The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-13
THE NEW SIBERIA,

To the American mind and indeed to the mind
of the world that great section Of be conttnen+ Of
Asia known as Siberia has always presented itself
DIS vast barren and ice-bound land reserved by the
authorities OF the car of Russia the abiding place
Oh polltlcal criminals. 1t has never until quite re-
Gently, been thought Of as fit for human hahitation
That old story, read by many in their youth who are
not yet Old, Paul and Virginia; or The Siberian Fix
Hes gave many of us the only intelligent view which
we entertained of this great region This has been
followed up by stories of Russian TRANSPORTATION Of
political Offenders and, throughout the century The
idea originally formed has continued TO nravoil r
garding Siberia
Inc railroad is often the pioneer of knovIedge as
wen as OF material Improvement and the building Cf
the great trans-Sberan line which has led Russian
commerce 10 the shores of the China sea has dis
turoed the prevailing understanding of Siberia
y recent ukaSe OF Nicholas II. has forever put
an end to the prevailing ignorance in this regard #
IS now apparent that Siberia has differed in very
little from the colonies maintained for the mast cen
fury by England in the West Indies as well as in
the antipodes. AS the British government did :,
their case so the Russian government has now dome
WIN reference to Siberia. It has put an end n
siberia as penal colony. There is this difference
however between Russia and England that what Lao
been done by Russia has been done voluntarily biIo
the transformation of the Australian and other COLI
ONES by England into the scene of voluntary emf
grafton was done only by force of the pressure Of tho
existing inhabitants
The new departure of Russia is of Worldwide i'm
portance. The has now ordered that Sihoria
small no longer be penal colony that voluntary col
onlzauon shall be promoted to that section and that
local prison system shall be established in lieu Of
the old system of deporting criminals
The dawn of civilization came to Russia many
centuries after it is supposed have reached other
european lands. Yet Russia in her administrative
political reforms is to all intents abreast of be ost
advanced nations The establishment of the YIad
Vostock railway system has been conceived Oh tho
same lines those of our own Union Pacific -
opens up to human settlement and to the commerce.
ana industry Of the word region as rich as that
Whlch on this continent has in the past thirty years
been made to blossom forth as garden spot of the
world.
russian civilization is in sense behind that OF
those nations whose advances the world has learned
so much of during the present generation In her de-
velopment in Siberia and Manchuria she leaves ,,o
record behind her of the disappearance of any abo-
rgina race from the face its native soil She has
conserved racial energies; and her advances into te
Orient have been marked by determination to bring
TO It's inhabitants the advantages of the new cIyi
lzatfon. 1t involved seizure in the name of Chris
tany of territory foreign to the origin or genius of
the race. The Russian is essentially an Asatic rare
the Cossack and the Tartar has carried forward
the spirit and influence of Russia as that of kndreA
race. The settlement Of Siberia and the establish
ment of the Nladivostock railroad are but the con-
summation of movement which has been in prog
ress for over two centuries, drawing more closely
together the interests of the Monaghan and Slay
races
There may be much of gain to humanity in the
progress which is now being made by foreign races
fI1o nY1tob
and the Portuguese in the settlement and civilization
of Africa But there is no true analogy between srcb
advance and that which has been in progress bv
Russia in the East Since the seventeenth century
russian advance has been along the lines of kindred
and adjacent nations while that Of Europe in Africa
has no other authority except the tremendous natural
impulse which has urged forward human migration
and which has in the last event involved the dis
placement of the weaker by the stronger race.
The barriers which Europe has been lifting
against the Russian advance to the Southern seas
have now all completely broken down; and as tie
changed condition in Siberia indicates their dsap-
pearance has been to the advantage of the human
One can never tell over night how rich he is.
Alexander Mcdonald king of the Klondke has failed
with liabilities of $6OO0OOO.
The Pioneer Press and Dispatch owe Gen Pona
an apology, but neither of them will pay what it
owes in this respect.
Stone of Missouri. has at least relieved a num-
Der of prominent Democrats. He isn't for Stone for
president.
Most of the new volunteer regiments are fuu-st
Louis Globe Democrat
Go to- thou tratorouS mneraIist