The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-20

cruel, and dominated by Satanic power.
They are ready to kill and conquer, to
desolate and destroy. They covet their
neighbours goods, and stand ready for
barbaric plumber and humiliation. The
devil holds the reigns now and sits In
his chariot with imperial majesty. Each
great nation watches the others with
jealous eyes, and the nations are ready
to unite to despoil any power that pre-
sents inviting opportunities for the raw
ages of war and the spoliation Of princi-
palities and kingdoms. Take China. The
eager, aggressive nations are watching
and waiting to Gespoil and grab. They
see signs CT decay and transition in the
oldest of kingdoms, and each wants ii
share in the great division of spoils. The
years are not many before the devilish
work of dividing and plundering and
holding may begin. The signs look that
way. An Informed, thoughtful writer in
.Gunton's Magazine" for December last,
discussing the indications az to the
Chinese Empire, says:
How misleading and fstuous are these
shallow claims Is patent to any one in the
least familiar with Asiatic political con
ditions. 1t is too prObable--more's the
plty-that China will be the next unfort
innate victim of the abused name OF civ
ilization, the modern diploraatic eupheln-
ism for the generally agreed-upon policy
of every one for himself, seize what you
can get, and may the devil take the hind
most And in this struggle for supre-
macy, although the entire civilized world
has had a more or less active finger in Fhe
pie. when sifted down to matter of fact
and concrete conditions, as / have hither-
to inferred, it is, politically at least, OF
vital concern but to two nations-Great
Britain anc Russia
The record of England as a great con-
quering power, as shown in the war
against the Dutch Beers in South Africa,
and of the United States, boosted Re
public in its senseless, infamous, internal
upon the Fihpinos, both snow the
mean, robber spirit of half-civillzed coun-
tries. They would like to be the plum
derers of their days as Alexander and the
Romans were the world conquerers In
their respective times OF glory and re-
nown. The writer quoted from rldlcules
the pretention put forth as to Japan that
she can enter the field and become IAN
actually serious menace, to Russia's ex-
pansive ambitions" He thinks that
backed by England, Japan will doubtless
ne dDlt " lhdlHldin the l4tS6IAIy VI ~
own soil against any Russian onslaught,
but, he holds sit would be as idle as
fallacious to assume that single handed
she would be a serious barrier to Slavonic
schemes for dominance in Asia But all
the great powers are looking on, and
several of them-F'rance, Germany, Italy,
the United States-would be willing to
take a hand in the bloody work II they,
too, could seize and hold big territory OF
the Chinese Russia leads in this game
of conquest She is thus far ahead, and
she may obtain more territory in spite
of Great Britain. The author quoted
from, James Reid, who has published
work on 'rThe Political and Commercial
Future of Asia and is a close student
''of the trend of Asiatic politics, says
that "in spite of much protesting and
threatening, England has steadily bent
TO the will OF Russia, and has thus, to
great extent, forfeited her prestige.
Her reason for this is hard to fir, for by
this system she loses everything,A\ad can
rot possibly gain anything. Russia, on
the other hand, has managed to extract
profit from everything, and always at the
expense of England.
What tho precise strength of Russia's
army is in the far East is not probably
known. Months ago she had $4,000 sol
diers in the Ameer district alone. Mr..
Reed writes at this point: I'm Man
churia, which, though nominally Chinese,
is essentially Russian, her troops are so
placed that even without the railroad
they can be quickly concentrated. Her
position was wonderfully strengthened by
the acquisition of Port Arthur and Talien-
wan, and the completion of that master
stroke was the seizure of Masampo. These
moves have all been intended to influence
Japan." On the other hand England is
hampered. She has always troubles On
her hands. and India is a constant bur-
den uron great war so far from home as
China. and war in that direction will
require greater armies than she sent to
Africa. She is the greatest power on
the sea but not On land. Mr.. Red holds
that had England been as powerful on
land as on sea, there is no doubt that
she would ere now have taken much
more active part in Chinese affairs. she
herself recognized the fact that she was
not in a position to take the offensive
for she would have to deal with others
than China"
Then the French are by no means
friendly to any British schemes and de-
sires in the remote East If England
should be embroiled with Russia she may
have annoyances from her old enemy be-
yond the Channel. note that Mr.. Reed
puts the Russian army in Manchuria at
from 100000 to 100000 men. The rail
road she has built will quickly reinforce
them, has greatly reinforced them. The
grinding, grasping, wicked spirit that pre-
vails-the undying, insatiate lust for ex-
pansion, the curse of nations, will vet
precipitate wars of the most gigantic and
terrible proportions, and work a great
ruin among the peoples of the earth Rus
STA is the threatening curse of the world.
Fellows like the boisterous and ravenous
Roosevelt are anxiously looking for an
opportunity to bring on war of con-
quest. and plumber, and with unsatisfied
appetites they will take hand with Eng
land, if not held well in check by the
American Congress, in combating the ag
gressive projects of the huge Slavonc
power seeking dominance in the East.
u.