Page:The New Far East (1906).djvu/107

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88
THE NEW FAR EAST

resentatives of the two govermnents, the Emperor informed some of the foreign ministers of what was going on and vainly urged them to protest. Failing to secure support from any quarter, the Emperor again bowed to the inevitable. A third protocol, signed in February, 1905, turned over to the Japanese full control of all avenues of com- munication, both postal and telegraph (the Japan- ese had long before seized them). Under the terms of these instruments (it did not wait upon written authority except when it suited), the Japanese Government proceeded to administer the domestic and foreign affairs of Korea. In so doing it instituted many changes. The Japanese control the policing of the country, still employing, however, some of the machinery of the Korean Government; a new financial sys- tem is being inaugurated; the diplomatic rep- resentatives of Korea in foreign countries are being recalled and Korea's diplomatic interests turned over to the Japanese legations in those places; the Korean army is being reduced and reorganized under Japanese direction; and re- forms in a number of other branches of the gov- ernment are being undertaken. Briefly put, this is what Japan has done in Korea since the beginning of hostilities. There remain to be considered the methods employed to secure this astonishing result, the actual and prob- able results to Korea and foreign interests in the country, and the relation of these matters to the settlement of the issues of the Far Eastern ques- tion.