Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-26

twists by the empress dowager and the
reaction against foreigners and their
ways, however, must have been inspir-A
ed by Russia, or It could not have be-
come the policy of the ancient nation
which is now humbled in the dust be-
fore her. And the question which q
great many Americans are bordering
Is, Can we afford to sec China RUS
sianlzed, her troops commanded by
Russian officers. her ports fortified and
held by Russian soldiers?'' The alarm
already felt in high quarters would
seem to be abundantly revealed by
most recent occurrences in China and
dispatches from Picking to our depart
ment of state.
In the preliminary diplomatic maneu-
vering that has taken place Great Britt
ain, America and Japan have seemed to
stand as against France and Russia.
while Germany has Joined neither side.
and her attitude is doubtful, though for
commercial reasons she is hostile to
England and the United States. So far
Russia and France have had the ad-S
vantage.
The bulls and the bears are now In
the China shop, and there is great dam
ger that some valuable crockery will
be broken before they get out. The
contention Of Great Britain and the
United States for an open door has been
met by Russia with q sniff Of scorn, for
the only "open door" the Bear believes,
in is one to which he holds the key.
Like the camel in the Arabian table,
first the Bear thrust his head into the
Chinese tent. then his neck, next his
legs and lastly will come his bulky.
body. Having a coterminus boundary
line with China for 1000 miles, he par;
| alleled it with his railroad: finding
Vladivostok not to his liking, he sought
an outlet across Chinese territory by
building a branch southwark from
| Nertchinsk, about $50 miles long, to the
gulf Of Leaotong, nominally to revert
to China after so years.
Though the rising of the Boxers has
been made a pretext for Invasion, yet
the game. of Russia's diplomacy, now
in its last stages toward completion, is
not difficult to penetrate, for it has
been amply shown that nothing short
of the rectifcation of the Russo Chinese
| frontier will satisfy Muscovite rapacity
|-all north China down to the moun-
tains and the great wall, at least. and
then, If possible, Picking, or the re-
moval of the boundary line approxi-
mately 1000 miles southwark.
As to the next objective: With Man
churia and the coast of Leaotong, at
which the great wall terminates, in
Russian possession, with Port Arthur
and Talienwan already theirs and
strongly fortified. thus entirely isolat-
ing the peninsula Of Korea, what more
natural than that this latter should
fall like ripe plum into the arms Of
the Bear?
| Russia left door conveniently open
in Korea not long ago when it gave
warning that if the Koreans could not
maintain order and independence ii
4 would take measures for its own pros
Election there and stipulated with Japan
to join with her in preventing foreign in
trusion. Here, in fact, is a bone Of con-
tention and casus beli ready at hand
whenever either party shall consider
itself able to pick 1t up. for Korea is not
q large enough for two, while both pow
ers want lit.
Russia declares that Japan is merely
an insular power and must remain so,
While the willy Jap holds otherwise and
is not afraid to try conclusions to test
the assertion, Russia is vast, but pom
derous Though strongly intrenched at
Port Arthur and with a respectable
Heet at CALL Its base IS far away. In
all the estimates of forces little account
has been made of the Chinese army and
navy. except as accessories to q stron-
ger power; and this may explain RUS
sia's alleged request that China should
call upon it for assistance.
4 On the other hand, Japan is alert and
striving to be prepared. It's fleet Is said
to be stronger than Russia's, while its
dockyards and bases of supplies are
d near at hand. AS the situation stands,
with all the powers apparently acting
in concert, with warships of the great
nations gathered at Taku and forces
concentrated at Tien-tsin, there is vet
deep distrust of the White Cars mos
tives. ITO sup with the deyil,'' as the
saying is. zone needs a long spoon; Z"
and, despite surface indications. neither
Great Britain nor Japan can forget its
repeated defeats in former diplomatic
battles. TRISTRAM w. WILCOX.
A BOOM IN TOY SOLDIERS.
One of the results of the war In South
Africa has been the sudden boom in
IL