The San Francisco call., 1898-01-02


 =: tie surprised when the fleet sailed = into the bay and seized Kiaochau, /: -: we did not see anything very ser. :.> :. .iuus in the action. Germany wants = only a coaIing station on the coast of ;: China. It would not pay her to oc- .+ cupy a large province. Think of the soldiers she would have to send out, . and the expense of occupying a hostile :: country. so far from home.
 :. Four German vessels and from three to, four hundred marines and sailors .> took part in the landing and the oc- =: cupatfon of Kiaochau. which is eigh- .. teen miles from the coast. The Chi. nese were not prepared to make any defense, and even if they had been, our splendidly equipped little force was quite competent to deal with a good many thousand barbarians /: Then they had the reserve power of the German ships to fall back upon if any trouble had occurred. The flag ship of the squadron, the Kaiser, is a powerfully armored cruiser of 7500 + tons. displacement, built at Poplar in 1874. She has engines of 5700 horse 70 power. and can, when driven full speed. steam IA knots She carries eight 10-inch. one 5-ineh and six finch Q. guns, besides a number of smaller :; weapons. Then she is protected by Q 19-inch. armor. The Princess Wilhelm is a: smaller cruiser of 440O tons, car rying twelve heavy guns. The Irene is. a twin vessel of the same size and .* armament, while the fourth ship, the sArcona, is somewhat smaller.
 # :.Of course the demand for repara- :. ton. because of the massacre of two .. German missionaries was merely pre- text. Germany, I am sure, had long s since decided on some such step, with the view of strengthening her foothold : in the East. 1 do not think England twas consulted. She was taken by sur @::prise. It is far more likely that Ger :: many had an agreement with Russia. . '> England has been too lenient in her =. dealings with China. She should have 2. taken: vigorous action some years ago. @ when a number of her missionaries . were ma ssacred. Now the Germans .:.shave their ships of war in Kiaochau Bay; and. will teach the Chinese a les : son. <~-'
 = :. What do the Chinese themselves *,. think of it all? Oh, they don't think =: very. much, at least not in a united way. You see. there is. no patriotism 3 at all left in China; there is no har- ;: rnony between the provinces, and what .. =: happens in the. south matters little to E those. who live in the north. The Chi nese. merchants and ali the wealthier " .. classes would welcome a European oc- ; :. equation of the coast, because it would .'.: relieve them from the intolerable :. ::.-.squeezing system which prevails : Everywhere. The Mandarins squeeze :.: the traders to the utmost. and that is why so many of the weaithier mer- .:Ghants have crowded into Shanghai and other treaty ports
 '.." "Whatever the European nations may do, there is no possibility of the Chinese offering any serious resistance.
 Look at their navy; it is absolutely worthless. The material is there-the men could be made into good soldiers if they were paid properly and placed under competent officers. What Chi nese Gordon did with his ever victor ious army could be done again. by an equally able leader But as it stands. the Mandarins rob the soldiers. and naturally the men are discontented Then there is absolutely no organiza- tion, none of the most ordinary re- uuirements of military service are at tended to. Why, in the recent war with Japan, regiment after regiment was sent into the field with cartridges which would not fit their guns.
 it is true that number of. German drill instructors have been imported tc
 train the men, but it is only in the
 fleighborhood of the larger cities that
 one sees any disciplined troops. The great mass of the provincial troops re-
 main in the same old semi barbarian
 state and are. trained in the use of primitive weapons It is impossible to place any reliance upon them when brought against civilized troops
 ...eAs.to the navy, well, there is not g much sof it left since the. war with Japan. There are only nine or teh. in- ferior cruisers and some torpedo boats none of them in a condition for active service.
 Germany is building three new ships for. the. Chinese, and the Armstrongs
 two; but, then, these vessels are not 2. yet ready-not.paid fer, believe-and
 they are out of the question at. the present, moment
 T don't think the Russians are at
 all likely to float. the new Chinese . loan; in fact, don't see how they can
 finance it at St. Petersburg Either Germany or England will have to man. age the business, and besides, the Chinese really hate the Russians They are afraid of the great northern power,