The true northerner., 1900-07-20
Americas Advantages in China

AhCllCcJ . aNAN III SlAll1eS'
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat:-
The United States is now in position
to see the advantages which our location
in the Philippines is giving to us in the
Chinese crisis. The present Indications
are that we will have to send a consid-
erable army to China before the existing
troubles can be settled. The president
has returned to Washington on ac-
count of the gravity of the situation in
Asia. The advanced detachments of the
American force which are intended for
operations in China have already landed
in that country. Gen. Chaffee, who is
to command the force, is on the way
across the Pacific. The cabinet in Wash
ington has given good deal of time to
the consideration of the Chinese question,
and is of opinion that this country will
be obliged to send about 10000 men to
take part in the Pekin campaign. This is
a somewhat larger force than anybody
a week or two ago supposed would be
necessary but the situation is changing
constantly, and the United States has to
take the new necessities into the ac-
count.
1t has been determined by the presi
dent that the greater part of the Ameri-
can troops for China will be taken from
the Philippines According to an official
statement just made public, the army in
the Philippines on June 30 numbered g.
424, almost half of whom are volunteers.
The volunteers who are on duty in the
islands are almost as we'll fitted for cam
paigning at the present time as the regu
lars. They have been in the field about
a year. and many of their officers have
been taken from the regular army. But
the volunteers will, under the existing
law, all have to be mustered out of the
service by the beginning of next July, or
little less than twelve months hence.
Many of the regulars, too, will have to
be discharged by that time, so that the
total military force a year hence, unless
new legislation strengthening the army
be had in the interval, will be down to a
point not much above the figure of the
early part of 1898, before the beginning
OF the Spanish war. Between now and
then, however, some active work can be
done by the United States in China from
its new base in the Philippines.
There will be no hesitation on the part
of the administration in utilizing its ad-
vantages on the border of the Asiatic
continent to the utmost extent. Manila
is about four or five days sail from the
mouth of the Pei Ho river, at which the
troops will be landed for the campaign
against Pekin. 1t will be possible for the
United States to transport an army to
the seat of the trouble in China quicker
than any other countries can, except..Ja-
pan and Russia. The feet which the
country has around the Philippines gives
us naval strength in Chinese waters at
the present time which is greater than
that of any other nation except Japan
and England. The policy of the admin
istration and OF the republican party in
asserting the country's authority vigor-
ously in the Philippines, is giving the
United States an influence at the pres
ent time among the powers and over the
Chinese government which is telling
favorably for American citizens in China
and the rest of the world. The United
States is going to be prominent factor
in the Chinese settlement. The deter
mination which has been reached by the
president and his political advisers to
act promptly and vigorously in China will
give satisfaction to all the American peo-