The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1900-06-27

Today Manchuria is in effect {
Russian province. Inside OF yea'
or lS months the great Siberian rail
way, which runs across the top Of
Asia, with spurs touching Persia
Northern India and China, will be
completed.
China is hopeless. Her Tsung.li
Yamen is filed with tottering ole
Mandarins intent upon hlackmail anc
careless Of the public interests
There is no national sentiment, prac
tically no army or navy, and nc
scheme of defense, external or in
ternal. It is the past passi7ely
resisting the present and future
The young emperor is either dead OF
a prisoner; and the ruthless empress
wields whatever power she can.
All is confusion, corruption and de-
cay in China. Strong European
statesmen have attempted to save
her by means of internal reforms;
but they have had to give up the
impossible task. The Chinese re-
former, Kung Yu Wei-a really en-
lightened and broad minded states,
man-for a few days got control OF
the Chinese throne, when the
young emperor assumed power. he
began to apply modern principles to
Chinese problems in the hope OF
avertipg the doom of his country.
Too late! The empress seized the
throne. Kung Yu Wei fled for his
life, and all his friends were butch
cred.
The peace treaty between China
and Japan opened many Chinese
ports. As foreigners pressed into
the interior the Chinese grew more
and more hostile. Missionary blood
was shed. The German emperor
seized Kiao Chau and Great Britain
took Wei-Hai- Wei, close to the Rus
sian bases at Post Arthur aud Talien-
Wan.
The direct route to Pekin and
Tien-Tsin lies through the Gulf Of
Pc Chilli, past the Tsku forts and
up the Pehu river. Russia holds one
side of this gulf; Great Britain and
Germany the other side. Ali are
ready to strike.
Japan has never forgiven Russia
for taking away from her the Man.
churian territory, ceded hy China.
The Japanese government has almost
bankrupted itself in the effort to
build navy strong enough to resist
Russia.
Japan has her revenge in sight.
The Uoited States has interests in
The Philippines and an eye for con-
guest or Observation-Disclosures word
may be more acceptable-in the
threatened empire.
And so the forces of death, greed,
international jealousy and sleepless
ambition are gathering at the gate
way of China. This may be only
the preliminary movement. It may
be succeeded by months of diplo.
matte wrangling and intrigue. But
one thing is certain. The pressure
On China will grow greater every day,
the riots and disorders will increase,
the desire for territory and trade will
set the Imagination of all nations on
FIRE, and then, this year perhaps, the
oldest empire in the world will tum-
bic down and every great nation will
have Chinese colony. Either that,
Or Russia will seize Asia.
1.-THE BOXERS"
The term "boxer" as referred to
often in our telegraphic accounts of
The murders in China is of recent
coinage-so recent that it is not
found in the Century dictionary
aud the very latest books on China,
her politics, her religious customs
and social life are dumb on the sub
Jet. However, there are Boxers in
China, and plenty OF them, too, as it
seems to require the combined forces
Of Europe and this country to crush
hem.
The Boxers are a branch of the
Great Knife sect of Shantung,
secret organization whose chief OBJ
ect is relentless hostility to the
Christian religion and the killing or
of all foreigners from the
iowery kingdom.
Their intention is the uprooting of
Christianity among the natives and
hen all uniting in driving foreigners
,ut Ct China.
The secret society of Boxers