The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-23
Three Months of Observation, During
which He Travelled 1900 Miles
on New Railways.
PREDICTS A GREAT ALLIANCE
SAYS RUSSIA, ENGLAND AND CHINA
WILL SOON COMBINE.
Americas Best Open Door to Central
Asia and China, He Says, Is
Through the Russian Empire.
correspondence Of the Associated Press.

correspondence OF the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. 23.-John w. Bookwalter,
of Ohio, who has just returned from a three
months journey through Russia, told the
correspondent of the Associated Press in an
interview to-day that he enjoyed unusual
facilities for observing what is going on in
that country. He Travelled seventeen thou
sand miles to the terminus of the Trans
siberian Railway to the end of the line
reaching the frontier of Afghanistan and to
the end of the one penetrating China
through Manchuria. All these are now prac-
tically completed. Mr.. Bookwalter was al
lowed to go everywhere, to see everything
and to take hundreds of photographs
thanks to special permits issued to him by
the minister of the interior on the applica-
ton of the United States ambassador at st.
Petersburg. During his journey he con-
Versed with the governors of provinces and
with military and civil officials of all ranks
Everywhere 1 found, said Mr.. Book
walter, 1.-THE kindest and most friendly feel
ing towards America and Americans and
heard many expressions of satisfaction over
Americas success in our war with Spain
To this there was not a single exception.
Wherever L went everything was thrown
open to me simply because was an Ameri-
can.
Americas best open door to Central Asia
and China is through Russia. Already. all
the locomotives and rolling stock on the
railways are of American manufacture.
Central Asia will in the near future be the
greatest market in the world for manufac-
lures of all kinds and our obtaining the
virtual monopoly of this market only de-
ponds on our retaining the friendship Rus
IL A to he
world is in preparation in that part of the
earth and it will come, believe, very soon.
Not many years will elapse before the world
will see Russia, England and China COM
bining for the partition of Asia. The very
force of circumstances will bring this about.
England and Russia will never be able to
agree on a partition of China between them
selves. Still less will they allow the other
powers to share with them in the spoils of
that empire. They will be forced to defend
China, which alone is helpless, against the
rest of the world and to share with her the
dominion of Asia. The alliance of England,
Russia and China-Of twO-thirdS of the hui
man race-will be such an alliance as his
tory has never yet seen and ii will be one
which will give peace to the world for CEN
turtles. All its interests will make for peace
ana 1t will be able to dictate terms to the
rest of tie world.
America has very little to gain by an
dustrial one: and whatever we may now be
able TO sell to them, the Chinese will soon
De able to make for themselves One day
ana that day is near at hand, whatever
China buys from the rest of the world will
reach her through Russia and central Asia
Russia in the last three years has done more
TO open the doors of China than England
and all the rest of the world has done in
nifty years. No one who has not seen it with
MS own eyes can have the faintest concep-
ton of what Russia has done and is still
doing in Central Asia.
! nave Travelled over 200 miles of railway
which she built from the Caspian sea 10
Teshkend. in Turkestan, over a branch of
this line which runs to the northern frontier
OF India, over another branch which goes
from Merv to the border of Afghanistan
rms last branch was not completed when
was there but it will be open to traffic
next week. There are also Russian lines all
along the Persian frontier and penetrating
into that country, either completed or rapid
" approaching completion All the work on
these lines has been done by soldiers, who
in this way, are not in Russia, as elsewhere
nonproducers. All this tremendous Asiatic
railway system is owned and operated by
the government. All the lines are admirably
built and splendidy equipped. Why, / saw
a bridge across the Amudara in central
miles wide, that cost 20,00o,000 roubles and it
is the greatest piece of engineering work ever
aGeomp Dish e; There is nothing like it any
Cridge. near Edinburgh not excepted
w herever l went ! saw cities and towns
sprlnging up, such as Askobad in Turko-
twenty-five thousand inhabitants Near
Merv the Gar is building a magnificent pail
ace. New Bokhara, twelve miles from Old
Eokhara, has twelve thousand inhabitants
The Russian policy in central Asia is not to
bring the and the old into too close
contrast and so she builds her railway sta
lions a few miles away from the old centers
of population thus forming new and entire-
ly modern centerS. Where do the people
come from to inhabit these towns? Why
from European Russia. The government is
turning her surplus European population
into central ASIA just as the United States
turned her surplus population of her Atlan-.
tic states into her great Western Terri
tories. What l have just seen in central
Asia is almost an exact reproduction of
what witnessed years ago in Illinois, Indi-
ana and Missouri, when the emigrantS from
the East were pouring into the West No
human power can stay the onward march
of the Slav through Russia which will be
the feature of the twentieth century Just as
the march of the Anglo-Saxon through
America has been the feature of the nine
teenth.
Already, thanks to her railways. Russia
can at any time pour her armies across the
frontiers of India by the same routes that
Alexander, Tamerlane and Kubla Khan
marched TO the conquest of eastern Asia
Russia to-day has twenty-five million re-
serves. all of whom have served in the
her population has been drilled and disci-
plined to military work.
The United States will be committing a.
woeful mistake if she fails to retain the
friendship of this great world power of the
future ~ -