292
occupation of Gibraltar as Japan's of Corea. We could excuse the Spaniard who did so, although we should not treat his protesta tion au grand sérieux. The illustration, on reflection, must appear an apt one. Corea was the real crux of the late war. Japanese paramountcy therein, legalised so to speak, and certainly sanctioned and confirmed by the recent Treaty, removes, for ever we trust, a bone of contention. We did not want it. China never kept it. Coren her self has never proved herself capable of maintaining her independence. She was an abandoned hulk- -a danger to inter- national navigation-the property of her salvor. Once we dismiss the ethically correct but impossible Corean view-point, we have no difficulty in recognising Japan's rights in that quarter. They are, inci- dentally, more easily proven than those of China, Corea's nominal suzerain. She is said to have paid tribute to Japan long before she did to China. Corca had ม habit of acknowledging her- self vassal to any power that paid her a visit. She preferred the Chinese, perhaps, because they fidgetted her less than the active Japanese, who behaved like the young cuckoo in the nest, as (the Korea Daily News tells us) they are even now doing. China did little to protect her vassal until towards the end of the sixteenth Then there was a seven years century. war, during which, as Mr. ARCHIBALD LITTLE reminds us, the Coreans were not "consulted by either side in the various conventions and treaties entered into during its course." There was as little reason for consulting them then as there is to-day.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND | of the China Association portrayed for us a travelling Chinamau learning, when tra versing the future railway system of his country, how a much-mixed currency may affect his pocket. Being thus made to realise the drawbacks incidental to the absence of a common standard, he would, Mr. GERSHOм STEWART thought, assist in raising "a cry for a common standard. throughout the land." To us it appears that the situation might not be vastly different to the present. The iniquitous system (as we may call it in the absence of an apt word) now in vogue is full of potential "squeezes," and its evils, as the China Association will be the first to admit, are already painfully apparent to Chinese as well as to foreigners. General railway travel cannot make them more apparent, we should thick, except by turning another facet, as it were, to the light. It has to be remembered that China includes both squeezers and squeezed. To set against the Chinese railway passengers who will, in the looked-for day of trunk lines, complain of the extortions due to the differing cur- rencies, there must be Chinese who will smile complacently as they pouch these heaven- sent profits, these truly unearned incre- ments. Are there not already, quite apart from the railways, and in all parts of the Empire, those who find themselves mulcted of sums for which they see return ?
no
not
Why bas the great cry already gone up, and the Chinese Imperial Government decreed that common standard which would put an end to the annoyance; instead of, as it actually is doing, obstinately neglecting to carry out its express under
uniform It is characteristic of the taking to provide a
national Coreans that history does not report their having taken any part in the war which had desolated their country." Perhaps this "masterly inactivity "will be counted unto them for righteousness by those who
are
54
coinage? For what possible reason but that the squeezers, and not the squeezed, have, as the expressive colloquialism puts it, "the pull." Railways we will welcome, of course. There is no need to describe what they will do for China. But we hope we may not have to wait for the fulfilment of the promi e of 1902 until there are trunk lines throughout the country. For what the China Association has done in pressing for this much-needed reform we are grateful, even although they "cannot claim that much progress has been made." The British Commercial Treaty of three years ago was a piece of wonderful progress: it was the principal step. In commerce the making of a contract is usually regarded as vital progress. Great Britain has a definite| contract with China, and it is time we adopted the business-like procedure of CHINA'S CONFUSED CURRENCY. | having it carried out. Perhaps when Earl
now constituting themselves Corea's champions against Japanese aggression; and be held to entitle them to greater sympathy from all good men. It may not be a Utopean standpoint to take, to remind them that "war is the supreme test of a nation's virility, and that corruption and indolence spell the rationale of defcat"; but it is sufficiently practical for this world and these times; and we derive sume satisfaction from the reflection that the present disposition of affairs promises to relieve us of what has too long been a meunce to the peace of the Orient.
