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The Commoner.
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Japan and Korea
When Japan drovo Russia jout of Korea
Bho bocamo virtually tho mistross of that coun
try although the nominal sovereignty of tho
Korean emperor was not interfered with. Re
cently tho Korean Emperor abdicated and tho
Japanese moved for more thorough control.
Newspaper cablegrams say that a number of
anti-Japaiieso intrigues havo beon discovered and
that tho former emperor is responsible for some
of these.
Tho first conspiracy consisted in ordering tho
imperial guard to rush tho palace on the night
of July 19, tho second is found in tho defiance
of tho minister of war by tho Korean army, tho
third was tho attack on the police at tho gpeat
boll, which tho Japanese havo proof to show was
led by an array officer, and tho fourth consisted '
in his indirect manipulation of the functions of
the present emperor
In one of his letters from abroad, Mr.
Bryan, writing of "Korea rthe hermit nation,"
said:
"Poor little Korea! One hardly knows
whether to bo amused or grieved so strangely
have comedy and tragedy been blonded in her
history.
"Mr. Griffiths in his very comprehensive
book bearing that title, calls Korea the 'Hermit
Nation,' and tho appellation was a fitting ono
until within a generation. Since that time she
might bo described as a bone of contention, for
sho has been tho causo of several bloody
quarrels.
"Tho position of Korea on tho map of Asia
very much resembles Florida's position on tho
map of North America, and Japan's relative po
sition is something like that which Cuba bears
to Florida. Separated on the. south from Japan
by about a hundred miles of water and joining
both China and Russia on the north, it is not
strange that all three of these nations have
looked upon her with covetous eyes and be
grudged each other any advantage obtained.
The surface of Korea is quite mountainous, the
ranges and valleys extending for the, most part
irom tho northeast, to the southwest. Until re
cently the country was inaccessible and few of
the white race havo penetrated the interior. A
few years ago a railroad was built from Seoul
thirty-five miles west to Chemulpo, the nearest
seaport. Since then the Japanese havo built a
road from Seoul north to Peng Yang, and south
east to Fusan. The last line, which has., been
finished less than a year, is two hundred and
seventy-five miles long and connects the Korean
capital with the ner.rest seaport to Japan. This
railroad is of such great military importance to
Japan that she aided the building to the extent
of guaranteeing six per cent interest on the in
vestment for fifteen years with the provision
that the cost of the road should not exceed
twenty-flvo million yen. Tho Korean govern
ment gave tho right of way for tho road and
tho free admission of material imported for its
construction and equipment. The engines and
cars are of American style and make and the
road is standard guage.
"Seoul, the capital and largest city, Is sur
rounded by a substantial wall and entered by
'gates which until recently were shut at night
even though the city long ago outgrew the walls.
These gates remind one of tho gates described in
tho Bible, and they are not lacking in the beggar
who finds tho gate a convenient place to make
Ifis plea to the passerby. Aside from two or
three broad thoroughfares, the streets are nar
row, cropked and filthy. Tho open sowers on
gather side are filled with refuse matter and reek
witli foul odors.
"There is no general educational system In
, "Korea, and tho percentage of illiteracy is nat
urally large. The missionary schools are doing
J an excellent work and a few of the 'young men
have been sent to China, Japan and America
During recent years there has been quite an
awakening among the young men, and they are
showing an increased desire to learn about west
ern civilization. So great is this interest that a
newly organized branch of the. Young Men's
Christian association at Seoul has a membership
of over five hundred, four-fifths of whom are not
professing Christians but are drawn to the insti
tution Because it gives them a chance to study
western problems and methods. Mr. Wana
makor, the merchant prince of Philadelphia, has
just offered to supply the money necessary for
a permanent Y. M. C. A. building in Seoul, and
having attended a meeting in the present crowd-
ed quarters, I can testify that a new hall is
badly needed.
"The Chinese characters aro used in writing
but tho Koreans havo a spoken language which
is quite different. There is no extensive liter
ature that can bo called Korean, although Dr.
Allen, for many years American minister at
Seoul, has published, in a volume entitled
'Korea; Facts and Fancies,' a number of de
lightful folklore stories, which show an appre
ciation of the love story and a very clear recog
nition of the personal virtues as illustrated in
daily life. Dr. Allen's book also contains an in
teresting chronology of the principal events, but
it is significant of the change wrought by for
eign influence that it only, requires twelve pages
to record the things worth mentioning from tho
beginning of the Christian era down to 1876,
while eighty pages are devoted to the things
that have transpired since.
"In examining the pages devoted to the last
century one is struck with the disinclination of
the Korean government to accept the offers of
intercourse made by the various nations of Eu
rope since 1875 and with the number of mis
sionaries who suffered for religion's sake prior
to that date. Persecution, however, seems to
havo increased rather than diminished the zeal
of the various denominations, and today Korea
is regarded as one of the most promising of
tho missionary fields. While Confucianism has
influenced Korea, Buddhism never gained such
a foothold in this country as in China and
Japan. There, are no gorgeous temples here,
and for five hundred years (and until recently)
Buddhist priests were not allowed within tho
walls of Seoul. There are missionary stations
throughout the country, and at Peng Yang there
is a native congregation of fifteen hundred. At
Seoul a modern hospital, built with money given
by Mr. Severance of Cleveland, Ohio, has been
opened by Dr. Avison, where besides care to the
sick, medical training is furnished to rfh'tives
who desire to fit themselves for this profession.
I was assured by Dr. Avison and by missionaries
residing here that young Koreans, both men and
women, learn quickly and are faithful assistants.
