The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-01-01

to produce her own tea. Japan is also rising
in importance as a tea producing country.
Thus, it seems, the last and Chief source of
revenue is threatened. Rice, 1t is true, is
70 the empire, after they have fed their own
people they can not compete with other
countries to any advantage in this trade.
The only machinery and methods of modern
tiues that China has adopted have been
arsenals and navy dock yards 1 have
visited one OF their arsenals at Nam
king, where they have q good building
and steam power machinery, and en-
ploy q large number of men in the manu-
facture of arzEs and the munitions of war.
But these articles are the last things that
China needs in her impoverished condition.
At all points along her navigable rivers and
the sea board she is busy constructing and
equipping them. The empire is preparing
for war with somebody, they don't exactly
know who. Tie soldiers have had a little
drill in Western tactics, and they feel equal
to any foreign country, and this
NOTION OF MILITARY SUPERIORITY
is so general that China will be easily in
duced to engage In war with some Euro
pean power. l have seen thousands OF
soldiers at work in the construction of these
forts. and they reminded me of village of
ants building theic houses. A continuous
stream of men carrying their little baskets
full of earth, while Others sat with pestle
and pounded the mud from morning till
night. And Notwithstanding the great
amount of labor expended and the immense
cost OF these forts, a foreign fleet could
either pass or demolish them at pleasure.
The guns are mounted in such a po-
sition as to be servieeable only in one direc.
ton. They evidently calculate the enemy
to come and anchor with their ''broad side''
in range of these guns. They have taken
no precaution against land force, and the
marines from any English or Russian man.
of-war could take any battery have seen by
landing and attacking from the rear. The
influence of steam navigation has also set
vast numbers os native boatmen adrift A
native craft of five tons burden will carry q
crew as large as a river or coast steamer,
while the latter will carry as much freight
as several hundred of the former. The gov
eminent has long controlled the salt trade
as monopoly, and they employ in this an
immense fleet of junks. They have pro-
tected themselves against the steamers by
holding all salt shipped by steamer as con-
traband goods. And the custom house Off
GERS search every vessel at every port or
landing for salt, and confiscate or throw
overheard all salt found. Yet, in spite of
THEIR VIGILANCE,
it is smuggied through, and scarcely a week
passes that seizures are not made. Thus far
the Yang.tse River has been navigated by
steamers only from Shanghai to hankow
OF the last murder OF an English subject
Mr.. Margory, consul-that the Chinese
government had to pay for. was one to open
a port at Tenang, on the Upper Yang-tse, to
foreign trade and residence. Since then a
steamer has been put on that part of the
river to build up trade, but the native
boatmen have organized against the enter
prise and are trying 10 prevent the native
merchants from shipping by the steam line.
They say, and truly, too, that if
steamers are introduced there, not only will
hundreds of thousands of men be thrown
out of employment but also the large car i-
tai now invested in ships and boats will be
rendered worthless Stock owners in sailing
| craft in the United States will appreciate this
| feature of their protest against the introduce
| ton of steamers. China is wise in opposi ue
railroads for the present, because if they
were built now it would have to be done by
foreign capital, and hence the native carry.
| ing trade would be superseded, and what
profits might accrue would &c into the hands
of barbarians. Thus it appearsf that Euro.
pean commerce Is w 2iI-g fatal war with
Chinese commerce at al points, and the flu
ture destiny OF the MoDgolian race is in
volved In the issue. Their long seclusion
has been broken, ami their prejudices are
bringing them
FACE TO FACE WITH STARVATION
| through the onward march of the ships anC
merchants OF civilization. 1t is the same
story being repeated, that has been going or
| since time began, of the conflict between the
| conteDding faces. And in this, as 1T hal
/ ever been In the past, the weaker must in
evitably fall before the stronger. The Law
! cf evolution of the survival of the fittest il
/ rs inevitable in the conflicts between the
| races of men as it is with other phenomens
of nature. The fate of the Monaghan rae,
found in possession of the North American
continent when the Europeans took posses
| sion of ii, illustrates the probable, nay, in
evitable, fate of their progenItors in Asia.
know phiianthropists lament the sad fate o
| the Indian tribes, but nevertheless, the in
novatlons of the predominatiDg race confin
! ne to crowd the red man toward the settinj
sun until the line OF retreat has been cut OF
| by the possession of the Pacific coast, thu
shutting them in the mountains and law
beds, and placing our army as guard owe
them to keep them quiet. One century ha
brought the conflict home to the great PLAIN
and rich mountains of Asia, and the issu,
has become one of international importance
| Thus it Is evident that the United States al
fords the only retreat of this conservative,
sULLES AND DOOMED RACE.
They have no western plains, wither the,
can retreat, as had the Indian tribes; 90 tina
the states are the open door. This, then
becomes an issue involving the rights OF
people or country to protect themselve
politically. If the people Of the union, or O
any other country, have rights to thei
homes and industries, by which their peac
and prosperity are guaranteed, then has tn
national congress a moral right to restric
The influx of China's millions. which other
wise are sure to set in that direction. hav'
not space to show here the influence tn
opium traffic has in this connection; suffic
il to say that this influence is very great, ant
if there is q moral responsibility anywher,
for the innovations upon China, that respon
sibillty rests with Great Britain, and tn
United States can not afford to atone for tn
sins, if they be such, of England's commerce
Thus have merely glanced at one featur
of this great question, which our statesmen
and phianthropists will do well to consider
| Social Distress In England.
| New \ ork start
The mayor of Sheffield England, an