an unbroken series of victories on sea and land and came out victorious after a struggle of nineteen months, humbling her great rival in the dust and taking her place as one of the great military and naval powers of the world. Thus Japan, with only about fifty millions of people, after humiliating China with her four hundred million inhabitants, ten years later humbled Russia with her one hundred and thirty million. The action of Russia in 1895, with the support of France and Germany, in depriving Japan of the great fruits of her victory over China by preventing the cession of the Liao-tung peninsula by China to Japan and afterward obtaining that peninsula for herself by treaty with China, eventually rendered war between Russia and Japan inevitable. In fact, it was inevitable long before that. Russia's gradual expansion eastward through northern Asia, which rendered ultimately necessary to her the control of important points on the Pacific coast of Asia opposite Japan, along with Japan's natural ambition to obtain possessions and commercial advantages on the Asiatic mainland, long before portended an armed collision between the empires of the Czar and the Mikado. Russia's first acquisitions in the Far East since the middle of the nineteenth century were obtained by astute diplomacy at the expense of China; and her successes in this regard were due largely, first and last, to a full acquaintance with the Manchu characteristics. The acquisition of the Amour province by Russia from China through Count Muravieff's skillful diplomacy in 1858 as far south as the site of Vladivostok, with the right to navigate the Amour river for military and other purposes, seemed to open an auspicious way for the absorption of Manchuria by Russia, a very desirable country having an area of four hundred thousand square miles and vast deposits of coal, iron and other minerals and containing "the promise and potency of a splendid industrial future." There was no doubt that while the ChinoJapanese War was in progress that Russia had resolved fully to obtain the whole of Manchuria and that she also contemplated absorbing Korea with its valuable harbors, which were far superior to the port of Vladivostok, which is frozen over completely for five months of every year. Prelude to the War. Russia's Acquisi tion of the Amour Region. Russia's Conces- China The starting-point in the recent rivalry between Russia and Japan was the Treaty of Shimonoseki in April, 1895, by which Japan obtained from China the possession of southern Manchuria, along with Russia's subsequent action by which Japan was deprived of the chief fruits of her victory over China. Russia had asserted that China's in Manintegrity must be preserved that is, until China can be annexed to the Russian Empire. As compensation for confining the Japanese to their native islands, Russia obtained from China the railway and other churia. China's Integrity. Great Britain's with Russia. concessions in Manchuria which led directly to the Russo-Japanese rivalry which ended in war. China's integrity was the point inşisted upon by the Great European Powers at the end of the Chino-Japanese War in 1895. China's integrity was insisted upon by the same Great Powers also at the time of their suppression of the great Boxer outbreak in China in 1900. During these five years many things transpired that had a bearing upon the situation between Russia and Japan. In the construction of the Manchurian Railway, in the operations of the Russo-Chinese Bank and in all the devices in which Russia is so skillful, that Great European Power had built up a claim steadily and had strengthened her hold on Manchuria, notwithstanding all her promises to China, Japan and the world not to annex that Chinese province to her own dominion. Besides Russia, the leading Great Power of Europe concerned in the Far Eastern question was Great Britain, which always had maintained that Russia's expansion eastward to the ice-free Pacific coast should be opposed as resolutely as her advance southward to the Mediterranean Sea or the Persian Gulf. Russia's acquisition of Port Arthur and Ta-lien-wan from China, in March, 1898, was not relished by Great Britain, as it disturbed very seriously the balance of power in the Far East and attacked the " equality of opportunity" for all nations which Great Britain always had upheld. To offset Russia's occupation of Port Arthur and Ta-lien-wan and Germany's acquisition of Kiao-Chau Bay, as well as France's gains in South China, Great Britain occupied Wei-hai-wei. Such was the famous scramble among the Great Powers of Europe for "leases" and "spheres of influence" in China, provoked by the insidious and subtle policy of Russia in her schemes of territorial aggrandizement in the Far East. One of the most important circumstances connected with the great Boxer uprising in China in 1900 and its results was the coming of the United States upon the scene in the Far East, with its insistence upon the same open door" policy for international commerce in that quarter of the world as advocated by Great Britain, as a checkmate upon the "sphere of influence" scheme inaugurated by Russia, Germany and France. The Chinese characterized the Franco-Russian alliance of 1895 as a coalition of freebooters and buccaneers for mutual support in the contemplated partition of China. In the spring of 1902 this Russo-French Japanese Alliances. alliance was offset by an Anglo-Japanese alliance, the objects of which were the preservation of peace in the Far East and the protection of the interests of Japan, Korea and China; the prevention of war between Russia and Japan, and the prevention of France or any other power coming to Russia's aid to crush Japan. The effect of this Japanese-British alliance was "to give a new turn to the diplomacy Franco Russian and Anglo 66 and politics of all Eastern Asia and to change the angle of vision of the Cabinet Ministers of the West." As before stated, China's integrity was insisted upon by the great powers of the world after the suppression of the Boxer rising. In accordance with the terms of the Manchurian Treaty, signed by the diplomatic representatives of China and Russia in April, 1902, the Russian troops were to evacuate Manchuria within a year and a half— a result of the British-Japanese alliance and of the resolute insistence of the United States for the " open door in the Far East. Russia gave various pretexts for her continued military occupation of Manchuria in violation of her solemn treaty with China and for her constant reinforcement of her army in that Tartar province of China. It was very evident that she never seriously intended to retire her troops from Manchuria, as she had invested millions of money in that province and as many Russian people had settled there, while the province was of so much value to her in a geographical point of view to the protection of Russian interests on the Pacific coast of Asia. Russia's Occupation of Manchuria. of the Great Japan was the main local protector of Mongolian interests; while Attitude her powerful ally, Great Britain, was her associate in that sphere. Germany and France were Russia's allies in the Far East. The Powers. United States had an interest in the commercial question involved in the situation. Both Great Britain and the United States were dissatisfied with Russia's attitude in Manchuria, but naturally Japan took the lead in checkmating Russia's schemes of aggrandizement in the Far East. Russia's persistent meddling with Korea, especially since the close of the Chino-Japanese War, had aroused Japan to aggressive measures far more than had the Russian occupation of Manchuria. Both Russia and Japan were bound by treaty obligations to maintain the independence of Korea, but Russia's course in Manchuria and her commercial advances in Korea had aroused the most profound distrust on the part of Japanese statesmen. During the years 1903 and 1904 long and weary negotiations took place between the Russian and Japanese governments on the Korean question, Russia giving evasive answers to Japan's inquiries and evidently delaying a decisive answer until her armaments on sea and land were prepared fully for hostilities. While seemingly trying to settle the issues between them by diplomacy, the two powers were preparing for open hostilities, the Russians constantly pouring troops into Manchuria. The great issues involved were the independence of Japan and the restoration of Manchuria to China, along with the preservation of the Chinese Empire and Korea and the maintenance of the " open door" for trade in the Far East. Japan rightly feared that if Russia should annex Manchuria, Korea RussoJapanese Rivalry over Korea. |