Evening star., 1902-03-15


The Japanese are jealous Of the friend
ship which the Emperor OF Corea has for
the Russians. 1t will be remembered that
during the troubles which followed the Chi
nese-Japanese war, his majesty left his
palace and fled to the Russion legation for
protection. He sreaked out in closed
Sedan chair with a woman walking on each
side OF 1t just like common nobeman's
wife, in order to escape the Corean mobiles
who had him in ke eping. The Russian min
lister took him IN and for a long time the
Russian legation was the seat Of the gov
ernment Of Corea. From It the emperor
sent forth a decree that his cabinet should
bers have their heads chopped off and that
the said heads be brought to him at the
legation, which you Will agree was
"a dainty dish to set before the king
At this same time Russian officers were
chosen to drill the army. and 1t looked for
a while as though Corea was to be at
once RussianiZed. Shortly after this, how
ever the Russians concluded to take Man
churia first, and they signed treaty with
the Japanese that neither government
should interfere in the politics or trade Of
the Corean peninsula.
In the meantime the Japanese are buying
up the railroads of Corea as fast as they
can, and they are now building one from
Fusan, one Of the ports on the south coast
to the capital Seoul. The French. which is
probably another name for the Russians,
have obtained concession for a railroad
from Seoul to the northern boundary OF
the COUNTRY. and this will probably event
ually be connected with the Manchurian
railroad and enable the czar to put his SOL
diers into the Corean capital at will.
Russian Schemes in China.
It Is difficult to say where the cars
schemes as to China begin and end. Dur
ing the war the Russians seized the Tien
Tsin-Shanhaikwan railroad, and they will
eventually want to control this line as an
extension of the Trans-Siberian system to
Peking. If they cannot buy the road out
right there will be little trouble In parallel
ing 1t, as most Of the country Is level, and
as 1t possesses but few engineering diff
culties. The road was largely built with
English money, but 1t Is owned by Chinese
The line from Pekin to Hankow Is said to
practically belong to the Russians. con-
cession for 1T was given to the Belgians
and the French. They capitalized it at
O,OOO. and building is now going on
from both ends. The money is said
Bank. and this is really the Russian gov
ernment. The bank has It's branch houses
at all the ports of China. including those
of Manchuria 1t is backed by the gov
ernment and acts as the financial agent of
Russia in Siberia. This bank has other con-
cessfons from the Chinese, and 1t is more or
less connected with all the railroad move
ments Of this part OF the world. All sorts
OF lines are being projected. Some are to
open up the Shansi coal fields, one is a rail-
road over the old caravan route through
the NankOw Pass from Pekin into Mon
golia and thence to Siberia, and q third, q
most important projection, is an extension
Of the Trans-Caspian road from Central Asia
through Chinese Turkestan and southern
Mongolia to the head waters Of the Yellow
river and thence south to Hankow on the
Yangtse Kiang. If this road is completed
Mongolia and northern China will shortly
be Russian. A part Of the system Is a line
from Hankow to Kashgar in Chinese
Turkestan.
Russia's Trade Methods.
The czar now proclaims free trade for
Manchuria. but after the country has been
Russianized the best things of it's commerce
will likely be given to his own people, Until
recently only Russians could mine gold In
Siberia. There are restrictions on trade
there, and this Is 80 in every Russian coun-
try. The Russian arm Is long and its hand
is SO large that 1t hopes eventually to hold
the world financially as well as territorially.
See what 1t did In Persial The English
were supplying the country with most Of
its cotton cloths when the Russian govern
ment gave Russian merchants and manu-
3actursrs bounty OF cents per pound on
al the manufactured cottons sold In Per-
eia. This paid their freight and left them
q cents . pound profit even when they sold
the goods ct cost. With such advantages