The Washington weekly post., 1900-09-11

hitherto silent and long suffering nil
lions. They had endured all the evils OF a
foreign domination. ruled by a elass cthe
Msntchoosl at every point out " touch
and sympathy with them. but they had
not murmured. being content 10 maintain
IN certain sense their autonomy.
But. with the advent Of the foreign
devils and IN view OF their persistent ag-
gresalons. Il became at last evident even
IS these Chinese cattle that they were
beiag betrayed by the very ones who
should have safeguarded their interests.
The mutterings Of the masses increased
until they reached the volume OF a tidal
wave IN the advance OF which the man
darlns anil viceroys saw their destruction
| threatened. When. eventually, there oc-
CURED the upheaval that had been long
predicted by their soothsayers. 1t Is not
strange that the ruling classes should
have been In sympathy with t. and.
though bound by pledges and treaty
Etipulations 10 put down all riEingz that
je0pardized the lives OF foreigners. should
have cOvertIy given the Boxers their as
slstance
That they have done so has been tacitly
admitted bv them. and that the Empress
Dowager and her Manchu advisers pro-
NOTED, II they did not really inCite. the
Boxer movement has been proved by dis
patches from Pekin since the legations
were relieved. There is no doubt that
China has acted in bad faith with all the
powers. but her excuse is that the pow
ers. though IN a different manner. have
not kept faith with her. Reasoning along
the mistaken lines that two wrongs make
a right, China has assumed that. since
she was forced al the bayonet's point 10
admit foreign ENJOYS and traders 10 her
/ territo.. to yield up valuable ports and
railway concessions-to continually out
rage the feelings OF her own subjects. in
fact-she was at liberty to make reprisals
in her own way.
FHfure of China.
Therein, OF course, lay her mistake and
1 though IL is universally admitted that she
has been deeply wrOnged by some of the
powers who took advantage OF her weak
ness and yacillation. yet the day has
passed for revenge, and viii perhaps never
arrive for reparation, China has made
her bed. and she must lie in fl. even
though il be somewhat thorny. Her peo-
pie are said 10 be thick skinned and in
sensible TO pain, indifferent to death, and
impervious 10 insult, and so long as the
foreigners rule them discreetly, furnishing
food for the starving and work for the
poor, they may prove submissive and pill
able
III is scarcely worth while to ask IL there
VIII be another Eastern question" for
the powers TO consider in China, for II is
already precipitated, and even as the pow
ers dealt with the Sick Man of Europe''
at the congress of Berlin in 1878, so they
VIII deal with the sick Celestial of Asia
III this emergency. To ascertain what sort
OF a precedent was established in 1878 we
nave only to- turn back a few pages in
turkeys history. The Sultan had fought
anu 1alled, he was at the Russians mercy.
and had to accept the terms imposed bv
the treaty OF San Stefano subject 10 the
assent of the European concert" He
lost half his European possessions IN.
sether with half their total manhattan
ana from the Turkish dependencies were
carved out the independent States of Ron.
mania, Servia, Bulgaria, Roumelia. Bos-
MA and Herzegovina. And he lost. NOT
only territory, but prestige. as IL was in
fenced ne should lose, so that he was but
700 thankful 10 be allowed to remain in
Europe at any price.
III iho-Chhese parallel will be
carried al. out as soon as the powers in
' l.i-a nave perfected the plans which
'ie projected many years ago If there
%, ,i0 actual division of territory, there
~ii pe virtual apportionment under
the evasive term of sphere of influence "
lie latest definition of this term. thouoh
one not acceptable 10 the diplomats i
center of disturbance. nucleus of trou-
bic, Of which doubtless IL will he a nro-
life cause. P'0
BY sphere of influence" is meant that
the nation claiming it is supposed to seize
all the country 1t can control without
coming into collision with another mower
starting out from some given center or
hypothetical base, which at present il
holds in its grasp.
Inc initial bases from which these
spheres OF influence are TO start Wara
determined after the Chino-Japanese war.
and the history of their acquisition is
Well known. They are seven or eight in
number, and may be increased to ten.
In the Russian sphere,
Beginning in the north of China. we
have, first, the Russian sphere. which
is conceded to comprise all of Manehu-
ria, including the LiaO-Tung (peninsula)
To and inclusive OF Port Arthur, and Ia
lien Wan, TO the Korean border Ii per
chance Russia can convince its sister
powers that II can take and hold all of
the province of Pe-chi-E down to the
great wall, that doubtless will be the
limit of its sphere in this century. 70
take and to hold are two different things.
and as the claim of Russia to this terri
tory is rather shadowy ii may have TO
assert IL by the might of its armies. To
do this effectuaily, Russia depends upon
that mighty work it has projected and
nearly finished TO the Pacihc-the Trans
Siberian railway.
Russia is said to have already massed
from 60,000 10 100000 men along the Russo
Chinese border and TO be capable of send
ing forward as many more as NAV be
needed. But after these are sent they
must be sustained and their depleted ranks
filed with new recruits. for which purpose
the great railroad, being but a single
track and very poorly built, is wholly in
adequate. In short, the boasted potential
strength of Russia in China is likely to he
discounted by the knowledge its possible
opponents have OF its actual weakness,
owing to the vast distance from a home
base of supplies. Unless, then. the soldiers
so out in the character of coloniZers and
supplies and re-enforcements are hurried
forward continually neither the Russian
army nor the great Siberian Railroad viii
be equal 10 the occasion when il arises.
The Manchurlau Mountains are fun of
minerals and the valleys rich in alluvial
soil, while in the harbor of Port Arthur
the Russians have a naval base without
rival in Chinese waters. This harbor Is
large inlet of oval form, with narrow
entrance between two high promontories,
4. IL l.