The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-23
Will in Time be the Greatest in the
Entire World.
RUSSIA, ENGLAND AND CHINA
Will Unite for the Partition of the Con-
tinent of Asia, and the Bear
Will Get the Larger
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London, December 13.-John w. Book
walter, of Ohio, who has just returned
from a three months journey though Rus
STA, told the correspondent of the Assoc
ciated press today that he enjoyed unusual
facilities for observing what is going on in
that country. He travelled 1900 miles to
The terminus of the trans-Siberian rail-
way to the end of the line reaching the
frontier at Afghanistan and to the end Of
the one penetrating China through Man
churia. All these are now practically
completed
Mr.. Bookwaiter was allowed to go every
where and to see everything and to take
photographs, thanks to special permits is
sued to him by the minister of the interior
ON the application of the United States
ambassador at st. Petersburg. During his
journey he conversed with the governors
of provinces and with military and civil
officials of all ranks.
Everywhere 1 found" said Mr.. Book
walter, "the kindest and most friendly
feeling towards America and Americans
and heard many expressions of satisfac-
ton over Americas success in our war
with SPAIN There was not single excep-
ton. Wherever l went everything was
ehio"H open W HE SIMPLY because L Was
an American.
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 manufacturer
Market in Central ASIA
Central Asia will, in the near future, be
the greatest market in the world for man.
ufactures of all kinds, and our obtaining
mo Of l,is
depends on our retaining the friendship
Russia now has for u.s. A great surprise to
the world is in preparation in that part of
the earth and 1t will come, believe very
soon. Not many years will elapse before
the world will see Russia, England and
China combining for the partition of Asia.
The very force of circumstances will bring
this about. England and Russia will never
be able to agree on partition of China
between themselves. 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.
1.-THE alliance of England, Russia and
China-of two-thirds of the human race
will be such an alliance as history has new
er yet seen and 1t will be one which will
give peace to the world for centuries. All
its interests will make for peace and 1t will
world.
Has Little to Gain
america has very little to gain by an
open door to China. That country is an in
dustrial one and whatever we may now be
able to sell to them, the Chinese will soon
be able to make for themselves. One day
and 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 Eng
land and all the rest of the world has done
in fifty years. No one who has not seen it
with his own eyes can have the faintest
conception of what Russia has done, and is
still doing, in Central Asia.
Il have travelled over 1900 miles of rail-
road from the Caspian sea to Tashkend. in
Turkestan, over branch of this line which
runs to the northern frontier of India, over
another branch which goes from Merv to
the border of Afshanistan. This last
branch was not completed when 1 was
there, but 1t 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 rap
idly approaching completion All the work
on these lines has been done by soldiers,
who in this way are not in Russia, as else
where, non-producers.
"All this tremendous Asiatic railway sys-
ment All the lines are admirably built and
splendidly equipped. Why, I saw bridge
across the Amudaria in Central Asia, at a
point where the river is three miles wide,
that cost 20, 900, 900 roubles, and is the great
est piece of engineering work ever accom-
plished.
There Is Nothing Like 1t
There is nothing like it anywhere else
in the world, the celebrated Forth bridge,
oyppDtad.
wherever l went saw cities and towns
sprneing up, such as Askobad, in Turko-
mania for example, which already has 2o,-
900 inhabitants. Near Merv the car Is
building a magnificent palace. New Box
hara twelve miles from Old Bokhara, has
y, 600 inhabitants. The Russian policy in
Central Asia is not to bring the new and
the old into too close contrast, and so she
builds her railway stations few miles
away from the old centers of population
thus forming new and entirely modern
centers.
"Where do the people come from to in
habit these towns? Why, from Europe and
Russia The government is turning her
surplus European population INTO central
Asia Just as the United States turned her
surplus population of her Atlantic states
into her great western territories. What
have lust seen in central Asia is almost an
exact reproduction of what l witnessed
years ago in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri
when the emigrants from the east were
pouring into the west.
Already thanks to her railways, Russia
can al 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 today has 25,900.0O0 reserves, all Of
whom have served in the army from three
to five years. One-fifth of her population
has been drilled and disciplined to military
work.
1.-THE United States will be committing a
stalro CHI foil 10 tair ha