The Washington times., 1915-07-04
VernacuIar Newspapers Show
Complete Unanimity In Criti-
cism of Government.
WOULD FIGHT FOR RIGHTS
Men Who Should Know, How
ever, Differ as to Power
Welded by Popular Press.
BY OSCAR KING DAVIS.

! EhnlNI. CTlna, June Ill oHe may
judge Of the feeling in China over the
result of the negotiations on the Japa-
nese demands by the sentiments ex-
pressed by the vernacular newspapers,
There Is compete unanimity as to
Japan's purpose to absorb China. and
almost complete unanimlty in criticism
Of the government for yielding without
a fight.
Among men who have spent years In
China and have watched the develop
ment Of a vernacular newspaper press
opinions differ as to the extent Of the
influence now welded by that institu-
ton.
It is to be remembered that the native
press of China is of very recent growth.
Fifteen years ago there were scarcely a
score of newspapers printed in Chinese
In the whole empire. 1t was only about
twenty years ago that the telegraph was
first introduced into China. and It was
that now means of communication be-
tween CITY and city which led to the
establishment of the vernacular news
papers.
Show Rapid Growth.
The growth of the institution has been
fairly rapid. and Is one Of the most
significant facts Of the awakening Of
China. There are now about thou
san Chinese newspapers in the whole
country and they are well scattered
through all the eighteen provinces.
None Of them has yet reached any
thing like the position of power and in
fiuence enjoyed by 80 many American
and English newspapers.
None of them has achieved anything
remarkable in the matter Of circulation.
But many Of. them have widening
circles of readers and of influence, and
1t is indicative of the manner in which
they serve to spread information quick
paragraph announcing the holding of
public meeting for the discussion Of the
present crisis has resulted. on two days
notice, in an attendance Of hundred
thousand persons at the meeting.
What Japan is actually aiming at"
says one of the Peking native papers.
the Yashsiya Jih Pao. rs the overthrow
Of the balance of power In the Far
East and the mnopoliLation Of the rights
hitherto granted to Great Britain and
other powers.
Her desire to absorb China is clearly
indicated in the demands for the mo-
nopoly supply of armaments and the
Densa ssvsers Of mary P0Aea As to her
designs on the other powers, we see
that she has already gotten rid effec-
lively Of Germany by occupying kiao-
chow and appropriating all the proper
Her recent friendly offers of big guns
and officers to Russia Is a dagger hid
den beneath the robe. For when Rus
sia Is fully occupied In the West Japan
Is endeavoring to consolidate her posi-
ton in Mongolia.
Check To America.
1.-THE Fukien demands. Japan openly
declares to be for the purpose of check
ing America. while 1t does not take
very much wisdom to see that the
Yangtse demand Is anti-British through
and through. The suppression of China
by Japan at this critical moment is,
therefore, the suppression Of America
and the European powers in the Far
East"
Another Peking paper, the Kuo Hua
Pao, utters warning to Japan that she
is very likely to find something wrong
with her calculations.
, "Subjugation Of China Is perhaps an
easy thing" says this paper. "since ia
pans army and navy are decidedly
China's superiors.
"But Japan should not forget why
Napoleon met his final defeat.
What cry the world will raise when the
opportune time comes nobody can say.
1t Is certain. however, that the unusu-
ally aggressive policy will serve only
the world powers when their attention
can be safely taken off Europe.
This may take some time, but come
It will, and when that is done Japan's
now deceived as to the real cause of
safety. She may say that her safety
lies in her army and navy, but that Is
not really the case"
Safety of Japan.
The paper goes on to say that the real
safety Of Japan now lies in the concen-
tration of attention on Europe, and to
ask whether Japan will be able to con-
tend with the other powers when she
shall have taken full possession of
China
In another article the same paper dis
cusses Japans veracity and strategy,
and asks some pertinent questions.
Although 1t is public knowledge" 1t
says, that the japanese demand badly
conflict with the principle of equal OPP
portunity and the open door, Japan still
denies the facts and puts forth instead
a fine sounding phrase about the main
tenance of peace in the Far East
I'm the same way Japan uses a cater
phrase to describe her deliberate at
tempt to destroy the Independence anc
integrity of China. calling II the main
tenance of the integrity of China.
Now. IL the demands are really mo-
N conflict with the principle OF equa
opportunity and the open door. why die
not Japan make them in a time OF peace
instead of a time when Europe is en-
gagged in war
Again. II Japans demands are really
harmless to China, why did not Japar
disclose them to the rest of the worlc
instead OF endeavoring to compel China
to keep the str!otest secrecy? There II
something behind it all.
Several Of these papers print com
ments on the situation having a decided
bearing upon the position of the United
States, China has confidence in thu
United States and is firmly convinced
that the American republic has no de
Signs whatever on her territory or he
national existence.
But the Chinese 10 not quite under
stand why a nation SO powerful as
the United states ard so interested
in the preservation of the inde-
pendence and integrity Of China. has
permitted the Japanese aggression ID
so on uninterfered with, despite Ja-
pans obvious violation Of the Root
Takahira agreement. So the Kup
Min Kung Pao directs this shaft al
that situation:
I'VE imagine the japanese are now
saying to themselves that certain