The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-06
FAR EAST is AT STAKE
SOONER or LATER THE POWERS MUST
FIGHT FOR THE ORIENT
War Between Russia end Japan
Surely Coming, in the Opinion of
Henry Norman, the War Corre-
spOndent of the London Chronicle
Present Aspect Is Pacific.

LONDON, Feb. Sit is probable that
but little further reliable information
regarding China will be obtained until
the ministers have chance to round
on their assailants, during the course
of the debate in parliament, on the ad
dress in reply to the speech from the
throne. The explicit statement of the
situation furnished on Thursday last,
is, however, sufficient insight into the
fact, and shows that the press has
wasted q considerable amount OF hys-
terical alarm, which, curiously enough,
is more prevalent among the govern
ment supporters than among the op-
position papcrs.
After all, the perturbation will not
have been wasted if it serves to con-
vince the government of the terrible
carLestness of the country over the
matter and how it will resent any
weakness or bungling.
1t must be remembered that the
whole Ia Lien Wan story never re-
ceiVed a shadow of official sanction.
Great Britain has never demanded that
Ia Lien Wan be made a treaty port.
1t was merely one of the suggested con-
st:tuents of the bargain, and if it
should be Withdrawn, it can only be
because 1t is a barrier to the negotia-
items for the loan. The object Of the
condition was to checkmate any scheme
for the transformation of Port Arthur
into a closed Russian port, and the OBJ
ject was equally secured by eX&cting,
from China and Russia together,
pledge in regard to Port Arthur, similar
to the pledge eXacted from them in re-
gard to Corea, before the evacuation of
Port Hamilton, and this will probably
be the upshot.
The semi-official statement distinctly
point thereto, notably the specific as
IL fr1 r.f.fro TT n
the temporary nature of the Russian
tenure of Port Arthur, which was ac-
companied by the friendly assurance
that Great Britain is not bound to ia
pan by any warlike alliance. In short,
there is every reason to believe that
Great Britain does not intend TO re-
cede an inch from the position which
has been officially taken up by Messrs.
Balfour Chamberlain and Hicks-Beach
in the name of the Marquis of Sails
bury.
In the course Of an interesting ad-
dress at Bradford before the chamber
of commerce on Thursday last, the
United States consul, E. S. Day, ap-
plauded the Marquis Salisbury's doc
trlne of free trade in China. He said
that America had every sympathy
with it and that the people of Great
Britain and the United States ought
to lead in shaping the worlds thought
and action. He said they had the op
portunity to achieve great things;
would they unite to achieve lasting
benefits to themselves and to the
world?
Speaking Of the tariff Mr.. Day said
the overwhelming preponderance Of
sentiment in the United States was in
favor of the protective theory. The
Wilson bill, he said, had sickened the
people of tariff for revenue only"
theory and it would not be wise for
the manufacturers of Bradford to hope
for the speedy enactment of another
Wilson bill, (which closed too many
mills in the United States to be re-
tried"
Henry Norman, a bitter opponent Of
the government, writes in the Daily
Chronicle. that it would be unfair to
criticise the Marquis of Salisbury so
long as he maintained the treaty of
Tien Tsin of 1885, and adds: I'm this
demand we are Irresistible. At last
the people of the United States have
learned that we are not the land grab
bers, gold seiZers or monopoly hunters
which some of the Western senators
represent us.
"They have realized that our aims
are theirs. What we want they want
free access to the great untouched
markets of the far East. They desire
commerce untrammeled by the jeal-
ousies, military and political, of the
continental nations. That is precisely
what we are ready to fight for, to Sc
sure for ourselves and for them. Japan,
who will fight Russia some day as
surely as tOmOroW's sun rises, is by
necessity on our side. The Germans, in
spite of the political intrigues of their
government, are also with us, and
sooner or later France will give way,
or we must fight her. The hour has
arrived to permanently settle the Chin
ese question with Russia. The British
were never before so aroused, and
should we yield we shall lose the
chance Of at last standing shoulder to
shoulder with the other English speak
ing great nation. We SHOULD walt
quietly until Lord Salisbury tells us
how the game is going, and when he
has spoken the country should know
what to do and saw"