OCR Text |
Show MERE QUIBBLING. The Japanese minister to China, being be-ing questioned regarding the recent demands of his home government upon the Chinese, denied that the cession of any territory had been demanded. He also claimed that his government was pledged by its alliance with Great Britaiu" to maintain tho territorial integrity in-tegrity of China. In conclusion, he declared that the demands made by Japan did not interfere in any way with the rights of other nations. The explanation is not satisfactory inasmuch in-asmuch as nothing is said about the rights of China in 'the premises. It is also unsatisfactory for the reason rea-son that if au agreement with Great Britain is all that stands in the way of territorial aggrandizement by Japan at the expense of China, the Pekin government may as well prepare themselves them-selves to submit with the best grace they can when the Japanese inotify them, that some of their rich provinces have been assimilated. The map of Europe will be reconstructed after the war is over and the victors will take all the spoils they can get. Japan, not having a share in the European pie, will naturally be given free rein by Great Britain to do as she pieases in the Orient, and poor old China will be the victim. In addition to Kiaochow, now occupied occu-pied by the Japanese as a result of the war with Germany, it may be that the whole of Manchuria will no longer be a "sphero of influence," but absolute Japanese territory. Deception and equivocation as practiced by the diplomats diplo-mats is a fine art, the Japanese minister min-ister at Pekin being one of the most accomplished men of his profession. However, if the plain truth were always told the occupation of the diplomats would be gone, and countries secretly plotting to despoil their neighbors neigh-bors would be unable to lull suspicion by practicing deception or telling downright lies. As the hunger for terri- i tory is not yet satiated, diplomats will continue to be sent from one foreigD court to another to pull the wool over the eyes of the statesmen with whom they come in contact. |