have cost several hundred
Thousand yen. We find the trees grow
we'll anu hope in time to have the noun
tains again covered with verdure.
I'VE are also establishing experimental
farms. continued his excellency land
are trying to teach the people to make
the most of their lands. At present there
is little use of manure. and they know
nothing of artificial fertilizers. They do
not appreciate the possibilities of their
soil. II will produce eight of the
varieties of things grown In Japan, and
some which we cannot successfully culti-
yate.
This is especially as to cotton. We
are experimenting with that at half a
dozen different places in southern Korea.
We have used the native seed and also
the American upland So far the native
seed seems the better Our experts esti-
mate that there are a half million acres
of good cotton land in Korea, and that
we can eventually raise all the cotton we