The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-05
HATRED FOR RUSSIA,
Japs Ready to Spring
at the Bears
Throat.
HAVE AN OLD GRUDGE.
Yet Sore Over the Daring
Theft of SaghaIien
Island.
SOME CLAIMS ARE ABATED.
Lands VIII Be Relinquished If the
Cash Indemnity Is Materially
Increased.
SOME CLAIMS ARE ABATED


which complexities the position of the
European protesting powers. At the re.
quest of the Associated Press Poultney
Bigelow, who has exceptional means Of
obtaining political information, especially
in Germany, has written the following:
"Russia is the power that to-day calls
| upon Japan to drop the fruits of her vic
tory and take orders from st. Petersburg.
Russia orders Japan to give up her foot
hold on China because, forsooth, she may
disturb that mystical humble called bal
ance of power This order is backed up
by the voices of France and Germany The
voice of France is weak; not because she
does not love Russia, but because she also
loves Japan and because she hates Ger
many more than she loves any country.
Germany is sacrificing the friendship OF
Japan for reasons strictly political. The
Emperor OF Germany desires to show good
will for his eastern neighbor, particularly
at the outset of the present Cars reign.
For the past ten years the relations have
been very much strained, even to the
point of imminent war in 1891. Germany
is now experimenting with a platonic
alliance between the Car and the EN-
peror. 1t cannot last long, but it is pro-
foundly conceived. 1t tends to weaken
French hatred of Germany and to wean
that republic from slavish obedience to
Russian dictation and to isolate her still
further.
ga large party in Germany hates Eng
land cordially and is ready to make any
sacrifice for the qualification of this feeling.
&c hofr 1or
cial relations, but still more from the feel
ing that German expansion in Africa has
been hampered by John Bull. Germany
hopes in q vague way that England may
purchase her good will by large cessions in
the Dark Continent, and at present, there
fore, the Emperor's Government is taking
great pains to array itself with the enemies
of England, and the South Africa and
Alsace-Lorraine difficulties are to be set.
tied on the banks of the Peiho and
Yang-tse-kiang. But Japan has her AL
sace-Lorraine. There is an island within
sight of Japan called Saghalien, and there
is no Japanese who would not gladly enlist
in war to recover this island, for it was
stolen by Russians in 1887.
"I was at Toxic the year after this ex.
traordinary land grab, and can well recall
the fury of the then impotent Japanese
If the Russians give but half an opportu-
nifty the army that has just thrashed China
will turn against Russia with infinitely
finer gusto. That was a land grab that we
could only appreciate if foreign power
should occupy Long Island or the eastern
shore of Maryland. Russia has kept al
she has stolen and wants more. She
wants Korea, and above all she wants the
very Port Arthur W hich Japan proposes tc
keep. Japan may be bluffed into surren.
dering some of her claims, but her true
interests lie in fighting Russia at once
while her army and navy are in good con-
dition and she can do so with the greatest
ease.
"From a source which has never de.
ceived me, l am able to say that Russia
has in Eastern Siberia and nominally fit to
take the field twenty battalions of in.
fantry, two squadrons of cavalry, ten
squadrons of Cossacks, six field batteries
equal to fortyeight guns two half mount
ain batteries equal to eight guns, two Cos
sack horse artillery batteries equaFto eight
guns, three companies of fortress artillery
and three companies of sappers. The re-
cruits for these troops come every year
from Odessa by way of Suez, and it would
take year before the Russians could put
an army of 100000 men in the field near
Vladivostock. Russia alone cannot sub
due Japan, in spite of her army of 100000
men and her many Cessacks, and Germany
can help her only with fair words, for the
Reichstag won't vote money for war in
the East, seeing that the only profit pos
sible will fall to Russia. France is wise
enough to feel much the same way The
hatred felt by France and Germany
against England is not yet quite SO strong
as that felt by each for the other. John
Bull and Uncle Sam can afford to stand by
and say. Let the plucky japanese take
all he can hold. He will make infinitely
better use of it that either China has done
or Russia can do. +"