The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-29
Some Oriental Considerations.

n 7 EARLY everything in the world
M has its humorous side; and this
business of imperialism and ex-
pansion has its sultan of Sulu. Gen.
eral Bates of the army in the Philip
pines has been negotiating with his
imperial highness with a view to insur-
ing spirit of friendship and broth
erly love between him and his great
and good friend, the president of the
United States. The policy is to pay the
sultan and some of his subordinates a
certain sum of money to bride them to
refrain from making war on the United
States soldiers. The Sulus are said to
be the least advanced of any of the in
habitants of our new possessions. They
are little more than pirates. General
Bates thinks that he has things ar
ranged so that they will be friendly to
Americans henceforth. Well, IL he has
it is an illustration of the superior
effectiveness of diplomacy over bull
let's. But what are We to do with the
Sulus now that we have them? They
are Mohammedans and polygamists:
1iiu VIC IldNS udl dlllttu lIldl III the
practice of their religion and customs
they shall not be disturbed The sui
tan has a harem of four hundred in
mates, and his great and good friend,
the president of the United States,
guarantees it immunity from molesta-
ton.
Compared with Oriental interests at
large, the Sulu islands are mere side
show. Commercially, they are of very
little account. What the nations of the
earth are chiefly interested in is China
1t is only in an indirect way that the
European powers care about the Phil
ippines. All eyes are upon China
President Schurman of Cornell univer-
sity, who has just returned from Ma
Mia after spending six months study
ing Oriental ways and conditions, lays
especial stress upon this point. Eng
lshmen in China and in Japan partic-
ularly, and the government of Great
Britain generally, feel that to hold
China intact is the thing of overshad-
owing Importance. 1t is feared, now
that Russia has taken Manchuria, it
will try to encroach gradually on some
or all of the other eighteen provinces
of China, and when 1t gets them, 1t will
do as that country has done hitherto
put a duty on all foreign goods. Eng
lishmen and Japanese feel that Amer
lea should hold with them in prevent
ing the dismemberment of China. 1t
is felt that almost anything is liable to
happen in the Orient in the next half
ton
Englishmen there, says Mr.. Schur-
man, feel that their own government is
not quite as strong at the present time
as it should be, nor as it used to be.
There is undoubtedly fear of Russia
ropean statesmen 1t Is recognized that
the future of China is the one over
shadowing question. China, it is
agreed, should maintain its independ-
ent position, but its doors should be
kept open. 1t means much to England
and Japan and not less to America.
There is hope in the Orient among
leading men that China itself may be-
come aroused so that it may hold it's
domain intact. But it is not yet suffi-
GENTLY awakened.
The possibility of war of huge pro-
portions over China constantly men
aces Europe. The possession of the
Philippines brings the United States
into the fighting area and it may be
for this country to keep out
of such a war, once 1t is begun.