The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-05-28
UNCLE SAM WARNED.
AN AMERICAN CAPITALIST CON
 NEOTED
With the Imperial Chinese Railway writes of Oriental Politics to a Friend in Washington.

It is going to be a magnificent thing this-the real thing in war. The Rus sians have always made war, the real, man killing, destroying kind of war, and the Japs, as soon as the shoe pinches will put away Geneva conven- tions and other polite devices and get down to primitive man-killing tactics. It will not be finished this month. nor yet the next. nor the next.
 One of the things which is amazing to me is the attitude of our people. Of course the war appeals to the sporting blood of the average American; but so far as I can judge from the home pa- pers it is regarded as a purely imper- sonal matter, as one in which we have little or no interest, direct or indirect Whereas, in truth and fact, the logic of the situation is that we will get mixed up with the victor, maskee (pidgin English for mo matter'D, which one comes out "topside," unless, of course, the emperor of Germany occupies us W4IiA SOlIlCllllS II we Intend to reach out for the trade of the Orient and convert, as has been modest ly suggested, the Pacific into an Amer lean lake, we are up against it, which ever belligerent comes out No. 1. If the Japs, unassisted, should be sue cessful-a most improbable supposition they would become so 'cocl1y" that there would be no living with them. on the same earth. They will believe that they are incapable of being whipped, and they will take China un- der their wing and warn the Occident off, a thing which could be regarded by our government in no other light than as an unfriendly act. If Russia should win-which is most probable unless Great Britain and America change the moral support now so freely accorded Japan into physical aid-she will, of course, get Korea and Manchuria, which would be put preliminary to other parts of China. From just as much of China as Russia would get the rest of the world would be excluded.
 Russian policy is definite and can be predicted with great certainty. Her successive advances in Asia, beginning as far back as 172O-and, by the way that absorption of territory has aver aged twenty-five thousand square miles a year in all this time-resemble each other as one pin resembling another. First an embassy, official or unofficial, to the local government, bearing assur- ances of the Czar's good will, arrives to talk extension of trade; then plenty talk then something arises which "compels' Russia to take up arms and fight. And it is curious to observe that invariably she is worsted at first; then victory perches upon the Russian arms, then more talk of per peaceful inten
 tions and her disinclination to extend her frontier-and the funny part of the whole business is that as frequently as the farce has been enacted during the nineteenth century, just so frequently she has been believed by the other na- tions interested in Asia. Owing to the discovery of the most sapient MT. Hay, through the stupidity of the first secre- tary of the Rnussian embassy, of what every foreign student of history knew beyond a question of doubt, we are irritated, and the papers cry out at the perfdiousness of the Russian diploma tic methods. Perhaps some time in the future, when it has been repeatedly de- monstrated what Russia really intends to do, our great and glorious govern ment may arise in it's might and try to turn the rascals out. Certainly we must needs do this, or our dream of trade In the Orient will never be more than mere dream.
 So it would seem, be our viewpoint from either horn of the dilemma, we must maintain our right to remain in the far east by force, and by force alone. Doubtless our synpathies are with the Japs, just as they are always with the smaller man in a fight; but all this twaddle about the Japs waging the battle of civilization is the veriest rot. Japan is fighting for her existence as an independent nation. That she is fighting the least progressive of nations Is but a coincidence, for there is noth
 ing altruistic in her action. She is but following natures first law, self-preser- vation; and in fighting Russia she is gratifying both an intense national ha- tired and martial spirit, the strength of which I believe is generally underes- timated by the Occdent. On the Rus sian side 1t is war for imperial pres tige, on which is built not only her e1n- pire, but her dominion over Poland, Finland, Southern Europe and the vast tract of Asia which she holds by force of arms alone. To maintain all this she will use, as far as Europe will permit, her magnificent fighting machine, to which, in my opinion, there is no super for. Japan will fight like a demon; her hatred of Russia is Oriental in it's in tensity, her organization admirable, and the morale of her forces beyond all praise. The spirit of her people is so aroused that her soldiers will die rath- CT than surrender, and she will conduct the war with relentless determina- ton; but the power of Russia is enor- nous, her army is magnificent, her commanders trained in bitter Asiatic conflicts, her soldiers of the same breed that held Sebastopol and checked Ma poleon. Her military resources are so great that even Bismarck, who thought no small beer of the german army, was apprehensive for it's safety in event of war with Russia, even after he had crushed the French and proved it's met tie. Then, again, in addition to the huge preponderance in physical force of the Russians, Japan must face as great a disparity in finance. So the outlook for her is not very bright, in spite of early victories, which have