The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-10
wonderful quay. Thither they, are about

a wonderful quay. Thither they are about
to invite the shipping of the. world.
While such developments as these were
going forward there had, of course, TO be
evidence produced to show that Manchuria
was something beside Russian. To this end
Russia has frankly Endorsed the lnhuman
Chinese system of judiciary procedure. Juss
outside of Kharbin Mr.. Gerare saw curl
Gus object hanging from tree; it was
newly severed human head On his way
back to Kharbin he saw great many
more. hanging by their pigtails. When he
asked Chinaman what this meant, the
Chinaman answered.: mo savvy; top-Side
savvy." By "top-side" he meant the local
administrative government. As 1t turned
out, the heads were those of forty-tWo
vagabonds, who, on suspicion OF being BAN
dts. were publicly executed in the presence
of both mandarin and Chinese officials AS
winter was coming, the heads were expect
ed to remain on exhibition some six months.
a TYRANNOUS CONTROL.
But if Manchuria was not Russian enough
to permit the suppression Of barbarities like
these, it was nevertheless Russian enough
to permit the exercise Of the most abso-
lutte tyranny. When the last embers of the
Chinese rising were being trodden out the
behavior of the Russian military verged on
the uncivilized If they captured village,
or took possession of one that had not at
tempted Self-defenSe, they made prisoners
of all the inhabitants and executed every
hundredth man as a warning to others.
They taxed their savage ingenuity to the
utmost and with remarkable success to
find ways to terrorize the Manchurians. The
wretched villagers who fled as the Russians
came near have in many cases been too
completely Mortified to return. When 1t
suited the Russians to brush aside the ma
tive population TO make room for Russian
enterprise humanitarian considerations
were not allowed to interfere.
Meanwhile Russia was bound by solemn
treaties to withdraw from Manchuria. But
treaties ARE like Japanese handkerchiefs
very pretty when new, but likely to tear.
Russia will not withdraw; she never in
tended to withdraw; she had an eye on
Manchuria at the very time the Gar was
pleading for disarmament and international
kind affections; she made her pretty treaty
promises knowing they could be torn in
two when desired; she was all the while
getting ready to hold Manchuria by armed
strength and to defy the first attempt at
interference There is no truce with
Adam Fad, the bear that walks like a
man." This is what western diplomacy
will one day And out. The cunning of the
Slav has been too keen for his rival to cope
with. AS Mr.. KEENAN, and Mr.. Colquh0un
were saying the other day, the Russian is
an Oriental. without the smallest reverence
for truth, but, lavishly endowed with cour-
tesy, magnetism and the ability TO please.
To these add the gift of seeming frankness,
simulated honesty and an assumption OF
diplomat gees in with one face and comes
out with another-goes in enraged, comes
out soothed. fattered, believing.
But why has Russia insisted on the prac-
tical cession of Manchuria? She wants ter
ritory-especially territory contiguous TO
her ancient holdings-but that is not the
point. She wants territory-especially ter
ritory where her new railroad lies-but again
that is not the point. She wants territory
especially territory rich, as Manchuria is,
in almost unexpected mineral resources
but still that is not the point The point is
this: Manchuria reaches down to the ice
free harbOrS which give Russia her long
desired outlet into the ocean. This grant
ed, all the other factors gain a new sig
niicance. Russia expands; she has vast
highway all her own; that highway passes,
through potentially rich Russian province
to the open sea. At last, after a century of
waiting Russia has achieved her great
ambition-achieved 1t by broken treaties,
violated promises, endless discrimination
and the outpoured blood OF an enfeebled
race. Strange-is it not?-that a medieval
monarchy should thus have made that very
modern thing, the railroad, so potent an in
strument of conquest and self-aggrandize-
menti