The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-02-25

Frederick a. Salaman.
Rooms 1865, Vincent Building, New
York City
THE RUSSIAN IN HISTORY.
Why American Sympathy Should Lie
With Japan In Present Conflict
To the Editor of The State:
I It is difficult to understand how any
one who is at all acquainted with Esl-.
ropean history, especially the part of it
that relates to Russia, can sympathize
with that country In its struggle with
Japan; for viewed from any stand
point, except that Of brute force, Japan
| Is by far the more highly civilized ma
ton Of the two. From its very first
contact with civilization Japan. has
made a progress that is almost mar
velous, while Russia has remained
practically barbarous despite the fact
that she has been in intimate associa-
ton with the civilzing influences Of the
other countries Of Europe.
The truth Of the matter is that Rus
sia has a pretty black record behind
her. q record Of tyranny, oppression
+ and duplicity that almost surpasseS be-
lief. It is easily within the memory Of
people now living when it was a not
uncommon occurrence for ladies Of the
| Polish nobility to be stripped to the
waist and whipped in public by off,
| ieials of the Russian government. When
Sweden was practically forced to cede
Finland to Russia, the latter country
pledged itself that it would not inter
fere with the language or local gov
! ernment Of the people. This promise
has been most silannefully violated, and
the virtuous, enlightened and patriotic
Films have been subjected to almost
every indignity that Russian ingenuity
could devise. But the darkest blot on
/ Russia's record is found in Siberia.
Countless thousands Of its own citi-
zens and from it's provinces like Poland
and Finland have been consigned, for
no offense whatever, at least nothing
that would be considered such in a civ
ilized country, to a living death in the
| mines Of Siberia, without the slightest
they are by the iron hand Of despot-
ism that would have hardly been ex-
cusable in the dark ages.
There is something almost farcical in
the attitude that Russia assumes as
the champion of civilization and Chris
! tianity, for she stands in sore need of
civilization herself and, in act at least,
| is acstranger to the precepts of Chris
! tianity. What wassthe conduct Of the
Russian troops during the recent trou-
bic in China? Lobting by wholesale
and the murder Of thousands Of help
less and inoffensive Chinese, driving
them into deep river just as If they
were wild beasts. While the Russians
were acting like sayages, the Japanese
troops maintained their splendid dis
Ecountry with clean hands and with
out single blot upon their record. But
Putting all other questions aside, Rus
sia is the aggressor land this being the
( case deserves to lose. Japan clearly
Esees that the time has come when she
must make supreme effort for ma
Etional existence and she can be counted
on to struggle to the bitter end. Rus
sia has no need of additional territory
while Japan, with it's dense population
stands in sore need of an extension Of
| its land area.
Ut is very easy to make comparisons,
but the present struggle is being waged
under conditions that have never here
-tofore existed. In the South African
war England had to transport troops
and munitions of var 5000 miles, but
there was not hostile vessel to inter-
fere with her transports. It viii be i'm
possible for Russia to send a single
man or gun by water and her sole de-
pendence is on one single line of rail-
road, and this is a. very long one. Ex-
perience has demonstrated that sin
/ gle line, even for & comparatively short
distance, is not adequate for the trans
portation of large bodies Of troops
| Germany has proba bly, about eight sep
arate lines leading 80 the Rhine and
about the same number in tn. direc-
ton Of the frontier, facing Russia. In
nf !,
/ France and Germany they would each
have million men On the frontier in
less time than it would take Russia to
put one-tenth that humber in Man
churia. Unless something entirely un-
expected happens Ru ssia will be con-
fronteG with very mu ch the same con-
ditions that prevailed during the Cri-
mean war. She had plenty of troops and
I resources but. could not, owing to the
lack Of transportation facilities, get
them to the front quick enough. This
being the case, baff1ed but not crushed
she had to accept the terms offered by
France and England Japan cannot
Of course. exhaust the resources Of
Russia but stands a good chance of
eXhausting all the res sources that Rus
Sia can make available.
To call this war a struggle between
Christianity and heAthenism is the
veriest nonsense. Russia today is more
| a barrier to the propagation of Chris
tianity than is Japan for nation. just
as it with an individuh hl that processes
! to be Christian and Who. at the same
time does the greatesk violence to the
| teachings of the Mas ter, is a greater
enemy to Christianity than an avoWed
disbeliever. If it could be accomplished
without bloodshed the partition of the
| Russian empire would be tremendous
gain for the cause of civilization. for
/ then the Russian people. STEPPED in
dense ignorance and ground beneath
the heel Of an iron despotism, would
breathe the air of freedom and happi-
ness and be given the opportunity to
emerge from a position that is but lit
tie superior to that Of the beasts Of
the field.
The people of the south at least ought
/ to hold in everlasting remembrance the
fact that while they were engaged in
Fov. s,,ln