The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-03-13

The good of the world is not injured
by the British concession of Russian
dominance in Northern China. 1t is
even possible that nothing better could
happen in behalf of the world. China
is a huge. lethargic. unpliabie mass of
population and wilderness which none
are SO fitted az the Russians to control
or to attempt TO civilize. The unceasing
patience. the indomitable perseverance
of the Slav have no counterpart among
the Angio-Saxons or the Latins or the
Americans. and no other characteristics
can successfully deal with the China
man without discriminating him.
1t would have been folly for Lord
Salisbury to have attempted TO deny
Russian supremacy in the transmural
provinces Of Manchuria. kashgaria and
Mongolia: for the cars railroad, CON-
mercial and political interests are in
trenched there. beyond all possibility of
disledgment. When the trans-Siberian
railway was DETECTED from the original
yiadivostok route TO the one crossing
Manchuria and penetrating the Lao
tung peninsula to Port Arthur, Russia's
mastery of Northern China was fixed so
that there could be no hope of its recall
by other nations.
Great Britain can have little or no use
for Russia's sphere. The northern PROV
inces ara sparsely settled and meager-
iy developed. They are worth fighting
for only to a nation which has its own
territory adjoining and whose industrial
interests, as in the Siberian railway,
penetrate them. If any portion Of
China Is to be valuable to Great Britain
1t must be that which abuts on India.
England must keep clear the way from
her possessions on the Yangtse into
her possessions across the Himalayas.
II she has any nation to oppose In
China, that nation is France. whose
concessions In Kwangsi and Yunnan
Bull and the land Of the viceregency.
The final disruption Of China must be
conceded. Nothing can check it. Were
considerations of sympathy and human
lily 10 attempt 10 hinder 1t the demands
of commerclalism. the demands Of pro-
lection to foreign residents in the in
terror Of the country. would precipitate
difficulties which could be overcome by
no other way than that adopted by Ger,
many at kiacchau. But IL is to be- noted
that in all the actions of the several
powers in seizing territory or in aequir-
ing concessions. Russia has obtained her
ends with the least amount of friction
She has gone nearer TO the confidence
of the dynastic and other powers tina.
rule the d.caylng empire She has had
less hostile conflicts with the natives in
the interior The reason lies In the Rus
sian characteristics their readiness II
adopt themselves to the peculiarities az
the Chinese. their ability 10 bring the
natives more closely than any other ma.
ti"ns have been able to do To the stand
ards Of modern life.
Such capacity Is most vital in the
problem ~ Tegenerating the Dead EN-
pire. II Russian can change the China
man without crushing and killing him
as Russia already has shown ability Ia
Ia. IL is better that Russia should dom
mate the larger portion 81 the nation
area than that some power less svn,ns
'hetfe, less diplomatic. should compel
the Chinese t. a conduct they esnno,
ADOPT. hat witch ihey should be obliged
10 submit To oy be annihilatei.
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