The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-27

colors, according to American STANDARDS IL
should be mourning black.
Nor have the enemies of Korea lived only
on her east and west Sides the Manchu
conquerors, who spread south and east 10
conquer China and Russia overran Korea
and starved one of her old-time Kings out
of his fortified capital, Nom-Hou.
Korea is once again in the track of con-
tending armies; once again her rice fields
are TO be ravaged. her cities despoiled and
her people driven to the bitterest of ex-
tremities. Little do the contending armies
care what the Koreans think but the world
naturally asks. Whom do the Koreans fear
and what do they desire?
In the first place, the people, as a people,
don't know any more about the burning
question of far Eastern politics than the
dray horses in New York know whether
Tammany Hail. or their political opponents,
rule the city. So far as their practical
knowledge of the situation goes, they are
without consciousness; and, once given
| their choice between Russian rule and Japi
| anese domination and total humiliation,
| the nation, nation. would choose ami
| hilating simply because they did not
know what it meant whereas, they have
| had several tastes of Japanese rule and one
| good strong dose of Russian domination,
| and are sure that they never want either OF
Japanese sovereignty in Korea has been
spasmodically exercised throughout the
| centuries of the Christian era; Tor many
| years a long, bloody conflict went on be-
| tween Japan and China, and Korea was the
| mutual battle ground; just as In early
American history Kentucky was the bat
| tie ground between the Iroquois Indian ma
| tions, of the North, and the Cherokees and
| Creeks. of the South: And, as Kentucky
| was known as the bloody ground even
| before the white mans day, so Korea has
been the bloody ground of Asia for five
| centuries.
/ for the greater part of the time, her
| nominal master. From China Korea has
| received her literature and official Ian
| guage. most of her customs. her court
| and Official methods, much of her archi-
| lecture, her military standing, and a
| thousand odd customs which Will hound
| her for as many years to come. Yet the
| Koreans are not in any sense Chinese, any
| more than they are japanese; the differ
| ence between the Koreans and her two
| neighbors is so great that 1T may be stated
| with certainty that the people came orig
| inally from the Malay peninsula, by way
| of the islands along the Chinese coast, UNI
| til they entered the peninsula on winch
| they are to-day
IN SYMPATHY WITH NEITHER.
This is TO be remembered as a point
| in the case; the Koreans cannot and do
| not favor one of these nations because
of any racial connection; there is none.
| Nor is there any racial connection or SYM
| patty between the Koreans and the people
TO the north. the Manchus, with whom
| Russian statists have long affirmed that
| Russia will assimilate. because the ancient
| Manchurians under Ghengis Khan con-
| quered European Russia. The Manchus
| are distinct from even the Chinese proper;
| they are a pastoral people and speak an
| agglutinative language containing declen-
| sions and conjugations) which far removes
| them so far as basic traits do so,
from the real Chinese. The Koreans are
/ not of Manchu stock, and have affilia-
ton with il. In fact. Ghengis Khan, who
broke down the great wall and stretched
| his conquests 10 the Atlantic. never sub
l dued central and southern Korea.
| Thus. the Korean people strange,
considered historically, is their position
politically. They have fought Chinese. Jap
anese and Manchu as far back as their
| hoary records 20. And now. passing down