Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-05-13
RUSSIA IN MANcHuRlA.
The Present Storm Centre Of World
Politics.

Politics.
No one can Justly charge the Rus
slams with being ambiguous in regard
to Manchuria this time. They say
fatty that they wish to hold Manchu-
ria as it is-that is to say, under Rus
sian administration; and they add that
they mean to hold Manchuria as it Is
until their wish is. complied with-an
addition that Is wholly superfluous. It
Is heads I win, tails you lose, either
way. The Russian note Is addressed
to China; but It is merely a case Of
talking through China to all the rest
of the world. The Powers really ad-
dressed are Japan, the United States
and Great Britain. The other Powers
Germany, France, Italy and Austro-
Hungary-have trading right in Man.
churia under treaty with China, but
they have not used these rights to any
important extent, and some Of them
probably have not used the rights at
all. But Japan, the United States and
Great Britain are all deeply concern
ed in the future Of Manchuria-Japan
by mere contiguity and trade and the
United States and Great Britain main
ly by trade alone.
Japan has too many inhabitants for
her own little islands, and she also
needs a market for her increasing
manufactured products. In the order
of nature Manchuria Is well fitted as
a territory to which enterprising ia
panese may emigrate and in which en-
terprising Japanese may trade. From
the Japanese point Of view Manchuria
also stands as q buffer province be-
tween Russia and the decayed King
dom of Korea, with its coast line Of
salt water overlooking all the interior
lines of water communication between
Japan and her eastern neighbors.
With Russia planted in Korea, Japan
would be bottled up in regard to all
her own trade in the east much more
than she is by distance in regard to
trade across the Pacific ocean. For
Japan, therefore, the future Of Korea
is the. kernel Of her foreign policy. To
permit Manchuria to become perma-
nently Russian today would be mere
ly to shove upon the next generation
of Japanese the dead certainty Of
meeting Russia in Korea with a well
settled military base in the bordering
territory Of Manchuria. There Is no
conjecture about. this-given the Sc
cular movement in territorial annexa-
tion Of Russia, the definite acquisition
of Manchuria by Russia Is merely a
step toward Korea, as exact and inevi-
table as that two and two make four.
What Japan is now frankly confront
ed with Is not politics, but mathema-
tics. The Question for Japan is not
comparative, but absolute-there Is no
better or easier alternative for her
her national existence for practically
all time Is up to her today-she must
meet this monstrous and conscience
less power, rolling down upon her from
the northwest with the unresting force
and. inevitableness Of gigantic gla-
cier, today and now, or she will never
be able, in all human probability, to
meet this power with so many and
available advantages as now stand on
her side. It Is terrible problem that
is abruptly and cruelty thrust in the
face of the plucky and rising little
island empire Of the far east.
With regard to the United States
and Great Britain it is also not who'll
ly a matter Of trade, important and
promising as the trade Of both coun-
tries in Manchuria Is, and especially
the trade Of the United States. A
question-and very grave question
Of maintaining treaty rights is made
suddenly to confront not only Japan,
but also both the great nations that
speak English. This question is rudi-
mentary. China is an Independent
government and, therefore, is compe-
tent to make treaties. AS an indepen-
dent government China has made trea-
ties with Great Britain and the United
States and Japan, covenanting to all
nation at treaty ports. Niu Chwang
Is a treaty port, and neither China nor
the United States and Great Britain
and Japan have made any declarations
against the treaties. But here comes
Russia, who is not in any wise party
to these treaties. and who says, with
considerable art, but with no doubt as
to her meaning, first, that the present
administration Of Manchuria is to re-
main unchanged--the fact being that
the administration Of Niu Chwang at
the present time Is conducted by a
Russian commissioner; and, second,
that a sanitary commission" is to be
organized under Russian control-the
fact being that q Russian sanitary
commission" Is about as novel and
certainly as effective a means OF ham,
pering, retarding or destroying trade
as the wit of modern men has yet de-
vised. BY means Of this device Rus
sia has changed caravan routes to her
own advantage in Persia, and all un-
der the benevolent plea Of preserving
the public health. There is no doubt
that at Niu Chwang microbes enough
would be found, by Russian inspectors,
in American, Japanese and English
goods-when Russia was ready Tor
that stage of the game-to keep out all
foreign" commodities, and thus re-
serve the Manchurian territory exclu-
sively for Russian merchants and
manufacturers. This result, as In the
case of the steady movement for the
domination Of Japan, Is only cues
ton of time. Yet all this while China
is still an independent government
ord tho American and British and ia