New-York tribune., 1900-07-19
CHINA AND RUSSIA.

direct conflict between China and Russia is
the latest development. or threatened develop
ment. Of the Eastern crisis. Prince Tuan, the
tManchu leader and usurper, is reported to have
modified a vast army and TO have sent one
division Of il 70 drive the Russians out of the
AMOR district. These troops or their advance
guard. are reported already 20 have begun hos
TihCes by seiZing a Russian transport and
almost annihilating its escort at Aigun and by
bombarding and burning Biagovestchensk Both
these places are on the Amoor River which
forms the boundary between the Chinese and
Russian empires, the former standing on the
Chinese bank and the latter on the Siberian
hank some thirty miles. further up stream
That part Of the Chinese Empire is He-Lung-
Tsian, or Mancburia, a region Of especial in
Terest TO the Manchu clan which rules China
and Of which Prince Tuan is a conspicuous
member IT is also the region which Russia
under a recent treaty, has been empowered to
occupy and 10 xploit-practically 10 establish a
protectorate over il. The adjacent Siberian
province, the Am0or district is q region which
the Manchu Tartars formerly owned but which
was taken from them by Russia. The animus
of Prince Tuan in such a movement as the one
now reported is therefore evident
Russia cannot Of course, permit herself to be
dislodged from the territory in question. She
worthless. But this land is particularly valu-
able. 1t is the "hinterland" of Vladivostok and
her whole maritime province on the Pacific 1t
commands the entire eastern terminus OF her
Trans-Siberian railroad. 1t is the inland base
Of her great new ports. Port Arthur and Dalny
To abandon il TO the Chinese would be TO aban-
don her entire position in Eastern Asia She
must therefore put forth every effort to drive
back the Chinese and to vindicate her authority
on the Amoor To do so is incomparably more
important 70 her than 10 hold Tien-Tsin or 10
reopen the road 10 Pe1ng II will however be
q more difficult task. For il is one that Russia
viii have TO perform alone and far away from
the convenient base Of operations provided at
Hen-Tsin by her battleships The scene of
present trouble is more than six hundred miles
inland from Yladyostok. II will be n serious
job 10 transport thither a sufficient force TO cone
successfully with the myriads which are said
10 be rallying 10 the Manchu standard. The
Siberian railroad is nowhere near complete. so
that troops must be sent around by sea 10 Port
Arthur or VladivOstOk and thence marched in
land. If. as men are saying, II will take eighty
thousand men TO reopen the road TO Peking. one
hesitates to estimate how many will be needed
10 open a road seven or eight times as far into
q much more rugged and inhospitable region.
We have said that this is work that must be
done by Russia alone. In that respect II differs
from the embodiment at Peking. AT the latter
place the attack has been upon the representa-
riyes Of all the Powers. and all the Powers are
interested and are practically hound TO cooper
ate In restoring order and in eXacting reparation
for the injuries done But on the Amoor the
attack is upon Russia alone, and 1t is scarcely
supposable that any other Powers will go in
there to fight Russia's battles for her. The Incl