The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1900-10-31
PEACEF UL CHINA.
AS Prepared Fer Decent Christian
Burial by Sarcastic Editorial
Writer in the London Sketch.

Writer in the London Sketch.
The Chinese are said to be sorry
they invented gunpowder. Yet war
with them is simple and straight
forward. No wounded, no truces,
no hospital scandals (there being
no necessity for HOSPITALITY no un-
seemly wrangling about explosive
bullets, white flags, or Red Crosses,
no messages Of coincidence, no
prisoners, no quarter, no anything.
Yet even an enemy in action can
not please everybody. One party
cries out that a reactionary nation
which arms itself with bows aud ar
rows and umbrellas should be blot
ted out-a process obviously easy
with 300,000,000 people; the other
section clamors for the txtermina-
ton Of treacherous fends, cunning
enough to procure more modern
weapons than ours. So when a
Boer General surrendered he was q
coward; when he fought to the
death he was a butcher who muir
dered his troops.
The final solution will be that OF
all polyglot wars. A general settle
ment will find Russia, without ex-
ertion and apparently against her
will, in possession OF an extra pro-
vince or two aud another thousand
miles OF railway, compelling her to
ask for line Of barracks to protect
them. This as a mark OF dissstis-
faction with the Chinese for having
revolted against her, as Turkey,
France, England and Afghanistan
have revolted against her on other
occasione. But even for Russia an-
uexation-more in sorrow than in
anger-will be difficult. China is
too full to be invaded, as Australia
is toe empty. The foreign devil"
will find it hard to swsmp the 300,-
100000 who undersell and laugh at
him, and he cannot transport them
to St. Helena. Well may the pro-
blem have ''set the War Office think
ing" as provincial paper says,
though TO impute this uugentleman-
ly act without the slightest grounds
is grossly libelous.
Put it automatically: II it takes
eleven months to fail to catch Presi-
dent Kruger in small republic,
how long will it be before an equa'-
ly shifty Chinese Empres is ca; :
tured 10 the second largest country
on earth? Again Gas that amusing
humorist, Euclid, says), il the so
called Powers take two months to
make a dash from Taku TO Peking,
how many generations will be re-
quired to swoop down upon, say,
Singap, into which Marco Polo and
few other adventnrers, succeeded
in penetrating in time OF peace2
Working it out, the Empress-in
order not to save her life By dying
bsiore size 10 executed will have to
live, in rcuud numbers, 500 years.
Chinese sovereigns, however, and
officials in general secure an unfair
advantage by creating deadlock
by committing suicide on the slight
est provocation. This crafty device
makes an attack as futile as taking
an action for damages against a
bankrupt. They are in the position
OF the American-Indian football
player, let out under sentence OF
death to play last season, who was
utterly impervious TO referees and
rough play. No one so independ-
ent as the criminal on the scaffold
The war not only appears wholly
justfable and, indeed, inevitable"
to the Press Gas occurring in the
Silly SEASON., but has an electioneer-
ing value. II navigating a four
point-seven at Ladysmith ic proof
Of mastery OF statecraft, will not
private soldier, by being first into a
legation, or heading the averages
in impaled "Boxers"-who are said,
by the,by, to be recousideriug the