Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-03-24


IN $50 miles of the holy city of Lassa,
wherein dwells the Dalai-Lama. the so
called Buddhist pope. For nearly a
century and half Tibet has been to
the white man The Forbidden Land =
The first reports in explanation of
this military move on the Mecca Of
Buddhism, says the PHILADELPHIA Pub
lie Ledger, stated that India was sim
ply attempting to make a polite request
upon the Dalai-Lama to see to it that
the Sikkan treaty of 1888 was not
broken in the future To political Oh
servers, however, the significance OF
Colonel Younghusband's mission seems
OF for greater import than the bring
ing to book Of the 'or3G Ocean Priest
Tor trif1lng with a treaty wrung from
the Lama by force sixteen years ago
and the value of which does not ap.
pear at first sight to be of importance.
1t is now apparent that the true in
tention of this movement upon Tibet
is to make Russia show her hand. It
is not that Russia wants to annex
Tibet, which of itself would be of no
use, as very large part of it is unin-
habitable, and its population so small
as to make it insignificant. But the
ruler of Tibet, the Dalai-Lama, is the
head of the Buddhist church. and
Buddhists all over the world, especial
ly in the east, do his bidding at a
word or sign. If Russia once becomes
q master of the Dalai-Lama, she prac-
tically becomes master of China and
the orient generally, whe.e Buddhism
IS the prevailing religion
Buddhist Honor Conferred on Car.
All that England is able to do at
this moment, in view of stopping the
advance OF Russian power toward her
spheres of interest in central and
western China and throughout the
Buddhist world. is to prove to the
Dalai-Lama' s court that &c car as
Lord and Guardian of the Gifts of
Faith" is as impoten as the Manchu
emperor when it comes to fulfilling the
principal obligation inherited in this
title. The Lassa authorities conferred
the supreme Buddhist honor on the
car on the implicit condition that
Russia would, with more success than
China, defend the territorial integrity
and administrative independence of
Tibet.
Last summer British mission was
dispatched by the Indian government
to discuss in friendly way outstand-
ing questions of treaties broken. trade
handicapped and raids organized by
the subjects Of the great Buddhist
pope. 1t reached Khamba Jong last
July. where its members were to meet
certain Tibetan and Chinese officials
empowered 10 exchange views with the
delegates and to come to a practical
decision on the subjects in dispute.
The mission was accompanied by 300
soldiers and one machine gun. This
was not great display of force. but
the Tibetans. who are distrustful by
nature and the British claim "anglo-
phobe" by suggestion, played hide and
seek with the British delegates Some
said they were i'll. others that one or
more of them were dead. After weari-
some delays an ill-favored person ap-
peared and gave himself out as the
representative of the Daiai-Lama but
was found to be a mere villager, who
had neither powers to act nor instruc-
tons to treat with the British while
his Chinese colleague at Lassa was re-
ported to have disqualified himself for
the work by committing suicide.
Tibetans -Repeied Intruders.
Colonel Younghusband, the chief of
ahe mission, at last reluctantly came
to the conclusion that the Dalai-Lama
was not in 9 frame of mind conducive
to business. and this view is said to
have been confirmed by the naive sug-
gestion made by the natives that the
fntruders should quit the country and
talk the matter over on the other side
Of the frontier As. meanwhile, in
Jasa. rifles were distributed to the
PEOPLE. followed by instructions to
keep their powder dry and make ready
for war. it became fairly clear that the
Buddhist pope and his cardinals would
not take kindly TO negotiations.
Colonel Younghusband returned to
Calcutta and now he is on his way
hack with his small army and is al
ready located in the Chumbi valley,
which is said to be the strategetical
key tc Tibet
Buddhist priests sway the common
run OF Mongols. Buryats. Chinese and
Koreans completely. and with the time
X assistance Of these powerful allies
the Manchus have kept their foothold
in China for centuries.
If one viii think moment, this fact
IS significant. If the Buddhist pope
could accomplish so much for the Man
kchus with apparently so little effort,
hat could he the effect for the power
il Muscovites? His spiritual children
Re as obedient today as they were one
II two centuries ago. In Mongolia
here is also a great high priest, a
SECOND living God" who is to the
falai-Lama as the moon to the sun,
ANA this pontiff. together with his hier-
4 archy. would stand frITiiy by the czar
in good repute and evil repute at
word from the world ocean priest of