The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-02-19
RUSSIA pREPAR1Ne FoR ooNo UEsr

RUSSIA PREPARING FOR CONG QUEST
The man who writes, IN 1900, the his
tory of the last half of the nineteenth
century, says the Chicago Tribune, will
express his amazement at the indiher-
ence with which European politicians:
regarded Russia for the twenty years
that followed the Crimean -waM'@ The
allies conquered Sebastopoly because
Russia could not utilize her forces. The
lesson was not lost upon Gortsshakoff
and his imperial masters. Since that.
time, step after step has been taken to-
wards the formation of a power that
could smile at opposition. BY freeing
the serfs, the foundation was laid for
calling into being race OF yeomanry
such as England once. had and such as
Germany now has. By rigid military
laws the nation is being converted into
an army. Finally, by a gigantic system
of railroad and internal improvements
the widely separated parts of the en-
pire are being brought near each other
until vast armies can be transported
to any threatened point with all the
rapidity which the best equipped rail-
roads in the world can give. This sys-
tenn is to be still further extended. The.
Emperor has been in consultation with
M. Ferdinand de Lesseps, the great en-
gineer who planned the Suez canal
Great things are hoped for as the re-
suit of the interview. De Lesseps un--
dertakes none but great things. At.
present, the Russian railway system.
may be roughly defined as one of north
eastern and southeastern lines which,
cut one another at right angles, andl
thus divide the country into a mann
moth checkerboard. Six different roads,
radiate from Moscow. A letter in the,
New York Herald, to which we are in
debted for some of our information,
declares that this whole network is.
nearly completed. In 1860 Russia had
], 1000 miles of railroad. Now she has.
| 10, 600 miles. She can put an army onl
either the Prussian or Austrian frontier
| by half dozen different rpares. She,
is thus insured against successful inva--
sion. ALI the lines of communication.
cannot be cut. She is almost equally,
well guarded on her western border.
Her armies against Khivas were fol-
lowed by tracklayers and. telegraph
builders. It will be remembered that.
her inroads in Turkistan excited the.
liveliest fears in Great Britain-fears
SO lively that she sent special ambas--
sador to London to assure Englandi
that she meant to do nothing. Then,
she did great deal. Now she threat
ems British India. It is not probable.
that she means to strike warlike blow
at English supremacy there. Her at.
tack will be more insioious and more.
fatal. She means to cont-oI the trade.
of Hindostan by opening great over
land rail route through her territory.
Already Russian merchants are occupy
ing the comparatively narrow strip of
ground between the English and Rus.
sian frontiers. It will not, be long,
they hope, before they resp the rich,
profits of the East Indian trade. The.
barbarian monarchs of Western Asia
reign now only by the suffersnce of the,
empire. One object Of the Persian
Shah's visit to Europe is supposed to.
have been to get pledges of support.
against Russian encroachment If this
is so, he failed. He is at her mercy.
Persia once conquered, Turkey would,
be threatened on her Asiatic as well as
her European frontier. Then the rea-
son of Russia's recent violation OF the,
treaty of Paris might appear. With,
the Black sea controlled by her feet
and the Turkish frontier in Europe
occupied by her armies, she might at
last realize her great ambition, and.
drive the Crescent across the Bospho-
rus. If her greed for territorial gain Is
not satisfied then, she has the whole
Chinese empire to feed upon. sAdvanc-
ing from the Siberian frontier, she can
swallow it up, bit by bit, repeating the
process she has made so familiar in,
Western Asia. These are thepossibii-
ties of the future. They are not, we
think, to be dcplored. Russia is not q
highly civilized state. but her advance
means civilization for Asia.