Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-08
RUSSIA AND CHINA
Why Latter's sympathies
Are With Japan.
7 EAT OF 1895
SECRET CLAUSES OF THAT DOCU.
MENT REVEALED.
How Occupation of Manchuria Was
Gained and Possession of Port
Arthur Obtained.
BY WILLIAM J.. CURTIS.

Chicago Record Herald.
AT SEA, August 8, 1904.
China is patiently, anxiously awaiting the
| results of the war between Russia and
| japan because she is more deeply interested
| in its consequences than either of the bel
ligerent nations. Her fate, her future, is in
the balance. If Japan wins the empire will
be preserved in its ancient boundaries. If
Russia wins it will be dismembered and di-
vided among the European powers.
There is a serious danger lest the Chinese
government may become involved in the
hostilties, although the officials at Picking
and i'm the PROVINCES are endeavoring to
preserve the strictest neutrality and have
exercised an extraordinary degree of for
bearance, considering the aggressive and
cruel tactics of the Russians. There have
been hundreds of opportunities for China
to retalitate there have been hundreds of
provocations which no other people would
have borne but the fear of being involved
in the struggle has induced the Chinese to
submit to any indignity and endure any
injustice that the Russians may impose
upon them.
Early in the war the Russian commander
in-chief notified TsengChi, the Chinese
governor of Manchuria, that for every Rus
sian soldier who was killed by Chinese ne
should demand the lives of ten citizens.
Tseng- Chi smiled and inquired:
When a Chinese citizen is killed or In
jured by the Russian soldiers what in
demnity do you expect to give?'
The Russian general replied that that
was another matter.
Devastation Of Manchuria.
This Is fair illustration of the policy
that has governed the Russians from the
beginning of the war. They have destroyed
and devastated a large part of Manchuria.
nh off thn tnyr a
town and village after village; they have
seized without compensation all the sup
plies and live stock found within their
reach: they have impressed tens of thou
sands of Chinese into their service. COM
polling them to dig trenches and build
Notifications, carry burdens and DO all
kinds of work except actual military duty.
The line of the Russian retreat northward
from Port Arthur is q desolate wilderness.
Their japanese pursuers have not found
enough supplies of any kind left to feed
flock of ravens, and whatever Russian au-
thority has extended the people have been
reduced to servitude. The authorities at
Picking and the Chinese minister at st.
Petersburg have demonstrated ana protest
ed again and again without aVall, but Gen:
Ma who has a we;l-organ!Zed army of
about 10000 soldiers, equipped with modern
arms and drilled in modern tactics by Ger
man. French and Belgian officers. has man
aged even under these extraordinary cir
trality, and the native officials throughout
all Manchuria have profited by his exam
pie.
There is a formidable band of well-armed
and mounted bandits working upon the
northern Borders sefs AGaHcEuria, They have
given the Russians a great deal of trouble
ever since tha constr dom OF the Siberian
railroad common ced Yhey have raided the
stations, cut tie telegrap wires. torn up
the tracks burned bridges and wrecked
trains repeatedly since traffic began For
that reason the Russians were 1ust1hed III
keeping q strong guari of Cossacks along
the road and fortifying every railroad sta
tion These bandits have been particularly
active during the war, constantly raiding
the Russian outposts and 1nterrupting traf-
fic upon the railroad. But their depreda-
lions have been greater since the war
began than they were three or four years
ago and the Chinese government Is not,
and cannot be held responsible for them.
1t is also certain that the Japanese have
had no relations withsfhe bandits, although
they might have made them very useful as
skirmishers and guerrillas because of their
ia milarity with the country.
Sympathy Of China.
1t is needless to say that the sympathy
of the Chinese has been with Japan from
the beginning of the war. from the empress
dowager down to the humblest coolie, for
Japan is fighting Chiha's battle. The edu-
Gated element of the population understand
the situation They realize that If Russia is
permitted to retain Manchura. Germany
will demand the Shangtung Province; That
France will occupy the territory adjoining
its colonies on the south, and that the DISCO
luton of the ancient empire will rapidly fol-
low. And the significance of events Is not
entirely lost upon the coolies, who. general
ly speaking, not only ignorant of, but
entirely Indifferent TO, the momentous
events that going on around them. They
appreciate the bottom fact, however, that
China's battle is being fought by SYM
pathetic and more powerful nation, ana that
they must keep their hands off until the Is
sue is decided.
All the fighting except the battle in the
harbor of Chemupo has been done and Will
be done on Chinese soil, and no matter how
much the struggle may cost Russia and
| Japan, China will be the greatest SUFFERER
Regarded as China's Fault.
Nevertheless, the Chinese officials
| brought this calamity upon themselves by
temporizing with Russia and making con-
cessions to the car In exchange for
brides or promises of protection. The
present situation Is the direct conse-
quence of a secret treaty negotiated by
Count Cassini, now the ambassador of
Russia at Washington, with LII Hung
Chang and other high officials at Picking,
with the consent Of the empress dowager.
| At the close of the war with Japan in
| 1895, when China was bankrupt, Russia
| loaned her large sum of money to pay
! the indemnity demanded by Japan. to
meet other pressing obligations, to reor-
ganize her army, strengthen her navy
and supply working capital for an empty
treasury. China was also grateful to Rus
| STA for compelling Japan to give up Port
Arthur and the Liaotung peninsula. for at
that time the Russians had not yet dis
closed their aggressive purposes. There
| fore 1t was an easy matter for Count Cas-
SIM to persuade the Chinese to enter into
| a treaty with Russia ostensibly for the
sole purpose of giving the Russians per-
mission to build avbranch of their ST.
berian railroad through Manchuria to
Fort Arthur, particularly when it was
SHOWN that this railway would be of
great oeneht to the Chinese empire from
military and commercial standpoint.
The first clause III the treaty discloses
the deception practiced by the crafty Rus
SLAMS upon the unsuspeeting Chinese. 1t
begins by saying that;o THE great Chi
nese emperor being, exceedingly grateful
for the friendly services of the Russian
emperor In forcing the Japanese to retro
cede Liaotung with its several tens of
chies ana for being the first to lend
money 70 China to pay her war indem-
nifty to Japan. his majesty, the great Chi
A