On Thursday the Anglo-Japanese Agreement was debated in both Houses
of Parliament, In the Lords, where the popularity of the new Alliance was indicated by a most un- usual occurrence—Lord Lansdowne was cheered as he entered the House—Lord Rosebery expressed, though he guarded himself by the solicitor's expression, " without prejudice," his general approval of the Agreement. He asked, however, two questions of importance. Was Manchuria to be con. sidered as included within "the Chinese Empire" ? and had the change of policy in regard to Wei-hai-wei anything to do with the Agreement P—In the press of matter we have not been able to note separately this week that Wei-hai-wei will in future cease to be regarded as a place of arms, and will become merely a playground and rifle-range for the Fleet.— Lord Lansdowne in reply declared that Manchuria did form part of the Chinese Empire, and that "the reference to the territorial integrity of the Chinese Empire which is contained in the Treaty must therefore be taken as referring to Man- churia." There was no special connection between the change of policy at Wei-hai-wei and the Alliance, though both events were discussed together in the Cabinet, and so the Alliance may have exercised an influence on the minds of the Ministers. In the • earlier part of the speech, in answer to Lord Spencer, Lord Lansdowne declared that he did not think the Govern- ment could avow too frankly that it was their policy "to support Japan, to protect Japan against the danger of a coalition of other Powers." We admit that we could not lightly see Japan crushed. But we absolutely deny that the only way to protect Japan was to place our relations with Russia, and so with France, at her mercy. Again, it is by no means certain that any two, or even three, Powers could crush Japan. The Japanese can fight as well as the Boers, and there are some thirty millions of them.
Previous page
