The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-21
CUBA. MANeHuR1A. ooREA.

The United States has its Cuba, Rus
STA it's Manchuria and Japan may profit
by their example. The complications in
the far East have reached the acute
stage. Whether it is owing to the diplo-
macy of Ii Hung Chang or to the nat
ufal evolution Of events, is of small mat
ter-the results will be the same. While.
there has been universal sentiment
against the partition of China among the
powers, there has been in the minds Of
those who know the laws of national
protection, conviction that Manchuria
must sooner or later come under Russian
control In that event the same law of
seH-protection would make the dornina-
ton OF Corea essential to Japan.
LII Hung Chang, no doubt, saw all this
with the clearest of vision, when the
present arrangement with Russia was
made. 1t was infinitely better to grant
suzerainty over Manchurfa to Russia
and If need be abandon Corea to tbe
safe Keeping of Japan, than to suffer
further indignities at the hands of the
allies led by Germany The concessions
cost China nothing, they were demands
that could be enforced within +ba na,o
OF international law, and they would
serve to detach Russia and possibly
Japan from the concert of powers. rrr-
ther, the concessions to Russia regard
ing Manchl1ria coi116 ma /
~ opposed by the United States, because
they are essentially the same as those
demanded by the United States of Cuba
The law of nations and common sa,,s,o
VIII support the United States in it's de-
mand that stable government must he
maintained in Cuba, even to tbe no;n+ ae
armed intervention. Besides the c,m,fIa-.
cIal interests which the nation has in On
"a lnere Is the more important question
OF public safety which demands that tho
greater nation possess certain degree ef
ultimate authority over the DESTINY of tna
1Siailo' 10 even greater degree is Rus
sla interested in stable government for
Manehuria. Through this province OK
tends the trans-Siberian railroad with
its Pacific terminus at Port Arthur Tho
"iloie structure of transcontinental trans
portation depends upon the stability or
the government of Manchuria In tho
present condition of the Chinese govern
nent, this Russian suzerainty over Man
chur1a Is not simply phase of the Sia-
vonic policy of territorial aggression b,,t
is essential to the material develonment
Of the Russian empire.
The position taken by Russia. as Oft
lined by Count Cassini is impregnab1a
The Plat amendment, embodying our de-
mands upon Cuba estops the Tinted
states and renders our protest against
russian influence in Manchuria nil. ia
pan, with Cuba and Manchuria as nrecs-
dents, can and will assume a suzeraintv
over Corea. The considerations vhic,,
lea Russian diplomacy to oppose the alb
sorption Of Corea by Japan at the close
OF the Chino-Japanese war have disap-
peared with the occupation of Manchu-
AAee' 41ASidliOS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. agree
ment with Germany to preserve the in
tegrity of the Chinese empire. with the
forcible subjugation of the Beer repub-
lies not yet complete, cannot consist
emily oppose, either morally or by force
of arms, these demands of Russia and
Japan. There are left, then, among the
powers, only Germany. France, Austria
and Italy who can, with any show of
consistency. protest against the action
of Russia, as breech of the concert of
power China, and such action by
eithe Gem must be construed as
purely 81 and not dictated by friend
ship fer China. Whatever our posi-.
ton may be with reference to the broad
question of the integrity of the Chinese
empire, we are compelled to admit that
the cause of civilization and industrial
progress Will be best served by Rus