New-York tribune., 1900-02-11

pecially Russia and there are the saaports to-
which Russia has Ionged and intrigued and
fought for ages. AS XenOphon's men shouted
'NThe sea. the sea-" when they reached the long
sought shores Of the EUxjne, so when at last
Russia reaches Mohammerah and Rusheer and
Bender Abbass and Bahreen her I-gi0ns VIII
shout, THE seap' and her sailors viii give
back the glad cry, and Moscow and St. Feters-
burg will hear and re-echO the song OF victory
and it will ring through the halls Of Germany
and France and Italy, and chiefly England
and even to America across the ocean and the
nations will stop to listen and consider what il
means to them, to their arts and trades to
their revenues, their armies, their fleets their
glory and their future. Well may they pause
and consider, for it viii mark an era in the
records of time
Yes. so intertwined are the interests and des-
TIMES of nations in these days that the tn
umphal march of such a Power as the United
States. Great Britain or Russia attracts uni
versal attention. and the hour when Russia
builds fleets and gathers armies on the shores
Of the Indian Ocean must arouse the apprehen-
sion OF every Power in Christendon-
RUssIA's REsIsTLEss MARCH
OF course. these presumed results Of the pres
ent turn of affairs in Persia may not follow at
once. Naturally they may take time II Eng
land should soon gain the upper hand in South
Africa, Russia might temporize might defer her
ultimate triumph. But she would not recede
Russia never does that. She thinks long and
carefully, but when she puts her foot down
only rises to go further and the wonder IS that
the world. and especially the AngIo-SaxOns Of
England and America, have not YET learned 70
understand these methods of Ftussia's policy
The Briton and the Yankee have never yet IN
derstOOd the character of the Russian Govern
ment have never yet learned that with her pro
fession and practice rarely go together; that
no nation occupies more isolated position as
TO Europe, because she is able 10 do on
account of her geographical position, and since
the Crimean War has preferred To DO so; and
thus like man who is unmarried, she can keep
all her designs to herself 1t is not likely that
she takes the French alliance very seriously.
1t tickles France and does not hurt Russia.
With the Persian Gulf in her hands and
Iittoral reaching almost TO India Russia would
bisect the passage between Suez and India
Under altered modern conditions England has
become obliged TO depend chiefly on the canal
for quick transit to her Eastern possessions, and
the real reason why England has seized Egypt
for ii amounts to that's to control Suez and TO
have ports south and independent of it, such as
Suakim, in order 10 communicate with India'
this reason has also made it Of the last I'M
portance to her that Russian fleets should not
be able to come down from the Black Sea TO
threaten Suez She was justified in this policy
under the higher law that self -prese ervatiOn
the right OF nations as we'll as of individuals.
But what comes of this effort TO protect SuaE
if Russia can bisect the road from Suez to Bom-
bay and send out fleet cruisers 10 destroy Eng
lish merchant ships after they have passed
Suez safely? To prevent this England wouN
have to maintain vast fleets along yae Russo
Persian coasts. and would stin not feel safe
while the railways would brinE down armieS
that could cooperate with the fleets Of Russia
by approaching India where the mountain passes
are less severe than in the north ana England
between the two would find herself drawing