Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-24
Russia and China,

The New York Sun recently pro-
duced an article on the designs OF
Russia in Asia, which at least de-
velops novel views. The writer
thinks the Northern Bear has no
designs, ulterior or otherwise, on the
British possessions in India; but that
what is aimed at by all the great
preparations going forward in Central
Asia, is to gain possession of large
slice of the Chinese Empire. The
territory represented as coveted
by Russia extends from the
northern limits OF the
Flowery Kingdom to and including
the valley of the Hoang-Ho. That
embraces about full half of the en-
pire and takes in the capital city OF
Peking. This would give Russia what
she has been striving for since the
days of Peter the Great, an outlet to
the world. Her aspirations in this
direction are no more nor less than
instinct. Hemmed in as she is,
cribbed, confined, lacking seaboard,
except along frozen oceans, her
growth and development can
never be what her vitality
and resources demand. Thus bottled
up her suppressed energies are per-
petual menace to Europe, and hence
the Eastern question is one of those
ghosts which will not down. Under
such circumstances all Europe would
probably be glad to see the forces of
Russian aggression diverted to the
shores of the Pacific, and the densely
peopled plains Of China. In such an
enterprise who would interfere?
But can Russia achieve the con-
quest OF China? For that is what
the scheme means. China has made
a good deal of progress in the art Of
modern warfare. She is working fur
ther progress in that direction every
day, Her numbers are limitless, and
the task Of subduing her myriad
hordes is difficult one. There is
this in favor of the European power,
that the millions OF China, when
their leaders were once out OF the
way would follow a Russian General OF
to-day as readily as they did the
Mandarin who led them yesterday.
This has always been the rule with
Asiatic soldiers. Thus, if Russia
C. uld once get foothold in China
she would make a Kilkenny cat fight
of the affair by turning the sword OF
Mongol against Mongol. 1t is further
to be remembered that China is and
has been for ages in subsection to
Tartars, her royal line and governing
classes generally having come
in from outside the great wall.
!. But these reflections are far-reach-
ing. Granting the success Of Russia
in such an enterprise. What then ?
Russia's millions, increased by
China's tens of millions, all drilled,
armed, equipped and officered in ac-
cordance with the best results of the
art of war in modern times, and one
gets power frightful to contemplate.
The forces OF the civilized
world could hardly hold such
an army in check. The
myriads of cheap labor in these
Asiatic countries would be used by
Russian energy and skill to construct
forts, railroads, heavy ordnance, har-
Dor defenses, navy and what not in
the same time. With the open
Pacific for an outlet, the broad ex-
panses of the Yellow Sea to vancouver
in and the great rivers of China at
comm and, there is no forecasting the
results that might follow.
From commercial point OF
view such an event could
not fail to be OF marked signifi-
canoe to the Pacific Coast of our
Union. The ports of China would
be opened to us and trade the most
gigantic ever dreamed of would grow
up. But all this will not take place
in time to affect our Los Angeles
boom, or the value of corner lots.