The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1904-03-11

needed. It Is certain tnat those or ia
pan have gone unheeded.s tits certain
that Russia has not only disregarded
these protests, but has advanced in II
positive way the proposition that Man.
churia and even northern Korea must
be considered within her Sphere of in
duence.
s. 1.-THE term sphere Of influence is a
euphemism that everybody under
stands. It means that the nation as
serting it intends, whenever it SO de-
sires. to take full" control. It means
that no other nation must interfere
with its purpose, and It means that the
purpose of full control may be worked
up to by tentative steps. +. ..s
q 'sIf we grant to Russia at once area
ssonable degree Of sympathy in her de-
sire to get commercial outlet on the
Pacific, ought we to extend sympathy
to her in her effort to seize and con-
troll territory belonging to China This
4 10 question of morality. Ifit is moral
for man to take property belonging
to some one else by force and because
It may be useful to him, it is moral
for nation to do the same thing. AS
matter Of common sense, and in
view Of the best conceptions Of that
very indeterminate thing, information.
al law, it is not allowable for natioL
TO do an act the like of which would
not be allowed to an individual.
"But for China or. Japan there may
be- q broader ground of objection to
the seizure Of Manchuria. Possession
Of that territory may be held by them
to create danger to their respective
states. Our own nation practically de-
manded that France, under Napoleon
III, should abandon effort to control
Mexico. We would have fought for
our view IL France had not compiled
with our demand. With nations, as
with individuals, self preservation il
the first law Of nature.
That Japan feels strongly on this
point was shown when she. went to
war with China, Her object was to
throw herself across the path of Rus
sl1 on the way to the gulf of Pechlli
The southern littoral Of Manchuria
was the scene of all her operations
and when she-had conquered the terri
tory her right to it was confirmed by
treaty. Russia, uniting with France
and Germany, forced her to give UP
the conquered territory and to rest sat
isfied with other indemnity. This ac
ton Of Russia must have seemed *
Japan proof enough that she had moi
been wrong in her conception of Rus
sian purposes. And now the fact thai
she makes war on Russia is evidence
: OF the most complete cort that the Jap
| anese consider the Russian occupation
J, of ManchurJa q menace to their coun
J, Try that cannot be disregarded.
"In China, beyond doubt, the sam
1sars exist. It II Chinese territory, ant
i lesfitery that 10 held more dear becaus
f41s@ afcastra3 OF the; Chinese al
nlsty are thsr Any foreign occups
I TN Of Manefnf5a would be obnoxtoll
81 desrse A permanent occnpatiel
! E.N0uh be- regarded as. the first ste
| fhreatenire the integrity, Of the, body o
! tie empire. -. <,-{, !.
| .Americaass should stop to- tnink o
anis. oae-haif Of an Asia has passe'
| undersforeign rule: II Is Russian III th
north, French In the southeast and Eng
lish in the. southwest. TheFeats aecoE
slant forward movement Of thes Euft
I.pean populations against the gAsiatit
! This movement is one not ,altogethe
Indicative Of national purposes. :, X X
suits from the control already acquiret
Il is due to the same impulse that ha
pushed our own boundaries forward q
the expense Of Indian tribes or of othe
control and that has pushed the Ems
nsh forward in South Africa. Thi
r; movement. occasions alarm, Of cours'
What more natural than for the Ch
nese or Japanese to believe that wha
has happened in the districts to til
: north, to-. the southeast and to til
southwest may happen in their terr
tories? - '-s - 49,
-"The Boxer movement had its origi
In this fear. Russia had occupied POI
| Arthur; Germany. had seized Kia,
! chau. England. as an offset again'