The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-24

ern China, and 1t may yet come to
choice of the lesser of two evils.
With the uprising of the Boxers" the
fierce light of publicity became focused
upon Russia in. China, and it was discov-
cred to the world that her steel rails al
ready practically connect the great mill
tary ports of Vladivostock and Port Ar
thur, and that Monkden, the capital of
Manchuria, is but Russian military post
on the line of her trans-Asian railway,
along the eastern section Of which is an
ARMY OF 10000 SOLDIERS,
ready to be poured into China proper, a
force sufficient to quelI any uprising.
Should this force, however, for any rea-
son, prove insufficient, the czar would
have an excellent excuse for testing the
railroad from St. Petersburg to Pekin.
Already transport trains can be sent from
MOSCOW, at the rate of several a day, 20
Stretensk, on the Amour, every seven
miles of the distance switches having been
constructed, so that all commerce can be
sdetracked and the military trains run
through, night and day, without delay.
In twelve days the first train leaving st.
Petersburg is due at Stretensk; here the
soldiers are transferred to the hundreds
Of government steamers and barges which
can be modified to convey the army down
the Amour to Khabarovsk, a six-day trip.
From Khabarovsk to Pekin the road is
now practically completed, and by the
time the first train from St. Petersburg
arrived at Khabarovsk it could go on to
the Chinese capital, a trip of about five
days. making twenty-four days in all,
and, as the Russian soldiers are acCus-
toned to sleep in their clothes on the
floors of the box cars, the number trans
ported per train would be quadruple that
usual in other countries.
It is estimated that the adherents of the
new rebellion in China number u 900, 0G0
men, and that the Chinese army is in SYM
pathy with the movement; which is more
than probable, as the Boxers or Ye Ho
Chuan society, is in favor of the Man
churian dynasty the Manchu soldiers con-
stituting the great hereditary military
body of China.
The present dowager empress is, Of
course, a Manchu lady, and was the wife
of the Chinese emperor who, in 1860, un-
der circumstances similar to those now
existing, fed from Pel1in at the approach
of the French and English. For the past
forty years she has been the real auto
crat of the Chinese empire, nominating
and deposing infant rulers at will. With
the army, she is in sympathy with the
object of the Boxers" and would gladly
see all foreigners expelled from her en-
=.
Wong Wui, although weak in numbers,
has done much to stir up the present
trouble. It's members have agitated fer
reforms, and seek to reinstate the pro-
gressive young emperor. recently deposed
by his august aunt in punishment for in
PRODUCING modern improvements all
through his domain.
AMERICAN POSSESSIONS.
The nearest American possession is still
SOC miles from China, but what changes
may be wrought as the results of the
revolution no one can at present foreten
Put nations once started upon the road
of expansion seldom turn back while ma
tional vigor lasts. In self-defense, and
to save her commerce in the far East,
America may yet be compelled to
abandon her policy of self-exClusion from
the continent of Asia and have forced
/ upon her a liberal slice of China. Several
| European nations would much prefer this
to the open door, which in time would
give US practically all of China's trade
richer far than that of all the Indies
At present, Russia desires only the
great thinly populated, outlying tribu-
tary provinces of China, which contain
| but q ninth part of the 100000, 60C Of popu-
! lation, but three-fourths of the land area
! of the Celestial empire. These provinces
| Russia needs for her Overlooking popu-
lation, which increases at the rate of
100000 souls annually, the czar today
ruling over more white persons than any
other monarch past or present Gradual
| ly the scattered Mongol tribes of North
| ern and Western China will be assinai-
| lated by the Slav, as have been the yell
dow natives of Siberia. and then will come
the greed for those thickly peopled por-
! tons of China which can be useful onlv
! to a commercial nation, able to slIDnlly
| their wants. Until Russia does become a
great manufacturing nation, she will be
quite willing to urge US on 10 commercial
supremacy in China, keeping in the
/ meanwhile, however, a tight hold upon