Salt Lake Tribune | 1916-07-08 | Page 6 | Robber Agreement

ROBBER AGREEMENT. The Russian and Japanese governments govern-ments have agreed to a political convention, con-vention, the purpose of which, we are told, is to maintain a lasting and constant con-stant peace in the far east. This is a most noble and worthy purpose if we are to accept the Petrograd dispatch as the truth. We become suspicious, bow-ever, bow-ever, when we read the comment of the London Times, which says ' ' the agreement agree-ment is tantamount to a formal alliance, alli-ance, the main objects of which are the maintenance of peace and the safeguarding safe-guarding of the special Japanese and Russian rights in the far east." This lets the cat out of the bag, for the special Japanese and Russian rights in the far east consist of infringements upon the rights of the Chinese. By the same token the convention as regards re-gards the maintenance of a lasting and constant peace simply means that Russia Rus-sia and Japan will throttle China if she objects. Some of the other great nations aro "in with the play," for the Times goes on to say that ' ' the respective allies of Russia and Japan have been informed in-formed of the agreement and have expressed ex-pressed their satisfaction with it." jSo mention is made as to what the Chinese Chi-nese think about the matter, notwithstanding notwith-standing the fact that their country is the "far east" referred to in the agreement, or at least the principal part of it. The prospect for lasting peace in the world has not been enhanced by the action of the Russian and Japanese governments, for sooner or later the Chinese will attempt to throw off the foreign yoke and the orient will be deluged del-uged with blood. The war may be a long time coming, but the seeds have been sown and no earthly power can prevent the harvest. Just how the commercial com-mercial and other rights of the United States are affected will not be known until the text of the RuBso-Japanese convention is made public. It is safe to say, however, that our trader with China will be curtailed if Russia and Japan can bring it about.