Hutchinson gazette., 1900-08-09
RUSSIA IN THE EAST.
The OEar Has Hccn Intrenching Hlnls
self While RnII IN Asusy Elsewhere

self While RuII IN Rusy Elsewhere,
Now that the end OF the war in South
Africa is believed TO be In sight atten
tfon is being turned In England 10 tho
advantages that have been gained by
Russin during The eight months which
" has lasted while in the hands of Eng
land have been practically tied,
The frs; step taken by Russla imme.
dintely after II was seen that the Ang
lo'Boer war was going to be much
longer and more tedious than was Ut
first reckoned on was the mortgage
she had established over Persia, fol-
lowed by the movement OF troops to
the Afghan frontier on the roNd lend
| ing to lIerat. The next was the con
cesslon from the Turkish government
giving Russia the monopoly OF railway
construction In eastern Asia Minor
which virtually converts the great
plateau OF Armenia into sphere OF in.
nuence, simultaneously with the ne.
gotlnilons that gave her this foothold
in the regions overlooking the lowlnnd
of Mesopotamin and facing the Ger.
man sphere in Anntoin, Russia nc,
quired lien on Bulgaria in re,urn for
n small loan; she obtained the use OF
the important harbor of lIourgNs on the
Black sea which Is connected with the
railway to Sofia, the cNpital, aud the
Scrvlan and Macedonian railways; and
the Bulgarian army becomes again the
advanced guard Of Russia IN the llnlli
an. peninsula, These are her gains in
western Asia and the near east.
In the far east Russia has obtained
two notable concessions enc Of which
Is believed by many to ,ndnngcrNhc
continuance Of her pacific relations
with Japnn, Rhc first Of these conceS.
sions Is the right TO build railway
from Kakhtn, the siberian customs
frontier station south of llnihnl, tos
Knlgnn on the grcNt wall Of China on
the northwest Of pekn, The obsto.
cles to the construction Of this road
through eastern Mongolia are nothing
compared to those presented by the
country through which the MNnchuri.
an Railway to Port Arthur and Nudl-
vostock. Its strategic advantage IL
also greater ns It is 30 far removed
from the coast that the chance OF Its
being interrupted by I'M enemy for.
cign to China and Russia are reduced
to II minimum.
The last concession was obtained
from Corea on March 30, when the
Corenn government made over to Rus
sia site on the shore of the harbor
of Mesnmpho at the southern eXtrem.
ity Of the Corenn peninsula, to serve
as coal depot and naval hospital for
the exclusive use of The Russian fleet
The value of the concession Is doubly
enhanced by clause which prevents
Corea from alternating to any other
power any land in The ncighborhood
or even on Koiedo or any other is
land, which would cover Port Hamilton
and Quelpnrt, islands which England
has had an eye on for long time.
This last concession gives Russia an
exclusive ice.tree harhor midway be.
tween Nladiyostock and Port Arthur,
thus securing n winter base for her
Pacific iect which Is being steadily
increased. II also gives her command
OF the sea road 20 Pcliin, and in q meas.
ure isolates Wei.lIni.Wci, aud threat.
ems japan from across very narrow
channel So secretly was this trcaty
that It was still unknown
20 foreign correspondents at Toxic in
Japan in the middle Of April, and ap-
also to the japanese govern
ment.
The feeling in England in relation
to the Mnsampho concession seems to
he stronger than with regard to others,
England having evacuated Port Ham.
ilbon in 1856, after. obtaining an under
standing from Russia not to occupy Co.
rean territory under any circumstan.
ces whatever, In 1904 Sir Edward |
Gray then British under secretary for
foreign affairs, ntdmated that the
British government regarded this
pledge MS still valid, In the present
protest is unnvailing, |
and the precedent of Port Arthur
makes 1t doubtful in the opinion OF |
many whether Lord Salisbury would |
persist in any objection he might |
raise, while an untimely threat might |
set in motion the troops Russia has !
collected in central Asia along the !
Afghan and Persian frontiers.
The end OF the South African war /,
is, therefore, the more 0rdcntly desired |
In order that the hand of the British |
government may the sooner be free
for contingencies which some believe |