Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-06

patches from Toxic and Seoul Of the list
instant OF a recrudescence
Insurgent Of instruction in south
nr4h.L ern Korea and the as
ou'oAS"n' sassination of twenty or
more Japanese and Korean officials.
There is little doubt that these acts of
violence will hasten the fatal issue-the
official absorption Of Korea by Japan.
Japan's intention to take over Korea
was unveiled at Portsmouth. when Count
de Witte boldly summoned Baron Ko-
mura to quit all regeneration as to
Korea, for he was ready to abandon
Russia's pretensions on that head. And
it may be said just here that this frank
seizure Of the bull by the horns was an
agreeable surprise to Japan. and has
served. as it was intended by the diplo-
mat, as a key to the complete under
standing between the victor and the van
pushed
The Japanese are a very sedate. dig
nif1ed people, and are prolonging their
military occupation as a matter of DO
likeness, that they may not appear in
history as voracious in appetite and as
TOO eager to swallow the morsei which
the russians hung at them at Ports
mouth. The Taiyo of Toxic. indeed, Sc
verely crtticises these old statesmen
who trouble themselves about what Eu-
rope no VIII say about taking Korea" And
write in the Pacific Era that it was
urgent to denounce the international
treaties signed by Korea in order to do
away with the fiction of an Independent
h no. an wv, which was contrary. to
committed by the dethroned emperor in
his time; the recent assassination of the
american. stevens; the assassination of
Prince Ito, and. finally, the assassina-
tons in southern Korea. may be set down
as the last scenes In the Korean drama
as nation.
Japan, indeed. should take care In the
interests of her own dignity and good
name that she does not
japanese weary the public with
Hesitation hesitations which deceive
no one. The Korean
government is a misnomer. The emperor
is an automaton. The Japanese resident
general is a dictator with plenipotentiary
power, to whom all affairs interior and
exterior are subject, and who obeys only
the single order from Toxic to Japanize
the administrations as speedily as pos
sible. Nor Is it as difficult as one NAV
imagine, for there has always been a
japanese party in Korea in the service
and pay of the Japanese government.
The fiction Of Korean justice is main
tanned and Korean magistrates are APP
pointed. but only by authority of the
Japanese resident.
A correspondent utters a dolorous COM
plant on the authority of an American
resident of Seoul that the so-caIled Ko-
rean justice is a farce, and that there
is, In fact, Justice only for the jap
anese." This is possible but the corre-
spondent does not appear to be aware
that this condition has always existed in
Korea. The writer recalls that while
residing officially in Korea he was called
upon by an American resident to procure
for him titles to land purchased from a
Korean. 1t was game of hide-and-seek
that both seller and purchaser were play
! ing, for 1t was known to both that titles
to land are vested In government, and
the tenant therefore. is only a tenant
at will of government, and possessed
or stranger. except by consent of
government The writer. In his official
capacity, procured the titles from the
Korean government as favor, and as a
courtesy to the United States govern
ment, but the Korean foreign Office would
have been in its right to refuse these
titles. as it had already refused them to
others.
The commerce of Korea Is stagnant
and nil, and it is certain that Japan. so
long as 1t maintains the
Commerce fiction OF an autonomous
c4.A Korea, will continue that
state of affairs as polit-
ical and economical policy, aided In that
by the inherent apathy of the Korean,
who Is the most Indifferent of all mer-
chants or manufacturers. 1t is an alb
surdity to talk of an "open door, when
Japan holds the key, or has taken such
means in advance as to insure for her.
self the monopoly Of the Korean mar
kets. These means are real and appar-
ent to all residents of the far east. The
railways and steamers are the properties
of the Japanese government. or, If owned
by private parties, are subsidized by the
state.
1t is instructive and may serve as a
timely warning to American merchants
to cite in substance some extracts from
the recent report of the United States
vice consul general at Yokohama on
the Conditions in oapan." published at
Asiatic Association.
The central government and municipal
tiles have established industrial schools
in vast numbers. technical. mechanical,
400 private and public schools teaching
all lines of industry and commerce. In
addition to these. again, there are foreign
language schools, in which English
French and German are taught in a six
year compulsory course. A government
school In Toxic teaches English, French,
German, Russian, Italian, Spanish
Chinese and Korean. In 1907 there were
in this school fifty-four instructors and
LOIS students. This latter school has a
three-year course, with two-year post
graduate.
The subsidiZing of Japanese ships has
resulted in a great increase in the ton
mage of the merchant marine. The
amount of such aid by the central gov
1893 to $6.17O.166 in 1908. A decrease
took place In 1904 and 1905. on account of
the war, but the 10000 budget carries
the largest amount ever devoted by Japan
for this purpose, and additional amounts
are being asked for, and will probably
be forthcoming, for example. for the
line to South America, which 1t was
found could not be success without
state aid. The United States will thus
find itself confronted by this unexpected
rival on its own coast.
Foreign capital invested in Japan is
more largely taken up in the form of
purchases of bonds than
Foreign in direct interest in In
dustries. It is in this
ooPi'"A' form, however. it should
be carefully noted, that invitation to