Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-02-24

THE RUSSIAN IN HISTORY,

THE RUSSIAN IN HISTORY.
Why american Sympathy Should Lie
with Japan in Present Conflict
To the Editor of The State:
1t Is difficult to understand how any
one who Is at all acquainted with Eu-
ropean history, especially the part Of it
that relates to Russia. can sympathize
with that country in it's 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 it's very first
contact with civilization Japan has
made progress that is almost mar
Velous, while Russia has remained
practically barbarous despite the fact
tnat she has been in intimate associa-
tion with the civil2ing influences of the
other countries of Europe.
The truth of the matter is that Rus
STA has pretty black record behind
her, record of tyranny. oppression
ana duplicity that almost surpasses be-
lief. 1t is easily Within the memory OF
people now living when 1t was a not
uncommon occurrence for ladies OF the
Polish nobility to be stripped to the
waist and whipped In public by off,
Gals OF the Russian government When
sweden was practically forced to cede
tlnland to Russia, the latter country
pledged itself that II would not inter-
fcre with the language or local gov
ernment of the people. This promise
mas been most shamefully violated, and
the NlrtuouS, enlightened and patriotic
tlnns 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 it's own citi-
zenS and from its provinces like Poland
and Finland have been consigned, for
no onenSe 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
hope of relief except by death, held as
they are by the iron hand of a 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
ClViliZation herself and. in act at least.
is stranger TO the preccptS of Chris
tlanity. What was the conduct of the
Russian troops during the recent trou-
bic in China? Looting by Wholesale
and the murder of thousands OF help
less and inoffensiVc Chinese. driving
! them into deep river just as if they
We're wild beasts While the Russians
| were acting like savages, the Japanese
| troops maintained their splendid dis
| clplinc, and returned to their own
country with clean hands and with
'"' HihSlt DIOl upon lntlf record. BUT
| putting all other questions aside, Rus
| sin is the aggressor and this being the
| case deserves to lose. japan clearly
| sees that the time has come when she
| must make supreme effort for ma
| tional existence and she can be counted
on to struggle TO the bitter end. Rus
! Sla mas no need of additional territory
! While Japan, with It's dense populate ion
Stands in sore need of an extension of
! its land area.
| IT 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
ana munitions of war 5000 miles, but
! there was not Il hostile vessel to inter
| Ierc with her transports. 1t will be i'm
! possible for Russia to send a single
! man or gun by water and her sole de-
| pendcncc is on one single line of rail
| road. and this is a very long one. EX-
! periencc has demonstrated that a sin
gle line. even for comparatively short
distance, is not adequate for the trans
porthtiu1 of large bodies of troops
! Germany has probably about eight sep
| aratc lines leading to the Rhine and
about the same number in the direc-
! ton OF the frontier feeling Russia. In
case of hOStiliticS breaking out between
! France and Germany they would each
nave million men on the frontier in
! less time than it would take Russia tC
! put onc-tcnth that number i'm Man
churia. Unless something entirely UNI
expected happens Russia NH be con
! frontcd with very much the same con-
! ditlOnS that prevailed during the Cri-
| mean war. She had plenty of troops and
| resources but could not, owing to the
| lack of transportation facilities, get
them to the front quick enough. This
! being the case, ba filed 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 n good chance ol
eXhauSting all the resources that Rus
! Sla can make available.
70 call this war a struggle between
! Christianity and hcathcnSm is tho
NcricSt nonsense. Russia today is moro
! a barrier to the propagation of Chris
tianity than is Japan, for nation. just
| as IT with an individual. that Processes
! TO be Christian and who. at the same
/ time does the greatest violence to the
! teachings of the Master, is greater
! enemy to Christianity than an aVOwcd
| dlSDclicNcr. If 1t could De accomplished
! without bloodShcd the partition of the
! RUSSIAN empire would be u tremendous
gam Tor the cause of civilization, foI
! then the Russian people, stepped in
! dense ignorance and ground beneath
/ the hccl of an iron dcSpOtiSm, wQnld
! breathe the air of freedom and happi-
! ness and be given the opportunity &c
/ emerge from Il position that is but lit.
! iic superior to that Of the beasts OF
! the field
/ The people Of the south at least ought
! 10 hold In everlasting remembrance Tho
/ fact that while they were engaged fl
! their great struggle for independence
, Russia used her influence to the
aptlI N