Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-06-14

TIL MARKET ST,
two-hundred and fiftieth to one sixth
of the earth's surface They believe
that 1t is the mission of Holy Russia
to advance the Cross for the regener.
alton of the world and that Japan is
the obstacle in the way Of the realiza-
ton of their national ideal. They
aim to stamp out all identity and indi-
Ividuality of these conquered people,
as they did with Poland and Finland.
In this they are fanatically sincere,
they believe their religious faith Is per-
manent and will eventually dominate
the world. that God has a purpose
and that the Gar is commissioned by
God to execute that purpose. Hence
when they are called to fight, they are
to fight the battles of the government
and church which are one and the
same thing. This, it may be said, is
the view taken by the masses of the
people where only one in three can
read or write. If there is any truth
in history, any reliance to be put in
the sayings of travellers, or sojourn-
ers, or in the evidence of the better
class of the Russian people them.
selves, their government is the most
despotic, cruel oligarchy, that the CIV
lilization of the centuries has had to
deal with. According to their own &C.
counts, the entry Of the Russian army
into Manchuria at the time of the
Boxer rebellion, was signalized by
flaming dwellings; nothing and nobody
was spared. Women, children and the
aged were pitilessly slaughtered, until
the Amur river ran thick with dead
Chinese. They seemed to think the
quickest way to subdue these helpless
people, was to decimate the people Of
the whole country by slaughter! They
promised Japan, and other powers that
they would evacuate Manchuria as
soon as they got their Siberian railroad
established. They fixed the day on
which the evacuation should take
place, but at the same time they were
actively engaged in spending millions
of money to fortify this country-that
they were robbing China of. And now
japan is left to intervene alone to
stop this robbery that will in time If
SuCCtSSlu1, Ch1ulL e1iio 1SSsoSAe3AAoS 49,
own little island.
If these surrounding Christian ma
tons had suffered fancied insult to
their dignity by the hand of Russia
they would at once have cleared their
decks and with big guns brought an
apology. If France, Germany, England
and the United States has said this
war cannot be, that these matters mus
be settled by peaceful means, there
would have been no war and thous
ands. of lives and oceans of misery
would have been saved; God and his
Christ honored and Christianity con
graduated for making some advance
in the twentieth century.
There are q class of educated, en-
lightened and good people in Russia
but they are not of the governing
class. Russia for ages has represented
kind Of inverted mob rule. The legi
innate government being carefully
chosen in all its branches from the
worst elements Of the people. Its safe
ty, considered by her officers to consis
in having men that will use the mos
relentless espionage in hustling off tt
Siberia and other prisons anyone who
dares to express desire for a better
state Of affairs than their government
affords. This is often done when the
victim is not informed and know:
nothing Of the crime for which he |!
accused. Her government is who'll.
corrupt national Tammany machine, ;
prototype of our New York Tamman.
and no doubt our Tammany got its frs
inspiration from the Russian Tam
many.
We should be and are Profound.
grateful for Russia's friendship TO
us in the civil war when friends wer'
few and sympathy was precious, bu
our sympathy should not go SO ia
as to favor her in a wrong becaus
she favored us in a right. Japan i
not conducting a war of expansion bu
for its very existence. 1t is striving t
prove its right to place in the famil,
OF the nations of Christendom. Whil
1t is formally classed as pagan it il
practically conformable to Christian
ity. She has put aside her Orienta
pride and gone about the world seekin.
the best in every department. Thu
west taught Japan and Japan is nov
showing results of western tuition
England, Germany, France and thu
United States who have brought japan
to the forefront. upon them rests thu
responsibility of keeping her from be
ing crushed by the Russian despot
Japan is fighting to maintain her su
premacy in her own dominions and al
so contending for her national RICH
to live. This small and determined ma
tion of only 10000 square miles an,
100000 of people is measuring strength
with the largest of land empires wit
over 100000 square miles and 100000
600 of people. 1t is case of David an
Goliath and it is to be hoped it vii
have the same ending.
The success Of Japan in this wa
would be benefit to the Russian pee
pie in helping them to free themselve
from the most cruel autocracy of tn
dark ages that still fingers in the twer
tieth century. 1t cannot be realize
too soon that this war cannot hav
but one ending.It is out of the questio
for Russia to be defeated by Japa