The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-12-23
RUSSlA'S GREAT POWER
Is Doing More Than All Other Nations 70
the Open Door In China.
ALREADY CONTROLS CENTRAL AslA's TRADE
sia and China VIII Soon Form
one Gigantic Combination.
Correspondence o, Associated press)

London, December 2S.--sIohn W. Book
walter OF Ohio, who has just returned
from three months journey through
Russia, told the correspondent OF the As
sociated Press In an interview today that
he enjoyed unusual facilities for observ-
ing what is going on III that country. lie
travelled 1900 mites TO the terminus OF
the Transsiberian railroad to the end Of the
lire reaching the frontier OF Afghanistan
and 10 the end of the one penetrating
CHINA through Manchuria. All these arc
now practically completed.
MIR. Bookwalter was allowed to go every
Where 10 see everything and TO take hun
dieas or photographs, thanks 10 SPECIAL
PERMITS issued 10 him by the minister OF
lns interior OF the application OF the Unit
eG STATES ambassador at st. PetersDufg
burlhs MS journey he couyerscd with the
governors OF provinces and with military
ana civil officials OF all ranks.
EverywnoIe l found xald Mr.. Book
water, the ktn6est and most friendly
ieeiing towards America aad Americans
anu heard many Expressions OF sulisiaetioa
over American success ia our war with
SPAN To this there was no. a single ex-
Ception. Wherever 1 went every thing was
thrown open to me, simply because / was
al American.
Americas best open door TO Central
Asia and China is through Russia. Az
ready all the locomotives and rolling stock
on the railways are OF American mAaufau.
lune' General Asia will in tbs near fu-
ture be the greatest market In the world
iof manufactures of ali kinds and our OBJ
tanning the virtual monopoly OF this mar
ket only depends on oar retaining the
friendship Russia now has for us.
y tn Ga, ,rf.T
preparation in that part of the elrth, ana
II VIII come, / believe, very soon Not
maay years will eiapse before the word
VIII see Russia. England aad China COM
bining for the partition OF Asia. The very
force OF circumstances will bring uAis
about. England and Rus ia Will never be
able 10 agree On Il partition OF China be-
tween themselves. sill less wild thy
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 Uhe world.
and to share with her the dominion Of
Asia.
The alliance of England, Russia ami
China-of two-dhir1s OF the human race
Will be such an alliance as history h
never yet seen, and 1t viii be one which
will give peace to the world for centuries.
All its interests will make for peace and
1t will be able TO dictate terms Go the resi-
OF the world.
America has very little TO gain by an
omen door to China. That Ssouatry is IN
Industrial one. and whatever II may now
be able 10 sell TO them the Chinese VIII
soon he able TO make for themselves. One
day, AMI that day Is near i1 hand What
eyer China buys from tie rest Of the world
will reach her through Russia aad Central
Asia.
Russia In the last three years has done
more 10 oren the doors of China than
England and all the rest Of the world b s
done In fifty years. No ono who has rot
seen it with his own eyes can have the
faintest conception of what Russia la
done and Is stlsl doing in Central Asia.
81 have Travelled over 1910 miles of rail
way which she has built, from the Caspian
sea to Tashnlend, in Turkestan, over a
branch of this line which runs 20 the
northern frontier OF India, over another
branch which goes from Merry to he Dor
der of Afghanlstan This last branch was
not completed when was there. but il wll
be open to traffic next week. There aye
also Russian lines along the Persian from
tier and penetrating into that country,
either completed or rapidly approaching
completion All the work on THESE lines
has been done by soldiers.
'All This tremendous Asiatlc railway
system is owned and operated by the gov
ernment. Al the lines are admirably built
and splerdldly equipped. Why. ] saw q
bridge across dle Amudaria In Central
Asia, at point whore the river l. three
miles wide, that cost 20 600 600 rorbles ANA
is the greatest pteca o. engineering worlt
ever accomplished. There Is nothing like
1t anywhere else in the world. the cele-
hrated Forth bridge near Edinburgh not
excepted
Wherever I went saw citlen ana towns
springing UP. such as Askobai in Turko-
l.. Nj .ls liz. a. Ia
Geo inhabitants. Near Merry the car Is
building magnificent palace. New Box
hara. ~ elye miles from Old BoSh IRA has
~ 900 inhabitants. The Russian policy In
Central Asia Is not to bring the ney and
the old INTO too close contrast, ana she
builds her railway stations few miles
AWAY from the old cepiyTs OF population,
thlls forming new ana entirely modern
centers. Where do the people come fom
10 inhabu these towns? Why. from Euro
pesal Russia The government Is turning
her surplus European population INTO Cen
trail Asia Just as the United states 'urned
her surplus population OF her Atlantic
etates into her great Western territory.
What / have seen In Central Asia Is an
almost exact reproductfop OF what Wit
nessed wears ago In Indiana. Illinois and
Missouri, where the immigrants from Inc
East were pouring into the West, NO hu-
man power can stay the onward inarch OF
Tho STAY through Russia. which VII be the
feature OF the Twentieth century lust as
,ha march of the Anglcsaxon through
America has been the FEATURE OF the Nine
teenth
Already, thanks to her railways. Russia
con AT any time pour her armies across the
frontier OF lndia by the same routes mat
Alexander and Tammtsaane fnarehsu 70 ,ne
conquest NJ Eastsrn Asia, Russia today
has 25 900 0G0 reserves all ol whom haye
serye si' in Inc Russian army from three to
e,,een wears One-hfh OF the population
has been dldied ard disciplined 10 military
work. ~, an, ,,t,.,,,,
~ n,istase II she fails 10 retain the
frIcndsbIp OF this great power OF the fu-
ture"
ponrEn's REPORT
The streets and inrhs OF VI" SIM