Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-30
LONDON SCORES
POLICY OF KNOX
ATTITUDE TOWARD JAPAN AND
CHINA CONDEMNED
CLAIM MADE THAT TREATY OF
PORTSMOUTH is VIOLATED
English Newspaper Takes Attitude 1t
Is Strange Step to Modify
Document Signed in
United States

GOSL IIllIlkS that l1l6 DIODOSdl IllttuS DS
Mr.. Knox, the American secretary of
state. for a modification of the treaty
of Portsmouth is hardly consistent
with the traditions of diplomacy. 1t
says that Mr.. Roosevelt took much
credit to the government of the United
States, for having by its good offices
facilitated the conclusion of the treaty
by which the war between Russia and
Japan was terminated. 1t is, therefore,
not little remarkable that the Amer
lean government should now wish to
have the terms of that treaty modt-
fed. The suggestion has the appear
ance of a gratuitous interference in a
matter which primarily concerns only
Russia and Japan.
BY the treaty of Portsmouth both
contracting parties agreed to evacuate
Manchuria completely and simultane-
ously, except the Liaotung peninsula,
the lease of which was ceded by Rus
sia to Japan. The Russian govern
ment engaged to transfer to Japan,
without compensation and with the
assent of the Chinese government, the
railway between Changchun (Kuam-
Chen-Tsu) and Port Arthur and all it's
branches, together with all rights,
privileges and properties pertaining to
it, as we'll as all coal mines in the re-
gion belonging to or worked for the
benefit of the railway. Thus the rail-
way from Port Arthur northward was
divided at Changchun into two por-
tions, a Russian one to the north and
a Japanese one to the south. Botn
governments engaged to exploit their
railways in Manchuria only for COM
mercial and industrial purposes, to the
exclusion of strategical purposes.
Reasons Not Outlined
These are the existing treaty stip-
ulations to which the United States
are not a party. Mr.. Knox, however,
has submitted to the Russian ministry
for foreign affairs, and presumably
also to that of Japan, the suggestion
that both railways should be neutral
lied by being sold to China, the money
to be supplied to China by foreign
powers. which would supervise the
management of the lines. This is a
PROPOSAL for which the reasons are not
intelligible. 1t might be equally OBJ
iectionable to Russia, to Japan and TO
China. China would nominally become
the owner of the railway which passes
through Chinese territory. But she
would be in regard to it under the tute-
lage of foreign powers.
The proposal does not, at any rate
in the published outline, specify Whlch
can hardly be included, for the pub
Iished account of the proposal gives as
one of its justifications that the powers
are to see that the lines are used Ior
commercial, not for strateg1cal, ends.
In other words, the proposal suggests
that neither Russia nor Japan is tul-
flling its pledges. This is peculiarly
delicate way of recommending the pro
nosaI to them both. Evidently the
fn mr.
America. How will China relish the m
idea of an American control OF the
line? 49, :; A,,,arico
M LSn0x is thought to have made a
clever move with the purpose OF put.
tinp Japan in the wrong. That is ho'
fhe course usually adopted by pa
cific diplomacy. Japan, IS apsolut1lg tll y
within her rights in aploing py liz ho
t'.aa+,r of Portsmouth, and it may be
erotlered ~ from a telegram publlshed
tbat the proposal is unacceptable TO tue
Tananese government, as previous lele-
orayns have shown it to be dlsagree,,
9tIa IN Japanese opinion as represehceu
i.s +he oress Whether the Russian
etovernment will find it more acceptaple
+ is hardly possible to foresee. Dn1 n1
Russia can hardly join IN any propotILe+, tLa
~ Tanan to modify the terms OF llle
~ ttIl Of portsmouth without appear
inc to wish for reopenlhg OIL ho0'i'
tiles. e Ea.r
rha object of Mr.. Knox, 'hen' can
tord11, he to bring about the change
described in his proposal. IL must po
e,<'r,,atbs,7q else. 1t may be move
for, domestic purposes, aiming at gan.
inr for, Mr.. Taft's government the
sI1onathv and support of the classes
~, America which are tinged WIN Ie1l
of Japan, But in that case IL Is ifeI y
1v a. measure of great foresight. ~
other power can give any support 70
the suggestion, at any rate NJ ~ ~
o,,t nreViously ascertaining that II dc"
oo,eds With the wishes of the Japanese
government, unless it wishes 10 give
proofs of anti-Japanese policy. oTredt
Rritain. for example, cannot listen 10
n oxcent at the request OF Japan, loI
croat Rritain is Japan's ally, pouho
10 her I1y treaty until August, l9l0'
The nreamble of the treaty OF Aug
ust 10 1905, lays down, besides the
general objects of maintaining peace
in the regions of Eastern ASIA ana vi
India and of the preservation OIL lile .1S
common interests of all the powers III
CSbira two special objects, of when
tha first is the maintenance of the ter
1,itorial rights of both powers III the
regions named and the second the ae-
fense of their special interests IN these
regions. The two powers agree that
neither of them will without consult
ING the other enter into separate
agreements with another power to the
nTeiudice of the objects described IN
the preamble.
Must Abide by Treaty
It is evident that the possession or
her share of the Manchurian railway
is a Japanese interest in the sense of
This treaty, and that therefore Great
Rritain cannot without Japan's previ-
o1s consent agree to the proposals OF
Mr. Knox. and that if the japanese
interest we're prejudiced by the ini-
tiative of third power and Japan
thought fit to defend that interest in
arms Great Britain would be bound
N 20 to the assistance of her ally
in accordance with the second article
of the treaty.
All these considerations are of course
familiar to Mr.. Knox. But, as 1t is
NOT conceivable that the president of
the Tinted States should wish by his
diplomacy to raise any of the large
and delicate questions evidently an
volyed in the proposals drafted by Mr..
Knox, the natural inference is that
which has already been drawn, that