New-York tribune., 1901-05-19
A FOPGOTTFN Episode

To try the temperature of n hot bath n eau
tious man first puts his hand In. To test the
possibility of future possession a wise nation
advances the plea of n protectorate. If the heat
is not excessive tho rest OF the body gradually
and comfortably follows. IT. on the contrary,
the risk of scaldng seems imminent the
'feeler" can he quickly withdrawn before much
harm Is done. An actual protcctorate has come
TO meaE-perhaps. always did mean-a virtual
possess'cn and the world regards the one as
the alI.ost inevitable sequence of the other,
provided that the water supply he abundant
md DO ene else clamorng for that particular
tub AT that identical moment. Metals in fusion
and men in masses seem 10 he governed by the
same curious law: AN alloy composed of sew
"eral metals Of different melting points will
fuse at n lower temperature than that Of its
lowest fusing constituent" II is evident that
the morality Of respectable nation is decid-
edly lower than the morality of respectable
individual. An honorable man expects hon
orable behavior from his kind. but an honor
able nation expects just the contrary from
other nations.
To-day there is trouble in Manchuria. and
Russia proposes TO hold that province till quiet
is restored, or perhaps rs pledge for the good
behavior of China. Now the powers argue
that once in Manchuria Russia will stay there
and this opinion is certainly founded prece-
dents easily discoverable in every country and
In every age. The national eye guiltess of n
good sized beam is not without it's microscopic
mote. and II is too much to expect that the mo-
tves which rule human nature in general
should be entirely absent from Russian nature
in particular Therefore. the allies are conf
dent that before long "J'y suis. j'y reste" will
apply TO Manchuria. well as TO the Mala-
koff. And YET in the last half of the nineteenth
century Russia, In one instance, did exactly
the reverse; she said TO China. after n ten
years occupation of a part of that kingdom:
I'm here but I'll get out" and proceeded To
get out of fertile territory, the direct highway
TO Pekng, without visible pressure being an
piled by any European power. Attention is
called to this credtable episode in a letter
which appears elsewhere in this issue from the
pen of Augustine Heard, formerly Minister of
the United States TO Corea.
The Province of Iii, better known as the
Kuldja. from the name Of its richest valley and
principal town, is situated in the northwestern
corner of the Chinese Empire. touching the
Siberian frontier. It's inhabitants for the most
part Donogani and Tarantchi, fierce Mahom-
etan tribes, in 1863 came to blows with the
milder Manchus and Chinese Massacres
pillage and general chaos followed. The Chi
nese Government showed itself quite incapable
of quelling the insurrection. and things went
from bad to worse until Russia stepped in and
offered to restore order by temporary occu-
patton. This was successfully accomplished
and quiet reigned in Kuldja from 1871 TO 1881
when China demanded 10 have the province re-
turned Russia demurred. She had incurred
considerable trouble and expense and did not
want TO lose control of the safest and quickest
route To the 'Flowery Kingdom" After n first
miscarriage China's envoy to St Petersburg
arranged terms of retrocession with RussIa
and the Car withdrew his troops after stipu-
latinG that Russian merchant caravans should
nave free passage through the province in
stead OF following the longer and more danger.
ous road through the bleak regions of Eastern
| Mongolia.
Diplomatic experts attributed this with.
drawal TO various causes. Some argued from
IL the mysterious power Of the Yellow Terror
Just what harm could he inflicted on the con-
querors of the rebels the Yellow Terror could
not cope with is not clearly apparent, and the
deduction does not seem overwhelmingly log
| ical. but whatever the reason may have been-
| pressure from without or principle wthin-tba
| important fact remains Russia held the Kuldta
! Tor ten years, and then returned it-much i'm