Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1894-08-17

hOhEA AMI HEN NElOdBO1bo
cellent chance Of winning. In the long
run, however, say the students of the
history of these oriental nations, China
will hold her own, and more. Her popu-
larion is 50 enormous as to be practical
~ inexhaustible, and her resources are
great almost beyond computation. She
eau therefore put up an excellent fight,
even after suffering what seems to be a
crushing defeat and long after the fight
ing men and the material resources Of
her island rivals have given out. Un
less Russia or some other occidental
power interferes, say these students,
China's hold on Korea, though it may
be broken for time, will be renewed
and will continue.
This view Of the probabilities seems
to be amply borne out by the facts of
history. There have always been jeal
ousies between China and Japan, and
the two empires have almost always
been at loggerheads over Korea. A lit
tie more than 800 years ago-in 1892,
to be exact-they had big war over
the little peninsula. Japan won every
battle but one and completely invested
the land. For several years Korea was
tributary to the victors but China's
population being SO great she was able
to send aew relays of fighting men year
after year, and the contest became such
q drain upon the resources of Japan
that when the emperor under whose
reign the war was begun died the jap
anese troops were withdrawn, and Korea
has ever since paid tribute to China. It
is understood that the Japanese author
tiles fully realize the truth in this mat
ter, and that therefore their disavowal
Of any design of maintaining control of
the peninsula is sincere, their object in
bringing on war being merely to pro-
tect their treaty rights in Korean ports.
The Chinese army available on short
notice numbers almost 1000, 900 men.
There is, first, the division known as
''the eight banners,' including Mant-
choos, Mongols and descendants of the
Chinese who in 1914 joined their for
tunes to those of the invaders, 1923, 800
men in all, Of whom 100, 900 are un-
derstood to be annually reviewed by the
emperor himself. The lying Ping" or
national army, numbers about 656, 900
forces of the united armies thus being
979, 800 Not all of this immense force
can be said to be active. Captain Nor
man describes the active army in detail.
The army Of Manchuria, 70, 900 men, is
divided into two corps, with headquar
tiers at Tsitsihar and Mukden. This
army has the Manser rifle and Krupp
feldpieces.
The army of the center, with head
quarters at Kalgan, has $4,000 men,
which may be doubled in time of war,
and is armed with Remington rifles.
The Turkestan army, large, but how
large Captain Norman does not state
could not be utilized in a foreign war,
probably because it is constantly en-
ployed maintaining order in the western
provinces. The territorial army of
''braves'' numbers 100000 in time of
peace and may be increased to 600, 900
in time of war.
There are those who claim that these
estimates Of China's military strength
are too high. For instance, German
officer Of rank, who entered the Chinese
service during the Franco Chinese wan
and labored hard to improve the eff
cheney of the army, places its total effect
i've force at about 800, 900. The Chi
nese emperor, unlike occidental poten-
tates, says this German, had no personal
relations with the army. In fact, he re-
CARDS it as an inferior service. In the
years Of the TAPPING rebellion it was
different. Then the soldier was by all