Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-31
GREATEST EVENTS AT CLOSE
Condensed Account of Happenings Taken From
the News Columns of The Star.
A PERIOD FULL OF INTEREST

I aid in the satisfactory settlement of this
| troublesome matter.
| RUSSIA AND JAPAN.
| The situation in the far east began to as
| sumo a most threatening aspect toward the
| close of the year. conflict between Rus
sia and Japan with France and England
| involved on either side for awhile seemed
| almost inevitable Although the latest adj
| vices indicate that crisis may be averted
| both of the principals continue to mobilize
| troops and collect war material on a gigan-
| tic scale. 1t is the old question of Japans
| opposition to Russian aggression in Man
| churia and Corea: The promised evacua-
| ton of Manchuria by the cars forces set
| for October was not realized. Troops
were withdrawn from certain points, but
| they were soon reoccupied by the Russians.
Besides Russia troops began to invade the
territory of Corea upon pretext or
| another despite the protests of Japan and
| England. Wherever Russia has withdra wn
| under this pressure from without the car
forces have gone still further into disputed
territory on the rebound. Everything
! seems to indicate that Russia will be sat
| 1sfied with nothing short of sovereignty in
Manchur1a at present with a view OF the
same SCHultlOH ultimately IN COred. Late
| dispatches report the mobilization of Japan
| csc troops in Corea under the guise of
workmen while Japan is strengthening and
mob1hZing her naval strength as rapidly
| as possible. Sentiment as to the probability
| OF war, however, seemed to be divided in the
| various courts of Europe, and what the
outcome will be only time can develop.
THE TROUBLE AT KISHINEFF.
The persecution of the Jews by Christian
ma In
| time during the year. A horrible massacre of
the former took place at Kishinef on Easter
Sunday. Thousands of the unfortunate
survivors of the massacre fed from their
homes in terror, and altogether the most
| atrocious OF all persecution of the Russian
Jews eliminated in this terrible affair
When the news of the awful affair became
known protests poured in to the Russian
government from the whole civilized world
A great petition was signed in this coun-
try and presented to President Roosevelt
with the request that he forward it to the
car through diplomatic channels. But in
quiry developed the fact that such action
would not only be considered an unfriendly
act on the part of this country by Russia
but That the car would under no ciTcum-
stances receive it. Meantime the Russian
government had made a show of investi-
eating the outrages and Furnishing the
guilty ones. The governor of BesSarabia
was removed. and about twenty-five per-
HoiiS SiNtH SMUT III EIlSOl.
REVOLT IN MACEDONIA.
The revolt against Turkish rule in Mace
donia continued throughout a good part of
| the year. and one time threatened to pre-
| cipitate war between Turkey and Bulgaria
| The porte held that the Bulgarian govern
ment was largely responsible for the dis
| orders in Macedonia, and threa tened to call
that government to account, but the atti-
tod
| of coercive plans against the former coun-
| try The aggressiveness of the insurgents
necessitated Turkeys increasing her army
| considerably and purchasing large ouanti-
| ties of war material There We're numerous
clashes between insurgent bands and the
regular turkish troops, in which victories
were about evenly balanced In several in
stances the revolutionists used dynamite
with terrible effect against their opponents
In retaliation for these defeats the Turks
destroyed whole villages, putting the wo-
men and children to death. These atrocities
called forth protests from the civilized
| world. The latest accounts from the dis
turbed district report conditions as com
paratively quiet.
LABOR TROUBLES.
The year 1903 was not characterized nv
any great strikes, such as the great coal
strike of the year previous but there were
a number of smaller conflicts between
workmen and their employers in various
parts of the country The building trades
unions in several of the large cities partieu
Iarly were very aggressive. and n number
OF strikes and lockouts resulted About the
most extensive strike of the year occurred
among the textile workers of PHILADELPHIA
where 10000 operatives We're out at one
Tune. This strike was subsequently, settled
and most of the operatives returned to
1 work. me Builders League of Pittsburg
locked out lS0o0 men In August, but this
was also settled after a short time There
We're several strikes among street car en-
pioyes In the large cities which. in nearly
every instance, We're attended by rioting
and bloodshed. At Richmond va the
state troops were called out and kept on
DUTY several weeks to preserve order while
the companies operated their lines with nom
union men. strike of the same sort at
Worcester, Mass, was also attended nv a
good deal of violence. strike of all the
coal miners of Colorado, New Mexico and
IAN was ordered but compromise was
erected before Tie men went out
DEATH OF POPE LEO XIII
Pope Leo XIII, head of the Roman Cath
Ole Church, died at the Vatican Monday
| July 20, after an illness which lasted a
| little over two weeks. Though his malady
was first announced as pneumonia, Prof
Cardarello subsequently stated that the dis
ease which carried him off was tuherculous
| cancer. Several small operations were per-
| formed by his physicians, and while these
seemed to give him temporary relief, his
condition gradually grew worae from the
| time he was first stricken
The conclave of cardinals to elect his sue
cessor met on July 81. and after seven bal
lots finally selected Cardinal Sarto for
pope He assumed the title of Plus X
ALASKAN BOUNDARY DECISION.
Hearings in the Canadian boundary dis
pute began in London in May, and a de-
cfsion was handed down by Lord Alvers-
ton, president of the commission. October
70 BY the terms of this decision the United
states receives pretty nearly all that
they contended for. The line as marked
out follows the mountain range along the
coast. leaving this country about all OF the
disputed territory. including ALI the inlets
and harbors along the coast Portland
canal 70