New-York tribune., 1901-01-05
CHINA.
KRAUssE's VIEW OF THE EASTERN
PROBLEM

THE FAR EAST. IT'S HISTORY AND ITS
QUESTION. BY Alexis Krausse. With eight
p. Dutton & Co.
Mr.. Krausse, throughout the bulk of his
work. treating OF the dealing of European
Powers and the United States with China in the
last ten years, evidently has in his own mind
clear understanding of the two propositions.
that China is destined to pass through the sue
cessive stages of partition into spheres of in
nuence" and protectorates ending with dismem-
bernent and appropriation by the foreigners;
and that, in the great international scramble
for Chinese territory now in progress. Russia is
and must inevitably remain the antagonist of
Great Britain, whose allies and must be the
United States and Japan. Portugal and Spain,
which were almost the first TO attempt COM
munication with the great unknown Far East,
he disnisses with few words early in his mar
rative. devoting much larger share of atten-
tion to the process by which Russia, consistent
ly aggressive from the first, and taking ad-
vantage OF every embarrassment in which Brit
ssh enterprise involved China, obtained slice
after slice OF territory until in 1858. just when
Europe thought the Car checked in his am
billions by the event of the Crimean war, the
Treaty Of Aigun added TO his Asiaiic dominion
territory eight times large Great Britain
and Ireland. This Russian triumph came at a
time when Great Britain, after more than half
a century of stubborn effort, military and diplo-
matte, had gained little more than a dawning
understanding of the great truth that to make
a treaty with China was one thing and TO Sc
cure the fulfilment of its provisions quite an
other. AS early the reign Of Charles III the
opium trade of the English with Canton had
been established. and in 1867 the import
amounted to LOCO chests averaging S1.ooo a
piece Things seem TO have gone on smoothly
enough in this quarter until 1884. when the
British Government placed the interests or Its
subjects resident at Canton under the care OF
a superintendent and then began the troubles
which eliminated in the opium war of 1870
The Treaty Of Nan-King, in 1912, marks, in
Mr. Krausses opinion, the first step in the
opening up OF China to Western intercourse.
Nevertheless, it also marked the beginning OF
a struggle between China and Great Britain
which only subsided into something like peace
after the destruction of the Summer Palace, in
1860 The Tai-Ping rebellion. affording the
British an opportunity to be useful TO the chi
nese Emperor did something to promote the
success Of subsequent British negotiations.
The author considers THE Awakening or Ja-
pan" and Enclosed Corea' Of enough impor-
tance 70 he given each a separate chapter. I'm
der the former head he traces Russo-Japanese
relations from the year 1850, the beginning OF
those negotiations by Alexander / which led up
10 the visit years later, OF two Russian war YES
sells to Kushunkotan and the sack OF that town.
IAN inscription was left on the temple to the
effect that il the japanese should change their
minds and wish TO trade with Siberia, tney
might send a message TO Iturup; but II they
refused to treat with the Russians, the northern
parts Of Japan would be attacked and ravaged'
The Japanese had not changed their minds by
ar
Full Justice is done to the work Of the United
States and of Commodore Perry, Of which a
good account is given in an evidently frienoly
spirit.
The climax Of Mr.. Krausse's book, however, is
its last chapter in which he surveys the actual
urosDect i'm the Far East. Although, by a
mutual understanding among the Powers ne
saws 1.-THE existing developments in the Celestlal
Empire are not regarded as constituting state
OF war. the situation during the siege OF the
legations can only be summarized as an at
tempt on the part Of the Chinese to rid them
selves of the presence of the hated foreigner
and, far from being on friendly terms with the
rest of humanity China may be said to be at
war with civilization" The end Of this war
will of course be the triumph Of civilization,
,,yr this author has grave misgiyings as to how
England viii fare in the division of the spoils.
So long as the British public remains content
IN retain incompetence at the helm OF State, SO
long will the ship of empire be mismanaged
II is the custom Of a certain class or
neonle TO regard the utterance of any unpleasant
4rarn as the act of alarnist, an alarmist IN
the sense of a person who talks nonsense, whicn
NAV he safely Cisregarded- If a publicist draws
attention to an unfriendly act on the part OF
P1,ssia he is branded as a Russophobe, and as
such treated with disdain. IL he ventures 10
query the proclaimed superiority Of our feet, his
question instead of being answered, is pointed at
in derision-
But Drawing such derision, Mr.. Krausse closes
his last chapter with this gloomy warning TO
Englishmen:
The prospect in the Far East is clouded Its
ultimate outcome must, by dint OF the working
Of the forces / have discussed, be partition and
absorption. until the whole Of the map becomes
reconstructed. The lions share must go TO Rus
sia OF that there be no question.
Corea as a national entity is doomed. The only
question IS whether ii will fall to Russia or ia
ran and il remains only TO be whether
England will at the eleventh hour pull herself
together and strive TO save the Yang-tse Valley
as her share of the spoil, whether she will,
bv a continuation of her past and present tao
ties allow herself 20 be elbowed out of Central
China even as she has been out of Manchuria
and is about 10 be out Of the North. Such is
the outcome of the situation. such is the prob
lem 10 be solved. The prospect is not pleas
ant one but there is yet time to divert IT, If only
we bestir ourselves and act before IL is too
late.