The medical missionary, being in an excellent
position to show his Christian spirit by helpful
service, is doing much to aid in the propagation
of our religion in the Orient. In this connec
tion I might add that Dr. Allen went to Korea
as a medical missionary and became the em
peror's physician. This intimate relation gave
our country a good standing here, when' the
doctor afterwards became the American minis
ter. These friendly relations are still main
tained through present Minister Morgan.
"Tho government of Korea is an absolute
monarchy and has a reigning family which has
held the throne for about five hundred years.
All authority emanates from the emperor and
is exercised through ministers, governors and
subordinate officials, appointed by him. If one
can trust the stories afloat, the government is as
corrupt an organization as can be found on
earth. Just who is responsible is not clearly
known, but that offices are sold and all sorts of
extortion practiced there can scarcely be doubt.
There is no spirit of patriotism, such as is to
be found in Japan, and why should there be
when the government gives so little in return
for the burdens which it imposes? Changes in
tliQ cabinet are of frequent occurence, there
having been something like sixty within a year.
"For a, long time Chinese influence was
paramount and the Chinese government had a
resident minister in Seoul who was the confiden
tial adviser of the royal family. But Chinese
influence ended with Japan's victory In 1894;
soon afterward Queen Min, the wife of" the pres
ent emperor, war put to death and, the
murder being charged to the Japanese, the em
peror took refuge at the Russian legation. Now
that Japan has driven Russia out, she is virtu
ally in control of the country, although the nom
inal sovereignty of the emperor has not been
interfered with. Just what form the Japanese
protectorate will take has not yet been decided,
or at least has not yet beon announced. Marquis
Ito is in Seoul now as the representative of his
government conferring with the emperor and
h,is ministry.
"In the end the protectorate will be what
ever Japan desires to have It, for neither Korea
nor Russia nor China is in a position to question
her decision. Besides building railroads through
.Korea, the Japanese have established banks and
issued a currency for Korea in place of the cop
per cash generally used. The government rec
ognizing the inconvenience of a currency which
. had to bo kept in huge boxes and paid out at
the rate of a thousand or more to the dollar
had, farmed out the right Kto coin nickles and
VOLUME 7, NUMBER
these were soon counterfeited. The counterfeit
nickles have been classified as,, first, better than
tho originals, second, good imimtatlons, third,
poor imitations and fourth, those that can only
be passed on a dark night.
"Japanese soldiers aro to be seen every
where and Japanese settlements are to be found
in all the larger cities. The Koreans as a rule
regard the new Japanese invasion with silent
distrust and are in doubt whether the purpose
of Japan Is simply to protect -herself from future
danger at the hands of China and Russia, or
whether she is expecting to colonize Korea with
her own people. If Japan purifies the govern
ment and makes it honest; if she establishes
schools and raises the intellectual standard of
the people; if she revives the industries now
fallen into decay and introduces new ones; if,
in other words, she exercises her power for the
upbuilding of Korea and for the advancement
of the Korean people, she may in time overcome
the prejudice Tvhich centuries of hostility have
created. But what nation has . ever exercised
power in this way? And how can Japan do it
without developing an educated class which will
finally challenge her" authority? If she keeps
the Koreans in ignorance and poverty, they will
be sullen subjects; if she leads them to higher
levels they will the more quickly demand their
independence and be the better prepared to se
cure it. Which course will she pursue?"
oooo
Washington Letter -
Washington, D. C, July 29. And the evi
dence still accumulates to prove that tho Sixtieth
congress might just as well as not convene for
all it will be allowed to accomplish in a legisla
tive way. Yesterday the papers -announced that
tariff revision had been postponed until 1909.
"It would be suicJ 1 for the republican party
to attempt it." The papers announce that prac
tically everything in a legislative line will be
postponed in the next congress. Take, for ex
ample, the republican New York Press, the organ
of the Roosevelt wing of the party in New York
City. I quote from a special article on its first
page which bears the signficant head lines: 'Cv
oooooooooooooooooooo O'O o
o
O ROOSEVELT READY TO PUT ON O
O BRAKES. RAILROADS WILL GET A O
O REST FROM LEGISLATION. BREATH- O
O ING TIME FOR ALL.
O
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Several men who have visited President
Roosevelt in the last ten days have said on their
return to Washington, that there would not be
any radical legislation in the next session of
congress, which will begin on the first Monday
of next December. The president is represented
as believing that the railroads have had as much
legislation as they will stand for a year or so,
and he regards it as proper to let investors know
that there will not be any serious legislation
until the presidential election is out of the way.
Senator Hopkins, of Illinois, who saw the presi
dent yesterday, was here tonight, and confirmed
the news that has come from Oyster Bay. He
says that there will be no legislation next ses
sion aiming to control the over-capitalization
of railroads. The subject may be kept alive,
but no amendments, to the statute will follow."
In other words the Sixtieth congress is go
ing to indulge in considerable talk about reform
but it is going to do very little for reform. This
policy is to be pursued for partisan purposes,
Probably in order to induce the big corporations
to again lavishly contribute the people's money
to a big campaign fund, some inactivity along
legislative lines is necessary to reassure them
that the party in power asking the donations
does not intend "to run amuck." Comment on
such a plan is unnecessary. It carries its own
condemnation. It will receive its proper rebuke
at the hands of the people in 1908.
If present Indications are any criterion the
plan of legislative inactivity will be carried as
far as possible into the other -departments of the
national government. As an example, tha pres
ent attitude .of the interstate commerce com
mission and the department of justice toward
the prosecution of Mr. Harriman Is significant.
Chairman Knapp's semi-official defense of the
Harriman whitewash by ,the interstate com
merce commission is not reassuring for those
who hope to see our criminal laws enforced
against big as well as little offenders. Mr.
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