The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-07-25

nearest relatives may DO seized and en-
slaved in his stead. The slaves Rre in
variably treated with kindness, aud no
objection can be made TO the system on
tho score OF cruelty, No II ever
hears OF Il slave being overworked,
and 1t often happens that a master,
finding some OF his debtor slaves TO be
so lazy that they are not worth keeping,
instead OF logglng them and forcing
them to work harder. simply gives them
their freedom again. The slaves are
also free from taxation. So il comeA to
pass that a very large proportion OF tho
population are perfectly. willing TO be
enslavcd. Men run into debt rCcklessly
and make no effort TO pay of their in
debtedness, but arc entirely willing to
be seized and enslaved, The greatest
evil OF this system Is, therefore, In the
fact that II encourages shlftIessness and
;mprovidence and so demorallzes the
industrial life OF tho nation. Tho rem.
ody for 1t will DO found in the growth
of foreign enterprises. Europeans set
Ting there hire Chinese and Malay
luborers, who are better workers than
tho incident Siarnose, 1t will presently,
therefore, DO found that free labor II
actually cheaper and more effective
than slave labor, and the latter will
give place to the former.
Practically, there is war between
France and siam, How far the republic
will push it remains to be cen That
any other power will interfere is not 10
be expected and in the absence OF such
interference siam can make little re.
s~istance A few French gunboats and
half q dozen regiments will quickly do
what the king Of BrAmah aud his eight
hundred thousand men failed to do.
France has now some fifteen warships
in those waters; mono OF them very
formidable, but quite ample to deal
with the insignificant navy OF Siam.
The French commander is Rear.Admiral
Edgar Human, and his flagship Is the
Triomphante. This Is a single screw
armored cruiser of 4,l76 tons, carrying
ak nino.inch and seven smaller guns.
Then thore are tho Aunamito, n trans.
port; the Foriait, a wooden cruiser the
%InConstant, q single-screw wooden dis
patch vessel; tho Alouette, u slow pad
die dispatch boRt, built OF wood; tho
Lutin, Comete and Lion, single.sCrew
composite gun-vossels; tho Joaquin and
Moulin, paddle gunboa!s, built OF steel /;
aud ivo steel twin-screw guuboats, the
Arquebuse, Caron0de, Cimeterre, Estoc
and Mutine.
Against these, what has Siam TO pres.
ent2 The navy possesses one protected
cruiser, the Maha Chahkri, which has
been designed to serve also as q royal
yacht, and which, with q displacement
OF $500 tons, carries four 4.7-inch and
eight 0.pounder quick firing and fifteen
machine guns; but this vessel consti-
tutes the whole OF Its serious strength.
In addition there are two wooden cor
vettes, each Of about 900 tons, and each
carrying eight guns; aud tho Gunboats
Apollo, 400; Gladys, 400; Coronation,
2S5; Phra Tabong, 100, aud Rukit
Linga, 1G0 tons, together with the
small dispatch vessel Mahat Rajkuris,
and the yachts Ubon Burakit, 453; Yes.
atri, 203, and Ndhai Rajahith, 80 tons.
These arc practically the only govern
ment craft which could be employed IN
defensive operations. Nor are the
land forces particularly formidable.
Tho standing army numbers only about
10000 men, though Of course the whole
OF tho male population lie Liable to be
called out in case OF emergency. Every
male in the country, with n few exCep-
tons, above the age OF twenty,one years
has to serve with tho colors for three
months every year. The government is
said to possess over $4,000 stands OF arms
and several annon The siamese
army is to some extent Differed by Eu.
ropeans, aud OF late years it has largely
increased in efficiency, in numbers, and
In tho character OF It's equipment. But
1t could make no serious stand against
q Fronch force numerically by far its
inferior.
Deplorable ms war always is, it'would
be especially regrettablo between France
and Siam, for reasons OF sentiment and
ancient associations. 1t Is true that tho
Portuguese first visited the Land OF the
White Elephant But France vas fret
to establish regular diplomatic relations
herewith, to send thither an embassy,
and to receive in return a stately en-.
basRy OF Siamesa. This came to pass so
long ago as tho reign OF Louis XIV.
The great monarch" had in view the
conversion OF the Siamese king 10
Christianity, as we'll rs u political al.
lance, and he sent to Bangkok an am
bassador and d number OF priests. Tho
ambassador was received with such at.
tention as mad never been paid to any
other visitor, and was told by tho wise
men Of the court, to his great wonder.
ment, that he had visited Siam a
thousand years before, In an earlier
incarnation. Nor wls any lack OF
courtesy shown to the siamose embas.
sy at Versailles, whore, indeed, Its up.
pearanco commanded the greatest nd.
miration. At that very time, more.
over, n Frcnchman was tho foreign
minister Of tho king Of Slam, aud, by an
odd chance, another Fronchman holds
that place to-day, while n Slamese roy.
al prince Ia now visiting tho French
republic. Yet all such things count
little when once hostilitics have we'll
begun. Tho killing OF n French com.
missioner OH the Mckong, tho forcing
OF tho forts on tho Moinam, and, per.
hRps above all, tho desire for colonial
expansion and the erection Of n scien.
tilc frontier imnoasurably outweigh
all tho fur words OF tho "Grcat Mon.
arch" and IL IL altogether to be expect.
cd that before tho present incident ia
ended the map OF Slam will greatly