Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-07-26
The Bitter Fruit of international
Rapaclty.

China will startle the world and cal
forth bloody retribution. Hundreds oi
Christian lives in consequence will be
sacrificed and thousands of the bar
oarians will be wiped out of existence.
In international intercourse there is
no person so sacred as that of the for
elgn ambassador. In all things he
stands for the dignity, power and
majesty of the government which he
represents, and through him all COM
munications between the two govern
ments must pass. Without him diplo-
matte relations between countries
would be impossible and commercial
relations circumscribed within the mar
rowest limits. When he and his Off
cial family are slaughtered under cir
cumstances of the most appalling afro
city the government which he repre-
sents is outraged and the retribution
which follows must be swift and terri
BILE. No one can fail to feel the deep
est sympathy for the victims or hesitate
to express his profoundest adherence
OF the deed.
But perhaps for the first time in
history. civilizations unofficial classes
are inclined to heartily sympatize with
the principle of self preservation which
actuates the Chinese, while denouncing
none the less vehemently specific
crimes such as the murders of the Rus
sian and German ambassadors the for
mer yesterday reported with circum-
stantial detail but still as yet not Off
cially and with certainty known.
While the world fixes it horror stricken
causes which produced the effects.
The Chinese is the Oldest of all exist
ing civilizations. These people were
perfectly satisfied with it; they wanted
no other. For thousands of years be-
fore any of the modern nations arose
they were working out their destiny
in their own way. They have given
to the world some of the most notable
Of its inventions and in some directions
have made astounding progress.
Modern civilization, which confessedly
cannot grasp the Chinese point of view,
affected to be dissatisfied with Chinese
methods and manners. Their ways
are not our ways; hence, we argued,
their ways wrong. While on the sur
face we were actuated by no motive
but that of the most unselfsh philan-
thropy, in reality we cared nothing at
all as governments about Christianiz-
ing and ciyilizing the Chinese, but
everything about the riches of spolia-
tion which lay in the mysterious inter-
ior of their mighty empire. To the
Christian nations plentifully provided
with Krupp and Maxim and Gatling
guns, the barbarian hordes of China,
armed with spears and bows and stink
pots, could offer but little resistance.
They were not strong enough to hold
their own, which is the only way to
keep things nowadays, and SO the
diplomatic and commercial evangelists
of continental and insular Europe
licked their chops as they looked for
ward longingly to the rich pickings
which soon would be theirs. Only one
thing stood in the way-the Christian
nations, the advance couriers of civlli-
zatlon and debauchery could not agree
on satisfactory division of the spoils.
Each was at heart freebooter, but
each feared the other would get the
liens share of the pillage.
''Merrie England" the globe grid
ling land grabber, paved the way In
1910. No one now seeks to attach any
sentiment of patriotism or religion to
the unholy war waged by England upon
China sixty years ago to force her to
open her ports to the opium trade. 1t
was actuated solely by spirit of cold
blooded commercialism-the greed for
gold that stops short at nothing, which |
strangles humanity and bathes coun-
try in blood for the acquisition of the
dirty and illegitimate dollar. England
gained Hong Kong in this indefensible
way and some open ports IN China
through which her euterprising Chris |
tian merchants did their level best to |
debauch the Chinese race.
Since that day every other nation |
has been gradually but surely securing |
a foothold or assuming claim to some |
portion of Chinese soil, forcing them
selves, their trade and their missionar-
les upon the Chinese and Furnishing {
with an iron hand any infraction of
what they airily claimed to be their
''rights." Five years ago the Japan
ese-Chinese war officially closed with
a cession to japan of the island of For
mosa. Three years ago, under the
pretext of retribution for the murder
Of two missionaries. the Germans seized
the port of Kiao-Chou; in March Rus
sia wrested lease for Port Arthur and
fallen Wan; in April great Britain got
a lease of Wei Hal Wei, and France of &
.he bay of Kwang Chau Wan in south