Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-14
KOUROF FATE NEAR I
|. FOR CHINA; JAPAN
LIKELY TO PROFIT
Yuan Has Lost All Author
ity, and Republic Is
Divided.
JAPAN is DETERMINED
TO PREVENT BREAKUP
Will Oppose Any Attempt by
European Powers to Parcel
Out Territory.
AIR or EXPECTANCY NOTED
General Feeling in Mikado's Realm
Is That Chance OF 1000
Years Has Come. .#
JAPAN is DETERMINED
TO PREVENT BREAKUP
AIR or EXPECTANCY NOTED
General Feeling in Mikado's Realm
Is That Chance OF 1000
Years Has Come. 49,

Especial Cable TO The Times -Dispatch.l
TOKYO May l3.-No doubt is left
now in the minds OF observers OF Far
Eastern affairs that China's hour of
fate has come.
The republic is divided in two-north
against south. President Yuan the
strong man." who aspired to he En-
pcror. has lost all his authority, and
the immediate prospect is that the !.
arbitrary central government which
Yuan has sustained for three years ma
break up into a number OF separate
military commands, which is a short
cut to chaos.
Meantime. Japan. the Lord of, theH
Orient" stands watchfully waiting. but
with no intention OF allowing China,
with her 40o,0Oo.0oo souls, to become
bigger Mexico, 800
One nickering hope for China re-
mains. II Yuan retrcs gracefully and
completely. il the army, the monarch
lists. the moderate republicans and the
revolutionary republicans can get UP
strong enough confidence in one an
other 10 submit to A provisional gov
eminent of moderateS while national
convention works out settlement, and
IT. while all this is happening, some
miracles prevent fare up which
would necessitate foreign intervention,
china may pull through with her In
dependence.
Those who believe in the Chinese 1
think ii may he done. The chief point
| in their favor is tho fact the present
outbreak Is not n purely revolutionary
movement, but a protest against re-
version imperial despotism. It's leader.
| Tsai 40, is believed to be ready to
% to ~
try pending national settlement, pro-
vided Yuan gets out of the way.
| This is helped in one way by the
intense distrust and dislike of japan,
which is felt all over China, and which
supplies form of that pressure from
the outside which has been the saliva
ton OF many an infant state.
There is no doubt that IL anything
could make the Chinese develop some
Slimmcrlnr of nationai' cohesion It
would be their conviction that Japan
is waiting her opportunity to step in
But China never has had any real unity.
| Her foreign rulers have maintained co..
hcSon by II policy OF balancing ono
province against another The north
roughly speaking, is conservative and
monarchicai the south is republican
I and progressive.
fAVnS TO COMBINE At H
APPROACH OF TROUBLE
China does not combine at the an
proach OF trouble: the tendency is to
| ny asundcr. each for himself With Z
an inert mass like tho Chinese peo-
pic, this tendency cannot be rid of In
day or decade.
! There is thus room for serious mis-.
SivinSs as to the point at which the
breaking no ,cI,oJ
tcrnally. i;ut the real factor OF the
situation. I'm the opinion Of nine foreign
observers out Of ten. is to be sought
! IN Japan. There is no use DENYING
that Japan has very strong case
som" years ago. when it appeared that
China was about To break IN Japan
was content t" accept Il slice of the
melon, and in the spheres of in
hucncc" arrangement. which was re-
Sarded as equivalent to stalking out
claims Japan was allotted the Province
OF fukein lying across the channel
from her own possessions of Tormosa.
Events have marched since then.
Japan has glmpsed a Monroe Doctrine
of the Orient, with herself As its de.
fender
The division Of China among Euro
rcan powers would bring out 10 Asia
the animcSities and rivalries IT Eu-
rope, thereby cndangering tho pencs
OF the Far East for which Japan
stands Japan considers herself to be
| IN the same position as the United
states would he il Russian, England
France and Germany were to divide
up Mexico and transfer their national
arSressions 10 a country adjoining it's
border
The japanese declare their deternii.
nation To prevent a scramble for China.
They think that they have the right
I" prevent breakup which would
/ inevitably bring others in
The Root Takahra agreement, the
AnSlo-Japancsc alliance. the Russian
convention and the French agreement
all contain II clause providing for the
ma intenance Of China's territorial In
teSrity aud the open door"
That clause was put in the dipIo-
matic documents with a view to extst-
nal aggression. and probably In many
cases, with an eye on Japan herself
Hut suppose that in this uneIan-
pied tumble Of the worlds affairs when
ait Europe Is lighting for causes beside
witch China is scarcely worth q
thought. the danger to China's terri-
torial integrity should arise within.
is 1t not Japan's duty to act on behalf
| of her European allies and intervene
to prevent chaos? You are going ito
hear great deal along these lines In
the near future. Va
The Chinese view is different II
| is generally believed there that japan
has stirred up the present disturbances
| In order to make a pretext for inter.
vention' and that she is opposed to
Continued on Seventh Pase.S go