Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-08
VI.-THE MAILED FIST.

vI.-THE MAILED FIST.
Washington. .. c., July 5.-Japan
has never lacked for defenders in the
United States. Her Asiatic policy has
been upheld even when its methods
were irregular. on the ground that
her friendship for America and China
as we'll as her high political ideals
would make the end justify the means.
Now Japan has shown her hand. II
any American does not see what Jap.
ans course in China means to the
United States. 1t Is probably because
he never deemed the question worth
investigating ..F'.
Japan made twenty-one demands
on China. Some of these demands
were the most sweeping and auda.
cious ever r,ade by one modern pow.
er on another. Japan modestly re-
uuested that China should employ
Japanese political. financial and mill.
tary advisers, that the police depart
ments of important places in China
should be put under the joint admins
tration Of Chinese and Japanese. that
China should purchase from Japan a
fixed amount of munitions OF war
(one-half, or more, of all that China
needed, suggested Japan) or else es-
tablish a jointly worked arsenal un-
der the direction Of Japanese techni-
cal experts and using Japanese ma
terial.
Besides these demands, which OBJ
viously trampled roughshod over all
China's sovereign rights as a nation.
and over the interests of all the other
powers including the United States.
Japan advanced many more. She de-
manded that the great Chinese iron
mining company, the Hanychping,
should be made a joint Chino-Japa-
nese concern and stuck in a clause
to the effect that no mines in the
neighborhood of those belonging to
the company should be worked by any
body else. thereby guarding herself
against the superior efficiency OF
American and English mining COM
panies
She ordered China to extend her
lease on Port Arthur and Dalny for
I99 years, and her lease on Man
churian railways for the same period.
Thereby China was deprived Of any
chance Of getting back THAT belong
to her for another century, and the
principle of equal opportunity for for
eigners in the rich Manchurian terri
tory-where American trade formerly
observation-disclosures glimmering for
the same length Of time, Japan also
asked for the privilege of building
railways in Shantung. told China that
she must get Japan's consent before
borrowing money or granting railway
concessions in Manchuria and east.
ern Mongolia mongolia Is over third
the size OF the United States) and
pledged China not to sell or lease any
of her coast line to any third power
There were several other demands
but these were the principal ones, and
went about securing what she refer
red to in her preamble as s"the general
peace Of eastern Asia and a further
strengthening of the friendly rela
tons and good neighborhood existing
between the two nations" s~.,r
Having made the demands, Japan
strictly forbade China to talk about
them. They were to be kept absolute
ly secret, or Japan would be seriously
annoyed and take steps accordingly.
At the same time Japan assured the
rest of the world that the demands did
not infringe on anybody's rights, and
gave out highly modified statement
Of them herself. So we'll did she do
her publicity work that when an Eng.
lish correspondent in Peking got hold
of the real demands and cabled them
to his paper. that journal expended
considerable money on cable telling
him to cease his false and misleading
reports and get down to facts. -
However. in subtle diplomacy, China
was fully the equal of Japan, and be-
fore many weeks she saw to 1t that
the demands became generally known.
In the face of questioning from the
chancellories of Europe, in the face
Of a note from the United States fiat
ly refusing to recognize the result. Of
the negotiations, Japan .blandly stuck
to her course. She would have pre-
ferred to put it through without un.
necessary trouble, but II trouble came
she was ready for it. The conferences
between the Japanese minister and
the Picking government continued.
Japan consented to notifications in
a few Of her demands, postponed a
few others for future reference, gra-
ciously consented that China, instead
of signing her rights away by treaty,
might In certain cases do exactly the
same thing by an exchange of notes.
All this time a double garrison OF
Japanese troops had been stationed
in the north. Japan explained that
the fresh troops had come to relieve
those whose term OF field duty had
expired: but for some reason the re-
lieved troops stayed on the Job along
side the newcomers. When China
asked when the garrisons would be
reduced to their normal strength, she
was bluntly informed that this would
be done as soon as China had yielded
to Japan's wishes in the negotiations
China replied to Japan's revised de.
mands. yielding all that she we'll
could. and little more. China's po.
sition was particularly unpleasant be-
cause even if she herself were willing
to be swallowed by her small and
ipungnacious neighbor-which she EN-
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