Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-09

were originally intended. or
for other less allowable purposes. has to
assign Immediately about cocoa 0H9 taels
to the service OF the foreign loans. Ii
tries. of course. to extract proportion
ately larger sum from the provinces. and
so far. no doubt, the provinces have to
some extent met these new demands, but
only by a series of ruinous devices-the
imposition of new indirect taxes upon
trade. the sale of official titles. the
systematic debasement, first of the copper
and then of the silver currency-even the
silver shoe the ark of the currency
covenant in China for centuries past.
has been tempered with. and lastly, the
circulation of paper money. These were
expedients which averted. but would not
delay. the day OF reckoning.
These expedients besides created fresh
legion Of needy officials who absorbed
a large part of the proceeds.
The provinces which have borne this
ever increasing tax upon its energies are
restless under its exactions. Formerly
the central government instigated the
opposition of the provincial bans to
the concessions which 1T had itself grant
ed to foreigners. in order to strengthen
its own hands in avoiding performances
of it's engagements. But the bans no
longer require encouragement. They send
their representatives unlimited to Picking.
who dare the central government to dis
regard their wishes. and the central gov
-
These conditions are apparently con-
ducive to national patriotism. Canton.
formerly essentially local in
National its politics. has suddenly be-
CO. come the head center Of
0pAiAI. Chinese nationalism, and die
tates it's views largely to the Wai-wu-pu.
Nowhere is the cry of China for the
Chinese louder than in Canton: nowhere
has the movement for the recovery OF
China's sovereign rights against the lin
itations imposed by foreign treaties more
fervent and intractable supporters. and
as the Cantonese are highly intelligent
and boast larger proportion of western
educated ''reformers'' than the Chinese
of other provinces. they WELD consider
able influence. even at Pekins, though
they are as unpopular with the Chinese
of the north. and especially with the
Manchus. as the Bengalis are with most
of the other races of India. Canton Gre
ated the Japanese boycott. inspired the
seizure of the Japanese steamer Tatsu
Maru for alleged smuggling of arms, and
In the Pratas Island question the I'M
compromising attitude of the Cantonese
embarrassment to Chinese diplomacy.
The authority of the central government
has never been SO weak as at present.
Parties cannot be said to be a part of
the theory of japanese government the
emperor choosing whomsoever he pleases
as his ministers. without regard to party.
There was a strong movement, however.
toward adopting the principle Of party
government and the responsibility of min
listers to the diet. The late Prince Ito
eminent as necessary to the proper
working of constitutional government.
The Contemporary Review for Decem-
Der devotes considerable space to the
japanese statesman who fell by the hand
of Corean assassin at Hardin. Ac-
cording to DIR. Dillon Ito was a genius an
all-round statesman. Ito was above all
patriotism was his religion, and
he never abandoned 1t for foreign idols.
Among his compatriots he was known as
the Bismarck of Japan"
Will Japan. it is asked. avenge on
the Koreans the assassination of Prince
Ito? DIR. Dillon answers
Revenge the query by an en-
r,l;L.,~ phatic negative, and for
oAAAnoAy' psychological reasons.
which he has learned by contact with
the orientals of the far east. In the
first place. Itos countrymen, while be-
wailing their loss. will doubtless az
mire and envy his lotto offer up his
life on the altar of his country In
that part of the world such an end is Is
blissful as is Nirvana to him who ar
rives at the term of all existence Sucn
Is the Japanese view.
Last summer. continues the narrator.
a publishing firm in Toxic decided to
bring out a japanese Pantheon" a
work in which heroes and patriots are
held up to the people for admiration
and imitation. In this bead-roll the as
life in 1889 occupies a high place.
At the time Okuma was minister of
public instruction and treating with
foreign powers to secure the annulment
of the capituiat Ions. bomb was
thrown at Okuma which did not kill
but crippled him for life. The publish
ing house asked his authorization to
include the would-be assassin among
the heroic patriots of the nation, be
cause his motives were pure" Count
Okuma, familiar with the current vie US
Of his countrymen, assented.
1t Is the opinion of the writer that
because Count Okuma. even Prince Ito
or DR.. Dillon should attribute assass.na-
ton to psychological conditions of the
oriental mind. it is not necessarily fact
and 1T is doubtful If the learned oriental
will admit any such con-
clusion. Briefly the souls of the oriental
assassin do not diner materially from
that Of the occidental assassin. In each
the motive Is base and VIC ent and i'll con-
cealed under the pretext Of patriotism or
religion. There Is not the difference OF
a straw between the assassinS Of Okuma
Ito, Yi-Yong-Ik and those of Carnot Nc
kinley, Elisabeth Of Austria. Humbert
Of Italy. In the soul of the assassin there
is envy. hatred and malice, and with
these an immense quantum of vanity and
the exaltation that proceeds therefrom
There is great deal of unnecessary
and ill-placed sentiment over the fate ~
Korea as the protege OF
AOTean Japan. The United States
C+o+u. was induced to take this
fll-bred bantling from the
lap of China. to whom it was vassal, and
set 1t up as a separate and independent
nation. kingdom frst. then an empire,
with long roll Representations COM
mitted with extraordinary manifestations
of savagery. The king or the emperor
was an actor in one OF these official
butcheries. and this fact afforded the /,
United States an excellent occasion to |
let go OF its compromising protege. 1t is |
too late to restore Korea to China, but |
the United States should welcome and
aid, II necessary. the Establishment of |
Japanese authority in that uncivilized |
peninsula. Korea is a country I'm which |
assassination Is recognized as a principle |
of government, practiced alike by liberal |