The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-02-04

TsRMs 81 saeSRs1 Months xss5 &c seas.. advance
skill and sagacity backed by military
and naval forces instantly available.
All of this is of considerable interest
to US Americans at the present time
and will be of greater interest to us in
the future. Meanwhile, it is necessary
that the American people should take
more interest in the affairs in the far
East and press our. claims for treaty
ports. I feel sure that If we wait until
the last minute we will get left. Tho
time for good diplomatic stroke seems
to me to be at hand, while Japan and
Russia are involved IN the present war
cloud, for the United States cannot
afford to be left out altogether. It
would be folly on our part to try to
force our way into China, once the
partition is made. The United States
feels confident in her strength, but
Russia or Germany care nothing about
our protests; in fact they humor us by
making promises that they have no
intention of keeping. The best oppor-
tunity we will ever have of gaining any
commercial advantages in China is at
time like the present. Vain as the
United States is of her power, she will
have occasion in the near future to
regret the present Indifference. OF
course England is protesting in a way,
but in my opinion England will be
found on her little piece of the great
Chinese Empire, once it gets cut up.
Japan doesn't want war at this time,
but Russia doesn't seem to want Japan
to be in the game, and as Japan wants
Korea she is not going to allow Russia
or anybody else to declare her out of
the game. Russia, more than any other
nation, fears Japan getting foothold
on the mainland, but for an excuse to
Japan Russia says it would be a menace
to the peace of Europe for Japan to
have sovereignty in Korea.
One fact looms clear out of all this
apparent chaos of diplomatic and
military complications-the partition
of China has already begun. Whatever
may be the outcome of the present
negotiations at Toxic, the Son of
Heaven at Pekin has lost practical
sovereignty over Manchuria. a portion
of his empire equal to the Mississippi
Valley; for if Russia wishes to remain
in Manchuria, and from all accounts
she certainly not only wishes to remain
but she fully intends to remain, no
nation will prevent her from doing SO.
In the province of Shang Tung, where
Germany is in control, things are
practically the same, for altho Germany
has made no large military preparations
in China she has nevertheless been
quietly building railroads and installing
troops along the lines for protection,
and when the time comes she will be
on hand to take control of Shang Tung
with its 100000 of Chinese in
/ habitants. With the loss of these two
provinces, Manchuria and Shang Tung,
the disintegration of China begins.
OF course the partition of China is.
not without its bright side. 1t is pretty
hard to maintain that it is better to
keep China as she is than to permit her
various provinces to be developed by
railways alongside of which will 60
order, commerce and enlightenment:
but on the other hand when the parti-
tion actually takes place, American
goods can only go into the pfovinces-
controlled by the various powers under
such restrictions as those powers see
| fit to impose. In other words we
would have to make separate treaty
with the power controlling each par
ticular province; and while the United
States has no desire to acquire any
Chinese territory, we still want some of
the great commercial advantages that
China offers to US. In the meantime,
while Russia and Japan are exchanging
diplomatic notes, let the United States
press her claims for open trade ports
and when the final clash comes-as it
surely will in time-we shall be able to
rest easy knowing that we have all we
desire in the partition of China.
G. E. HI