The times., 1901-06-24
Germany ana China.

Germany ana China.
Il is not unlikely that there is much
| truth in the report which comes from
Berlin to the effect that the Kaiser is
disappointed at the outcome of the
Chinese embroglio. From the first the
opinion was quite general that the En-
| peror William was anxious to expand
his Empire. by taking huge slice
of China His ideas run largely to
colonial expansion, which he believes
viii make Germany the greatest OF
| commercial nations. AS a military
power she now stands first on the list.
and it is well known that he has Ia
bored hard, and is still laboring. to
induce the imperial Parliament to
make the appropriations necessary to
give her a corresponding rank at sea.
Thus far he has not been very sue
cessful although it is said that the
present programme for the building of
war vessels will in the course of five or
six years give Germany more than
/ forty armored battIeships- dou
| BILE our force, and nearly equaling that
/ of France.
The German scheme of colonization
+ in South Africa, inaugurated about fif-
! teen years ago. has not been very sue
/ cessfuL Nearly million square miles
/ of the Dark Continent have been
brought under German dominion, but
il is doubtful if there are ten thousand
/ Germans living in the whole vast re-
gion, and commercially the colonies
are of but little value. The conditions
I there are not favorable. The popula-
ton is sparse. and consists almost en-
tireIy of wild tribes. If the country
has resources they are yet to be de-
veIoped, and the native population
must. in the nature of things. be
very insignificant factor in the work
/ The case of China is wholly different.
| There is a dense population of tire
/ less workers-people who, while not
/ civilized according to our ideas, have,
/ nevertheless, a distinctly marked civ
! ilization of their own. They can be
utilized TO the fullest degree in the de-
! velopment of the counuy's resources,
which are known to be vast in extent.
! Germany's industrial weakness at this
J
! terial necessary for manufacturing on
/ a large scale. In coal particularly, she
/ seems to have about reached the limit
/ That is to say, she cannot increase her
coal supply as rapidly as she must in
order to maintain herself as great
manufacturing State.
| German economists and statesmen
| have been looking longingly toward
| the buried mineral treasures Of China
awaiting modern methods for their ex-
/ pioitation. Whatever Germany's de-
( sires may have been in this direction,
/ it is certain that for the present, at
! least they have come to naught. There
/ is nothing new in sight TO indicate any
probability of the immediate -dismem-
berment of China, and Germany's
scheme, II she had one, could only be
made to work as part of a gener Il plan.
But the United States was unwilling
to participate in any such scheme. This
/ fact now seems to be clear. If Eng
land had any inclination to take a
/ hand she was 50 crippled and ham
! pered by the South African war that
the time was altogether inoPportune
/ Tor her. France was satisfied with the
| provinces she already held, while Italy
/ and Austria were both comparatively
weak. AS for Russia, she had plans OF
| her own. and they certainly did not
| include any general partition of China
among the Powers.
| Russia's Eastern policy is inexorable
| It Is one Of steady, although almost
] noiseless expansion. A half century
/ ago Car Nicholas uttered the senti-
ment that when the Russian flag was
raised in a certain place it ought not
To be lowered again. and so far as pos
! sible Russia has acted upon this prin-
| ciple al all times since she took aer
| place among modern civilized States. In
pursuance of this policy she has OBJ
tanned from China certain concessions
in Manchuria and taken possession of
that province. In spite of every pro-
test, Russia has held her grip, and it
is morally certain that she will con-
tinue TO do so. She viii give up Man
churia only when forced to- What is
more, she will never consent to any
| dismemberment of China by the other
Powers unless IL be done with a dis
play q irresistible force-a force which
! probably no one nation. perhaps no
two OF them, can concentrate in that
quarter. Russia's plan for the dis
memberment of the Celestial Kingdom
is to do it herself, by looping off PROV
/ ince after province. as the opportunity
is presented.
Finally we come to Japan. The Gov
ernment Of the 3Illado naturally views
with concern the advance of Russia
into Chinese territory and a short time
faso assumed a somewhat belligerent
tone. But It was clear that Japan was
not prepared TO engage single-handed
in a struggle with Russia, ard no ether
country seemed ready 10 form an al
lance with her for any such purpose.
While Germany may have been anxious
enough for segment of Chinese ter