The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1908. THE DEATH OF ITO.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14043, 29 October 1909, Page 4

The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1908. THE DEATH OF ITO.

The assassination of Princo Ito, " tho Bismarck of Japan," removes from the thcatro of Far Eastern diplomacy one of its most important actors. Prince Ito was born in 1841, and was therefore about 68 years of age, and as the Japanese when well cared for appear to be a fairly long-lived race,' he may be considered to have had many years of national usefulness before him, hud not a vengeful Korean with a' pistol'c'vi short bis "career. As a young man Ito, in disregard of his country fu'ws, stole away to England, ami there studied some of the features of the civilisation of the West, and barely escaped illtreatmenb for his supposed to he unpatriotic conduct on his return. That stolen trip to England laid the foundation of his future supremacy in tho counsels of his people, or rather gave a direction to his counsel, for the foundation must have been already deep and wide in the character of the man. By the time he was thirty, lie Was a diplomatist, and was sent to England as a member of an Embassy to obtain revision of treaties. On his return ho formulated banking regulations for Japan, on ' the American model, which gave the Japanese a control .over their financial arrangements that they had not before possessed. In 1881, the Mikado promised his people a Constitution, Ito was. sent but to study European forms of Government, and ori bis return after twelve months' investign- ■ tion, ho drew up a scheme for the. complete reorganization of the Govern- : ment. In 1901 he was entrusted with a most delicate mission. Travelling as: a private gentleman, just desiring to , see the world arid enjoy himself j he sucked tho brains of diplomatists, military men, and'financiers, everywhere lie went, with tho result that he was able to return home with the knowledge that Japan could whip Russia, and put a stop to the hitter's advance eastward in Asia. And all the world knows tho result of her successful attempt to do so. Whether that success is final or not remains to bo seen. Russia is patient, and she is friendly with China, which Japan is not, and very much depends upon the wisdom and far-sightedness of Ito's successor in the negotiations between the three natious whether tho present state of tilings can last much longer. Japan has not treated tho Koreans too wisely, Russia lias been accumulating influence in China for years past, China and Japan are not on the best of terms, and it will not avail Japan much to argue that it is to China's interest that she should ioin with Japan to checkmate the white races. A cablegram yesterday stated that Russia was aghast at the murder of Ito. There was a danger that it might interfere with the patient propaganda ' of Russia's private message to' : China, "Codlin's your friend, not Short." But Japan received the news of Ito's death calmly. That is their way. It is to be hoped though that the success of Korean revenge in this case will not encourage others to adopt a like method

of wreaking private upon public men, or the Koreans will probably find their pacification proceeded with by still sterner measures than those sonic of them have had to complain of. Which in its turn would be a gain to Russia. The "United States seems to be taking a hand in the settlement■ of the future dominance of power on tlio Eastern coast of the Asiatic Continent, and some extremely interesting changes may take place there before long—though, as has been said already, Russia is patient, and will work her way onward to icc-freo Pacific ports more slowly than before, when she pushed her way too rapidly down to Port Arthur.