The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-28


may demand.
RAILWAY AS A KEY TO POWER.
what wonder that the combination
changes masters? Ordinarily the Canadian
Transcontinental Railway is projected to
Vancouver, and is to keep north of Lake
Superior, but Vancouver is a long way up
the seacoast is remote from centers OF nav
igation and climatically is so conditioned as
to be disadvantage ous. San Francisco is
far more advantageously situated STRATEGY
cally as we'll as commercially, and in addi-
ton by making 1t the Pacific terminus in
stead Of Vancouver the railway will be
more direct and saving will be effected or
a thousand more miles of construction.
THE combination is SEEM the deal con-
sCmmated and the Canadian line is carried
south instead of north of Michigan and
Minnesota, passing practically TO Canadian
domination. In this reforming of plans and
initiation of purposes, all of which do not at
once appear upon the face of things, st.
Paul becomes important point to the
southwark 1t will be remembered there are
no railroads save the little line out of Chi
cago northward to Racine, but not touching
Milwaukee,, and 1t is under German man
agement. Cincinnati. st. Louis and New
Orleans have no railways whatever-thls,
despite the unsurpassed fertility of the val
ley of the Mississippi and its great tribu-
taries.
.'The Germans through their unequaled
familiarity with these regions and the
knowledge of their productions, seek to
closing in upon their ascendency by the
planning of a railway system which Will
assure the control of all the traffic south
of ST. Paul and, in a Cerverian way, bottle
I'D the Canadian at the head of navigation
of the upper Mississippi. German subject,
in d quiet unOstentatious manner, seeks
concession for railway from st. Paul to
Chicago and makes it an object to the COM
bination by including the existing line 10
Racine in the deal, pledging a mileage OIL
vide on the business and otherwise employ
ing the advantage of cooperation IN the
scheme. The result is that the exclusive
concession is promised and, with this emo
supposedly fixed, the plans for the line from
Chicago to ST. Louis are got we'll under
way when. to the momentary conster'la-
railway is announced as granted to some
French and Belgian people. This. however,
is seemingly Knocked out by, the vigorous
German protest at once made and Whlcn
the combination promises faithfully to need
THAT Canada should view with equanlnl-
ity these efforts to shut her out of territory
so vital TO the future of her main railway
system would be to attribute to her want
of foresight by no means warranted .i,,I by neF
makes sure that when she has ner say II
will be with weight. She herself VIII 40
the building from St. Paul TO- MilW iva aIS
and Chicago, and thence to Cincinnati ana
ST Louis eventually extending down the
Mississippi to New Orleans.
AS APPLIED TO ASIA.
''Now, as the key and to render this OBJ
ject lesson. as have termed it, comprehen-
sive of the general situation in China, as
well as the commercial importance of the
railways over which Russia and England
have recently come to so many words, sub
stitute Russia for Canada China for our
South. Middle and far Western States.
England for Germany, st. Petersburg for
Montreal. Vladivostok for Vancouver. Port
Arthur for San Francisco, Manchuria for
Michigan, Mongolia for Minnesota New
chwang for ST. Paul, Tien-Tsin for Chicago.
Picking for Milwaukee Shan-Hai-Kwan for
Racine, Hankow for ST. Louis. the Yangtse
for the Mississippi and Shanghai for New
Orleans.
at parallels are not so iil-ftting. San Fran
cisco is of vastly greater Importance than
Port Arthur, and at present there can be
no comparison between them beyond the
Port Arthur, on the Yellow sea. like San
Francisco, on our side of the Pacific. is
the most advantageously situated. harbor.
offering facilities in the way. of water.
shelter and protection unequaled by others.
Tai-Lien-Wan. however, will become the
indeed, of the China sea, it having much
larger waterway than Port Arthur, with
commercial development. The peninsula on
which these are situated is underlaid with
coal and other minerals throughout its area
and in this respect is far and away the
most valuable region in northern China.
'Newehwang is at this time; the p pr tSe
pal commercial point az, at the hesd OF Inc Inc
river. with fair harbor, which, In the cold
er winter weather. freezes over, but which,
nine or ten months of the year, offers good
depth of water and safe anchorage for
steamships. The Lao is not wholly unlike
the upper Mississippi. but. whereas. ST
Paul is at the head of the one, Newchwang
is at the mouth of the other
THE the present Imperial Chinese Rail-
way. which, since its inception, has been
under English management and which ex-
tends some $50 miles from Tien-Tsin TO
Saskatchewan. where the frontiers of
China proper and Manchuria meet will
pass under Russian influence and become
part of the Newchwang- Tien-T Picking
route is foreshadowed by the Chinese gov
ernmental action in refusing the concession
for the line to England. Ii Hung Chang is
supposed to control the existing Chinese
Railway but in all probability IL is joint
affair and will go 10 the Russians in pur-
suance of the general DEAL