The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-16
TUESDAY, FEB. 1e, 1904
THE REAL BONE OF CONTENTION.


From this distance we can see that
the real objective point of the war
opened in the far East is the future
control Of the Chinese empire. Neither
Manchuria nor Korea is the actual bone
of contention. They are but minor
pieces in the game; and if any mutual
ly satisfactory agreement about the
mastery or occupation of them could
have been reached, the fight would
have been postponed merely. For be-
hind them stands the great prize which
Russia and Japan are equally deter
mined to win: the domination of China
and the direction of her future
At the very commencement of hos
tilities it is noted that Russia's forces
are advancing upon China, and the au-
thorities at Pekin are full of fear and
distrust. 1t will inevitably be So
When the Boxer outbreak occurred,
when the powers Jointly occupied
China, when there was the plainest I'M
must withdraw after order had been
restored, leaving Chinese authority I'M
qualified and Chinese territory intact,
who would have supposed that Russia
would dare to violate the compact and
claim one of the richest provinces Of
the empire for her own? Yet that is
what she did; and of all the powers in
terested there was none but Japan that
felt willing to carry its grievance to
the point Of war.
AS the joint occupation of China was
the opportunity of Russia to fasten on
that coveted prize, so is this war with
Japan, in which the integrity of Chi
nese territory is directly involved, her
opportunity to assert over practically
the whole Of the empire that authority
winch she quietly established over
Manchuria. AS she did not fear to do
the one, so will she, in the event of
victory, not fear to do the other. She
will yield something in the portions
where there are spheres of influence"
that might actually provoke England
or France to hostilities. She will tenn
porlze and repudiate and bring to bear
all the tortuous processes of her di-
plomacy; but if she comes out winner
from the desperate contest in which
she is now engaged, the Russian en-
pire will not merely absorb Manchuria
but will become practically confer
minous with the imperial boundaries of
China as they exist today.
This is part of the secret of the
English alliance and English sympathy.
1t IS why as far as high governing cir
cles are concerned, the result is regard
ed with the gravest apprehension. And
1t IS big with portents for the future
no matter which way the hand of fate
may direct the pointer on the dial. If
is the destiny of the most immense and
populous portion of Asia, next after
india that is in the balance. 1t is the
future alignment of four hundred mil
lions of people that must be reckoned
with The end of this war, unless it
ends in leaving both parties exhausted,
ready for truce, and willing for the
present to renounce their snlendid
schemes in order to recuperate, will
find Russia sole master of Asia. save
for the British empire in India and the
few possessions of other nations on
that continent, with the uneoualed
power and prestige that that woule
confer or else will see the amaIgama-
ton of the yellow and the brown peo-
pies. of the Orient and the establish
ment on the Eastern segment of Asia of
great, new power, with which the
whole world must one day reckon.
All that has led up to the war, the
absolute certainty from the beginning