Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-03-25

phrase 20 familiar thnt We M
LONGER remember iis real sig
nincance. Just what this great
Mlcawbofllke kingdom viii
have 10 say about such M operation Ia
never considered. To wait for things 10
turn w has been the political religion Of
China from time finmcmorial. and To.
day II n the United states. with her
new Possessions In the orient who IL
more concerned about this no called
partition than II China herself
40 the time when the crumbllnr TO-
man empire was dying ~ dry rot u was
known that In the farawny east lay a
great kingdom 20 cnvcioped In mystery
and 10 secure In ita strength that no
imperial Caesar dared even dream of its
conquest.
Adventurous travellers vanished into
the darkness ~ that mysterious east.
and Al times faint reports came back TO
Europe telling Of the wonders n
chunghwa. the riowefy Kingdom.
whose kings were descended from gods
aud whose civilization was called no
less than 5000 years old.
From the day ~ these first traditions
10 Just one century ago the worlds
KNOWLEDGE OF Cathay was iiNed guam.
THY. Not only was u fixed. II was In
finitcrimal. Then English missionaries.
the first TO cross the borders Of the Ce-
iestiai empire. invaded this terra In
corniin. and In 1928 the British received
officinl permission TO touch on IT. 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 isa, all trade between
Europe and China was In the hands Of
the British Fast India company. Then
came the opium war" and the intru-
sion Of France Just at the time when
the Russian bear was poklng a tcnta.
tive but determined paw into Manchu.
ria.
alnce then strange changes have TAX.
en- place. but II was not until audaclous
little Japan. Mt the battle Of the Yniu.
tore the dragon mask from the I'M
known face Of china that "a quicsceni
Europe knew the actual weakness u
that great empire Of the orient which
lay ready 10 be carved up and passed
around TO the powers.
Hut. notwithstanding the fact that the
partition Of China" has become n 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 In collective mouth watering
for eastern territory aud with m nppc-
lite punEcntiy rharrcned by thoughts
OF spheres of influence" has In some
mysterious manner discovered that
NATHAN cannot be cut up offhand and
passed around like pieces Of cold pie.
One nation jealousy watches the other.
while neither darcn act. aud In the
meantime China herself goes on her
hcathcn way rejoicing.
New interest. however. now attaches
10 the eastern question from the fact
that Italy has taken n hand In the mat
ter. and the complications which have
followed that venture have forced sew
efai OF the powers 10 show their hand.
In making her demand for n sphere ~
influence II seems that Italy has the
support ~ France. Germany and Rus
ria and what might be called the dlpio.
matte opposition Of the United states
ana England. The attitude assumed by
the different powers interested In this
question N important, In No Ear m u
signifies the eastern" policy ~ each
country involved, England has never
ionsed for the carving M ~ China. In
fact, her policy has been one Of direct
opposition to such action. The nation
that Napoleon dubbed bookkeeping
merely wants to no on doing business at
the obi stand. II care not who builds q
country'H laws" says the ilrltisher. 40
long - can build her railways"
All that England asks o. the east Il
the privilege 81 carrying on her trade
under conditions equal with those ~ cy-
cry other nation, This attitude Of
course. our own country indorrcn and
all that the United States h claiming
nt the present moment ~ the right of
carrying on business with John China
man unmolcsted by native or foreign
Interference. hut the chances for the
preservation of the Hermit Empire
grow more and more remote. and II IL
not extremely improbable that the par
tltion Of China will take place even
against the wish OF united Anflo-sax-
ondom
Russia. In her rapacity and greed for
the acquisition Of oriental territory, has
held sacred no promise ana has avoided
no International duplicity II by strategy
or discrimination she has seen her way
toward acquiring nm additional inch OF
coveted tranHural territory, The Ash
utlt PROVINCES sue ulffuuN nflu MfiN
cold ana sterile. but Just Ia the south
of them was u rich region that was well
worth risk or two 10 acquire, II was
from dreams ~ such southern mirra-
tion that was evolved the idea Of the
colossal Transalherian railway. That
railway was TO start at 81 potershure
itself. pushing ON through the desolats
east. rklrtlng the northern border Of
china and rounding the curve down Il
the Pacific port Of Vladlvostok. This
port. II II true. Is closed during seven
months OF the year but farther down
the Lnio-Tong peninsula lies the innp
coveted Port Arthur, the goal Of the
greater Russia,
when China and Japan became en-
gagged In their strurRle for supremacy
that one sided conflict WINS watched
closely ana nnXously hy the powers
that be. Al that time Russia had al.
ready extended her duminluns from IN,
ural mountains 10 the Pacific ocean
and was reaching down dangerously
near 10 PICKING, Great britain. In.
trenched In her Indian empire watch
cd the struggle from the west and
south, not unwilling To move little 10.
ward the northeast should the preaer-
walton Of the balance OF power demand
THE WIDE '