Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-19
The Congress ut The Hague.

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
The hopes which one fain would cherish
in connection with the congress on limita-
ton of ornaments that met today at The
Hague are somewhat dampened by the fact
that Russia, since her ruler issued his
famous rescript, has been pursuing a con-
spicuousy aggressive policy. Her action
toward Finland in depriving that country
of an autonomy so dear to its people and
exercised without the slightest danger or
detriment to the sovereignty of the para
mount power, has reminded the world
anew of the arbitrary character OF Russian
rule; for the capacity and disposition Of the
people of Finland to combine freedom with
order in the management OF their local az
fairs have never been impeached and there
was no shadow of excuse for depriving
them of their time-honored privileges A
fear on the part of the cars government
that the leaven of freedom, if left working
in Finland. might extend its ferment to ad-
jacent parts of the empire, suggests itself
as one of the motives which led to the ac-
ton taken; but another plainly was to eX-
tort from the Firms an increased contribu-
ton to those colossal ornaments, whose
crushing weight was 50 forcibly set forth
in the imperial reScript calling for the
present congress.
But what must arouse still more serious
misglvings on the part of some of the
nations participating in the congress is
the recent course of Russia in China Her
fest, and though for the present held in
check, mainly by British resistance, it is
IN no wise abated- All that is necessary
to its ultimate realization is that time be
given Russia to complete her Trans Siberian
and Manchurian railroads, so as adequate
ly to enlarge her facilities for the trans
portation of troops and supplies to the
chinese frontier. That accomplished, no re-
sistanee offered by a naval power like
Britain could prevent her from bringing
under her sway all the inland provinces of
the Chinese empire, and in these she would
find the increased resources in men and
material wealth to enable her to drive her
competitors into the sea and complete her
task of absorbing the whole of China
1t is not surprising under these circum-
stances that the Russian proposition for
limitation of ornaments meets with little
favor in Germany. Far seeing German
thinkers cannot be blind to the position in
which their country would be placed, If
Russia were so enormously aggrandized
and strengthened as she would be by the
successful execution of her plans with re-
gard to China. Germany cannot afford to
have her eastern neighbor power con-
trolling populations counted by hundreds of
millions. She must realize that the time
to resist so vast a scheme of expansion is
now. before such progress shall be made in
its execution as to make resistance impos-
sible.
If Russia is just now staggering under
her armor and feels that she cannot in
crease its weight without weakening rather
than strengt ming herself, that is no rea-
why nations that have not placed
themselves in the same predicament shall
put themselves under pledges which would
schemes of Russian ACKNOWLEDGMENT which
If unressted would place them at Russia S
mercy. and which to be resisted success
fully must be resisted at once Under ex-
may we'll be regarded with suspicion
May Is 1899. E. T. PETERS.