(Daily Press, 27th October). That was an excellent point made by the CHAIRMAN of the China Association, in his speech to the local members on Wednes- day, when he suggested that the introduc- tion of trunk lines of railway throughout the Chinese empire would help to bring about the currency reform so obviously necessary and yet so strangely balked at by the Chinese Government. The picture which he drew of the travelling Chinaman, with his carefully calculated travelling funds tied up in a handkerchief, and bis dismay at finding his calculations upset by the vagaries of exchange as he passed from province to province; this picture, it must be admitted, was vivid enough to convince almost anybody. But whether the ex- cellence of the illustration goes beyond its interest as a picture of conditions which will inevitably be witnessed is another matter. Judging the future by the past, we fear that those very anomalies will have the effect of maintaining the popularity of the present chaotic system. The CHAIRMAN
"new
PERCY is more fully informed, or when he and his colleagues are succeeded by brooms," we may begin again to hope.
WEIHAI.
[October 30, 1905.
lease made it quite clear that the object of Weibai was the protection of British shipping, the said protection presumably being against Russia and/or Germany, Germany is now attacking British shipping by legitimate methods against which no amount of northern naval bases can avail. while the Russian danger is and will be for a long time a negligible quantity. The raison d'etre of Weihai seems, therefore, to have gone. It is no longer a fortified naval base, but only a harbour and a sanitarium for British warships of the China station. The sanitarium idea seems to have been worked to death. What necessity there is for such
refuge for men living a healthy, breezy, open-air life at sea, and who are relieved and sent Home at comparatively short intervals, is not easily made apparent to the British resident of, say, Hongkong, who toils ashore through all the heat and supposedly unhealthy days, for much longer intervals, and has practically nothing of which to complain ou the score of fitnes". Hongkong affords ample harbourage, and is, besides, more conveniently situated for any hasty naval mobilisation. Then again, Great Britain's naval strength out here is being considerably reduced, so that if these be the only arguments for the retention of Weihai, even the " niggardly grant-in-aid of £3,000 must be regarded as more than the measure of Weihai's value to us. So far, this cursory review would appear to justify those who clamour for the aban- donment of the alleged useless place. Yet the British Government some time ago definitely intimated that tention of vacating Weihai, and the British MINISTER at Peking has confirmed this within the last few days, by officially that evacuation contradicting a rumour was under consideration. There must be a
it had no in-
"There must
reason er reasons for the Government's policy, a policy behind the policy; and though we are not in a position to indicate its nature, we believe, let us say intuitively, that that policy will one day be justified. The parrot-cry of Chinese integrity will not be always heard; human nature in its course is fighting against the honest or pseudo-houest standard at present raised by the Powers. Great Britain cau still raise it without losing face; but, at the best, it means for each and all; be no grabbing; but should there be, let us grab nost.' Russia gone from Port Arthur does not restore Chiuese integrity: Japan remains. With England out of her small corner of Shantung, there would still be Germany; and the German molto in that quarter is assuredly vestigia nulla retrorsum. The longer the deluge of aunexation is dammed back, the better it will be; but few believe the dam will hold up for ever. It has too many internal weaknesses. When it does burst, we hope there may be a British gun or two still at Weihai.
The following interesting expression of opinion is said to have appeared in the Man. churia Daily Report, a Japanese paper published in Newchwang-In the name of justice, for the cause of the doomed race, and under the necessity of self-preservation, Japan has bought Manchuria for a dear price in blood and money. She has readjusted the upset balance of power'
(Daily Press, 28th October.) Whereas beforetime all the discussion was whether Great Britain would not have to evacuate Weihai in accordance with the peculiar term of the lease-" for so long a period as Port Arthur shall remain in the occupation of Rusia "-it is noticeable that now the demagogues are debating the matter from the practical view of utility. Is Weihai worth keeping? Is it wise to abandon it? The question seems to be accepted as one of pure policy: if British interests seem to demand it, the quaint lense of 1898 is assumed to carry with it a renewal option; or perhaps the legal pro- cedure of defining anything as something else is to be employed, and the word to be interpreted as embracing any foreign Power." The terms of the ship?"
"Russia"
in the Far East. She has saved Chins from inevitable dismemberment. She has effected, at the last minute, the salvation of herself and China. Manchuria is hers by her just right. For obvious reasons, she demanded of Russis
the restoration of its suzerainty to China before Japan had paid anything, bu, after the full price has been given for it, what just man on earth could dispute Japan's legitimate owner-
!
!