Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-31

was suppressed. Japanese lam guage was adopted in the Chinese uni versailles. Nevertheless the Chinese government reacted against the reform element, whose editors were punished. $ The Philippines enjoyed an era of comparative peace and commercial growth with only sporadic fighting by ladrones and Moros. Thirty years war in Sumatra ended with Dutch con- quest.
 THE NEAR EAST has been the plague spot of the year, chamber of horrors that hangs heavy on the con- science of Europe and of all Christen- dom. Whatever the technical merits of the Macedonian controversy, the re- volt of the Christian inhabitants was checked with such horde of murder fous Turkish fiends as to cause even currents of Russian and Austrian diplo- macy hasten to. stay the sultan's hand. Unwillingly he has at last accepted vir- tual Russo-Austrian sovereignty of his rebellious vilayets. ' The disorder at Beirut and the reported killing of the American consul, Magelssen. brought American warships into Turkish wa ters with salutary results. Bull garia checked her anti-Turkish senti- ments for the time. having appealed to the powers in vain. < Servia went clear to the foot of the class by her liberate murder, June 10, of King Alex ander and Queen Draga and substitu- ton ' King Peter on her blood stained throne month later. * The Austro- Hungarian union continued to hang by thread.
 GERMANY'S monarchical institu- tions suffered shock in the electoral success of the Social Democrats, who polled a vote of 100000 and gained many seats in the reichstag. The operation on the kaiser's throat was believed to be for incipient cancer and to endanger his life and reign. The fatherland has suffered an acute industrial depression.
 FRANCE pursued undeviatingly her republican programme against the gov ernment authorization of the religious orders and schools, causing sharp alignment on the question of the sep aration of church and state. < Dis ctpIined Morocco. Tried and con victed the Humbert swind1ers. < Reopened Dreyfus case.
 ITALY AND GREECE experienced no decisive.political changes other than the growth of socialism among labor tug classes.
 SPAIN AND PORTUGAL encounter ed serious revolutionary outbreaks and labor disturbances. Villader succeeded Silvela as Spanish premier.
 LATIN AMERlCA'S story, emitting the inconsequent rebellions, has just four important chapterst ** Vene- zuela went into international bank ruptcy by defying the warship- backed collectors of three European creditor nations Germany, England and Italy. These bounced down on Castro and blockaded his rocky coast until he got the American minister. Bowen, to help him fix up the special arbitration courts and to get the preferential treat ment decided at The Hague court Re- suit was scaling down of claims from S22.OO0.OO0 to $2.0oO,O00. while Castro captured Bolivar and crushed the re- bellion. Brazil and Bolivia conn promised their dispute, over the rubber forests of Acre by giving title to the former on condition of the latter's hav- ing outlet to Atlantic by river and rail ** Santo Domingo went through the fire and sword melodrama twice, first lowing to General Wos y Gil in April and seven months later being battered into submission to former rulers, Mo rales, Jiminez and Vasquez. *a* Go lombia, through her failure to meet the American canal proposition half way, lost the whole pudding in the opera bouffe revolution of Panama un- der the guns of Uncle Sam's ships, l making live issue as the old year goes to press. * Cuba accepted American reciprocity. E" Mexico paid the pious claim. Chile and Argentina were peaceful and prosper. ous.
 < k *