New-York tribune., 1900-04-03
THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE.

Russia seems to be wioning her way at both
the East and West. Turkey and COrea have
both yielded to her demands. We have already
explained the character and purport Of the de-
mandS made upon the former. The result OF
them is that. save for RInania's small frontage
upon it, the Black Sea becomes Russian lake,
and a Russian army can advance from Russia
the Caucasus through practically Russian ter
ritory straight to Constantinople and to the
Balkans without trespassng upon the terri
torial barriers which Hungary and Rumania
have long interposed in the way. This, which
not many years ago would have thrown Europe
into commissions is now regarded with 1nd1f-
ference or with only academic interest. What
other Power should care? Great Britain lost
interest In Constantinople when she gained con-
troll Of Egypt and the Suez Canal. Austria
Hungary has her eyes fixed upon Salontka
Germany has a free hand in Syria and Mesopo-
tamia, to which this Russian advance is no
menace. And France is Russia's ally. So In
such division of interests of the Powers the
Turk finds worse kismet than in their concert
In Corea there Is another and only one an
tagonist. European Powers take practical
interest in that land, but are content to let
Russia and Japan contend for it between them
selves. Russia has demanded the cession Of
bit of territory on the Corean coast and the ex-
elusive monopoly of the right to open mines in
the peninsula The former demand Corea has
apparently granted because she could not help
herself. Japan has also acquiesced In 1t, not
for the same reason, but presumably because
1t gives her an admirable pretext for taking an
other bit of COrea for herself If she cares to do
so. Moreover it does not greatly matter to her
what Russia does along the COrean coast so
long as the Japanese navy is the dominant one
in those waters, as it is and is likely long to be-
The other Russian demand. for an exclusive
monopoly of mining, Japan proposes to dispute
She already has many of her subjects engaged
in such enterprises in Corea, and will probably
not agree to their expulsion. nor will she agree
to the exclusion of any others who may want to
go over thither. The probability is that Russia
will be constrained to modify that demand or
that Corea will be partitioned between the two
rivals, as Turkey in Asia is being practically
parttioned between Russia and Germany.
There is in all history no grimmer bit Of
humor than that of the spirit in which Russia
advances TO her successive conquests. Thus
the St Petersburg "Sviet," the organ of the
Forward" party, recently said: THE settling of
English subjects in Beloochistan and Southern
Persia only indication of the SUI
''preme shamelessness of the English nation
(which desires to appropriate everything to it
self. The territory south Of Russia,
right down to the Persian Gulf and the Indian
ocean. between the longitude of BatOum and
'Samarkand, is a sphere of influence indubita-
''bly Russian. Neither the English nor the Ger
'mans can in any circumstances be permitted
entrance into this region. The expu-
''siOn of the English who are attempting to root
themselves in Beloochistan and Southern Persia
sis imperative" That is to say, the entire coast
from the mouths of the Indus to the Strait OF
Bah ell Mandeb and the inland territories, in
Guiding Afghanistan, Beloochistan, Persia MesO-
potamia and half of Arabia, "are indubitably
Russian" and all other people must be shut out
of them. Questions of nationality, race and the
desire Of the people are not to be considered
Nor are natural boundaries and lines of demar
cation. The map OF the world is to be remade
by Nicholas II as the railroad line between St
Petersburg and Moscow laid out by Nicho-
las with a pencil and straight edged ruler.