File No. 1166/41–45.
Ambassador Wright to the Secretary of State.
Tokyo, April 25, 1907.
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewitha an account of an important speech delivered by Marquis Ito at a meeting of the Economic Society held at the Japanese Club in Seoul on the 17th instant.
The gist of the Marquis’s remarks is that Japan owes her present high place in the estimation of the world not alone to her military prowess, but equally to the discovery that Japan’s actions are not guided solely by selfish motives. She had fought for the independence [Page 773] of Korea and for the principle of the open door and equal opportunity in Manchuria. By doing so she had incurred the responsibility before the world of adhering strictly to the principles defended by her in Manchuria and, in her dealings with Korea, of consulting the interests of the Korean and of other foreign nations as well as her own. He welcomed the expression of unbiased and independent views of trained observers as to how he might best discharge his duty toward the Korean people, and to that end he had invited Professor Ladd to visit Korea as his guest.
Professor Ladd emphasized the necessity of viewing economic and political questions from an ethical standpoint.
I have, etc.,
- Not printed.↩