New-York tribune., 1903-08-09
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
SET RIGHT ON ENGLAND AND RUSSIA.
Some Facts Which a Correspondent Had
Overlooked

Overlooked
To the Editor OF the The Tribune
Sir; have been reading the letters in your col
umns regarding Great Britain, Russia. Manchuria
and the United States with interest and amazement.
As the latest OF these-that Mr.. J. P. OHagan.
published to-day-presents truth and fiction, fact
and rumor. strangely mixed together with an
air of well informed intelligence to be mslead-
ing' hope you will allow TO point out some OF
the errors II contains through your paper without
presuming to go into the merits of the whole ques-
ton ably and thoroughly dealt with in the
statesmanke editorial entitled America for Amer
lea which appeared in The Tribune OF the 1st
irst.
Mr.. O'Hagan's expressed doubt OF the greatness
of the British Empire and his ridiculous effort at
sarcasm by repeatedly referring TO it In tone OF
irony as the great British Empire" presumably
because that the expression used in Mrs j.
3. CampbeITs letter. which suggested his) only
shows his ignorance of geographical, If not po-
litical. fact. Any student of geography and his
tory tell Mr.. O'Hagan. without thirty years
investigation that the British Empire OF to-day
is not only the greatest in the world, but 1t is the
greatest empire the world has ever seen, being
four times larger than the Roman Empire in its
greatest extent and spreading its flag over fully
one-fourth of the globe and its inhabitants ex-
elusive OF Egypt, the Soudan Nigeria, Beoochistan
and Omaun Such a student will contradict Mr.
OHagans statement the effect that Russia has
never yet been known to relinquish any place she
has taken by reminding him that in 1856 Great
of Bessarabia, and that in 1873 the 'bluster ana
cacke' alone OF Great Britain induced Russia to
relinquish a narrow strip OF desirable territory
ceded to her by Turkey at San Stefano. The stu
dent of geography Will probably make a no one
of himself by dsproving Mr.. O'Hagan's assertion
that mo will deny that the area OF Russia Is
to-day double what it hundred years ago
by some such reasoning as this: In l639 the whole
of Siberia, from the Urals to the Pacific, was part
of Russia Now. Siberia IS larger than the whole
of EtrO1 av1a has add 6ad a her fRT-
ritory anywhere so large of land as Eu-
rope. and, furthermore. Siberia is still about
one-half Of Russia. therefore. Russia cannot have
twice as large an area to-day as she had three
hundred years ago. And the boy would be right!
Mr.. O'Hagan evidently the word Russian
lied" to at least two diametrically opposite
| things when he says: But the Pamirs were Rus
ssnized. Notwithstanding Cthe cackle and buster
of the British); Herat, the
| greater part of what Asia Minor.
! TUrkestan and part OF Persia, etc" Now,
| as a matter of fact. the bulk of the Pa
mfrs is much under the wing Of Great
! Britain it before the delimitation of the
/ frontier while Herat-weIl. WELL I suppose Mr.
OHagan has got the latest news by wireless" "
We shall have 10 wait for the details by mail
| way behind the times! And the greater part of
what once Asia Minor somebody must have
! been dreamingD, and. let add. is still known
! by that name, although 'Anatola" Is, perhaps a
generally applied term it constitutes the
| tral portion of Turkish Empire and is sup
| e. with German commercial and political pres
! tige and American educational influences in the
! rch of Asia Minor is under Russian influence,
81 IS as HGn RsFt OF f er
sia the part of it in which the British Empire is
sIvely proved. is Southern Persia, any encroach-
ment on which England has declared VIII be OPP
| taken up the challenge yet. "Bluster and cackle'
floating fortresses to say nothing of the six hun
| dred fighting ships of all descriptions, manned BY
~ nj rhG mo
| the waves backed by a merchant marine of 1000
ese the NAV S'e NOT do are % rilipg With hand strone
and just over 400 0O0O0 of the inhabitants of the
Mr.. O'Hagan's quotation from, Sir Henry Camp;
R speech IS "oTieSs e.r anu u1SPoe Si
! of July p: The leader of the opposition, whose
! ready to snatch at anything in the shape of a
missile produced crude reminiscence Of hasty
! 80 per cent of the population are always on the
of destitution that the smallest rise in the
price of bread must throw them into actual misery
and starvation 1t was perfectly ridiculous state
ent. but still greatly exaggerated, assertion that
! maps NeW-fo orK are In the condltlon ne CeScrlpeS
! But Mr.. OHagan, not satisfied with Sir Henry's
own thirty years investigation, follows:
Thirty per cent ACTUALLY starving" Cpresuma bly,
| you. What tenacity OF hte), 30 per cent very
sHd bS P9E . er 20 per cent es s IN We m
virtue of my thirty seconds investigation. l ask
ands are actually starving, at least 5000 900 OF
| them being young at period OF their
| lives within Mr. OHagan's thirty years tnvesti-
| a regular army of 100000 men? Is the British
! army starving too? I hope this puzzle will not
| take another thirty years TO solve.
| The presence of Armstrong 5 guns in General Lee
! army, If they sold. shipped, through
| the blockade. landed and delivered the Confed-
| crates by some Englishmen. cannot in itself he
considered a proof of the hostility of the bulk
! OF Englishmen against the North during the Civil
War of the apathy of the British Government.
! Such action the part of individuals would be
justified by interna tional law, which comedies to
neutrals the right sell and stores TO beig-
eIents, and has nothing to do with the actions OF
| individuals as such.
| Mr.. O'Hagan's attack Mrs ]. B. CampbelIs
| well taken point with regard to the Philippines
| etc, being in the Pacific Ocean. and such COM
| ing under Mr.. Appletons broad invitation to Rus
| sia TO take any place by the Pacific she may
want is an utter failure. Unfortunately for that
| gentleman the Pacific Ocean washes the western
| shores of the United States well her more
| important possessions, and Uncle Sam is the
man to throw away any of his farms lose any
| tons wishes and Mr.. O'Hasans opinions nOtwith-
! standing.
| But Mr. O'Hagan has a grievance against the
| English Government. which still keeps an i'm
/ nortant part of the United StateS-the top end of
Maine-caIled Nova Scotia etc, with the only OBJ
on practically the United States" 1t does credit
! 10 Mr.. O'Hagans sense of justice that ne cannot
conceive of an Englshman complaining because the
government of the United States still keeps
portant part of British North America-the bottom
end of Nova Scotfa-caIled New-Engand etc witt,
necessary, practically the British Empire! How
gI0teSQuely absurd that would be, STUDENT.
Troy, y Y. August 4, 1909