The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-18

tunnel under the Khingan Mountains
is unfinished. reach Hardin In sixty-four
hours, and travel from Hardin to Port
Arthur in only sixty hours. On the way
from Hardin To Port Arthur the railway
passes not only Mukden. but the inn
kai-yuen, Telling. Liau-yang, Hal
cheng and Others strung along the I'M
peral highway in the Valley of the Liau
River. This country is described as one
OF the richest granares in Asia, pro-
ducing enormous quantities Of live stock
and foodstuffs. All along the highway
stand vast Chinese caravansarics, able
to quarter comfortably the winter traffic;
80 immense is this trade that 1000 carts,
each drawn by seven mules, pass given
point per day.
Now let us see what the Russian evac-
uaton amounts to. On Oct. 3 Of the
present year the CORES pendent of the
Times met Russian troops evacuating
the country west Of the Lau River. Con-
forming exactly to the letter of the con-
vention signed at Pekin, these troops
moved just one march eastward to the
Russian railway concession at Mukden,
where they are to be garrisoncd per-
manently for the cStensible purpose of
guarding the railroad The evacuation
Of NcwChvang meant the removal Of
the troops one hours march upstream
to permanent quarters in the Russian con-
cession. or one hour by train eastward
to the Russian settlement Of Tashih-
chiao. where capacious barracks, solidly
constructed of stone and brick, have
been made ready for the winter. Tho
evacuation 81 the great city OF Mukden
simply involved removal Of the troops
from within the walls one hours march
TO the Russian concession outside of
them, whore permanent quarters are
being constructed for the garrison
which is expected to number 5000. The
evacuation Of Liau-yang also meant
the removal Of Russian troops to the
railway concession outside the walls
where preparations have been made for
a permanent garrison Of 5000 men.
The same course has been pursued
with regard TO every OF her large Chinese
city on the railway line, until you come
To Hardin. which. being exclusively Rus
sian, is not to be evacuated. A branch
eighty miles long ia to be constructed
from Kwang-cheng-tsze, on the main
line, to Kirin. q city with 900, 900 inhahi-
tants, the Russian garrison of which
will ultimately he quartered at the rail-
way station. only one hours march from
the city. So shrcwdly. in truth, has the
Trans Manchurian Railway been traced
that there is not one important highway
in the country which il does not COM
mand. The troops guarding the rail-
way practically guard all the capitals
and large towns.
In a word, the Russian evacuation of
Manchuria signifies nothing more than
this, that the troops have been withdrawn
TO points from which the cities evacuated
can be Immediately struck The result
ia that ManChuria is absolutely dominated
by Russia, and the domination is rapidly
becoming more effective than is that Of
England over che vassal States Of India.
As regards the treatment Of the Chinese
by the Russians, the correspondent Of
the London Times admits that there has
been a great improvement in this respect.
During two months intercourse he did
not hear of single inst aroc Of maltreat-
ment. II is also acknowledged that the
occupation has brought a great Access
sion of wealth to the people. Millions
of rublcs have been spent In the country,
and the Chinese residents are experience
ing a material prosperity that they have
never before known. II is true that
brigandage has increased in the flying
districts, the number of Chinese soldiers
permitted by the Russians being made
quete to the maint enance of order. Such
brigandage will obviously afford pre-
text for future resumption of the occu-
patton.