The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-26

q nificance. JUS What this great
Micawberlike kingdom VIII
I ave to say about such an operation Is
never considered. To wait for things to
tam up has been the political religion of
China from time immemorial, and to-
day it is the United States, with her
new possessions in the orient, who is
more concerned about this so called
partition than is China herself.
At the time when the crumbling Ro-
man empire was dying of dry rot it was
known that in the PARKWAY east lay a
great kingdom so enveloped in mystery
and so secure in its strength that no
imperial Caesar dared even dream; of its
conquest. .
Adventurous travellers vanished into
the darkness of that mysterious east,
and at times faint reports came back to
Europe telling of the wonders of
Chunghwa, the Flowery Kingdom,
whose kings were descended from gods
and whose civilization was called no
less than 5000 years old.
From the day of these first traditions
to just one century ago the worlds
knowledge of Cathay was a fixed guam
tity Not only was it fixed; it was in
fnitesimal Then English missionaries,
the first to cross the borders of the Ce-
lestial empire, invaded this terra in
cognita and in 1893 the British received
official permission to touch on it's hem
and carry on trade with the ports of
China. Three years later Russia sued
for like privilege, but the petition was
refused by the great KEN Lung. From
that time until 1884 all trade between
Europe and China was in the hands of
the British East India company. Then
came the opium war; and the intru-
sion of France Just at the time when
the Russian bear was poking a tenta-
tive but determined paw into Manchu
ria.
Since then strange changes have taxi
en- place, but it was not until audacious
little Japan. at the battle of the Yalu,
tore the dragon mask from the I'M
known face of China that quiescent
Europe knew the actual weakness of
that great empire of the orient which
lay ready to be carved up and passed
around to the powers.
But. Notwithstanding the fact that the
partition of China" has become very
common phrase to our end of the CEN
fury ears the kingdom of the great
dragon has not yet been divided. Eu-
rope, with its collective mouth watering
for eastern territory and with an appe-
tite pungently sharpened by thoughts
of spheres of influence" has in some
mysterious manner discovered that a
nation cannot be cut up offhand and
passed around like pieces of cold pie
One nation jealousy watches the other,
While neither dares act, and in the
meantime China harcn1f
heather way rejoicing.
New interest, however, now attaches
TO the eastern question from the fact
that Italy has taken a hand in the mat
ter. and the complications which have
followed that venture have forced sew
eral of the powers to show their hand
In making her demand for a sphere Of
influence it seems that Italy has the
support of France, Germany and Rus
STA and what might be called the diplo-
matte opposition of the United States
and England. The attitude assumed by
the different powers interested in this
question is important, in so far as it
signifies the eastern policy of each
country involved. England has never
longed for the carving up of China. In
fact, her policy has been one of direct
OPpOoilIOll " oOCu dStiOi. ilS udllOU
that Napoleon dubbed "shopkeeping'
merely wants to go on doing business at
the old stand. Il care not who builds a
countrys laws" says the Britisher, ''so
long as I can build her railways"
All that England asks of the east Il
the privilege of carrying on her trade
under conditions equal with those of ev-
cry other nation. This attitude, OF
all that 4the United States is claiming
a the present moment is the right OF
carrying on business with John China
man unmolested by native or foreign
interference. But the chances for the
preservation of the Hermit Empire
grow more and more remote and it i.
not extremely improbable that the par.
tition of China will take place ever
against the wish of united Anglo-SaX-
ondom. Russia, in her rapacity and
greed for oriental territory, has hello
sacred no promise and has avoided nc
international duplicity if by strategy Oh
discrimination she has seen her way to.
ward acquiring an additional inch o.
coveted transural territory. The Ash
attic provinces she already held were
cold and sterile but just to the south
worth risk or two to acquire. 1t wa!
from dreams of such southern migra
ton that was evolved the idea of thu
colossal Transsiberian railway. Tha
railway was to start at st. Petersburg
itself, pushing on through the desolat
east, skirting the northern border o
China and rounding the curve down t.
the Pacific port of Vladivostok. Thi
port. it is true, is closed during sever
months of the year, but farther dow
the Laio-Tong peninsula lies the Ion.
coveted Port Arthur, the goal of tn
greater Russia.
When China and Japan became en-
gagged in their struggle for supremacy
that one sided conflict was watched
closely and anXiously by the power
that be. At that time Russia had al
ready extended her dominions from tn
ural mountains to the Pacific oceal
and was reaching down dangerousl.
near to Picking. Great Britain, in
trenched in her Indian empire, watch
ed the struggle from the west an
south, not unwilling to move little to
ward the northeast should the preser
walton of the balance of power demand
any such action. Eastward of the Eng
llsh possessions was Cochin China, al