Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-16

military guards to protect the propertv and
a squad OF soldiers u accompanies every
train just as an armed guard formerly rode
beside the drivers Of Stage coaches in the
United States. r..
causssof Hostility.
Many people Think that these precautions
are not necessary AND that they represent
only another form of iisqueeze,'' applied by
the local magistnatesseo the railway COM
panies to extort money from them 1t is.
however, true that in several parts of the
empire. particularly iKfShangtung province
and Manchuria, where the Germans and
Russians have been operating there is In
tense hostility to the railway companies be-
cause Of the injustice and ill-treatment
which the common people have suffered
All the Boxer troubles were due directly
to this cause. When tthe Germans began
building through Shangtung they trampled
upon the rights OF an innocent people in the
most outrageous manner They hired cool
les through the local magistrates and gave
the latter money to pay the wages agreed
upon. Sometimes the coolies got part OF 1t;
often they got none. and were compelled
to go without any compensation whatever
for their labor, an injustice for which they
held the railway responsible
The same method was adopted in securing
the right of way. The surveyors drove the
stakes wherever they pleased, regardless OF
graves. gardens OF houses. and settled the
damages with the local magistrates who
usually pocketed all or the greater part OF
the Indemnity. The railway companies
paid literally for labor. for supplies and for
the land they occupied. but they were in
different where the money went The dis
honest magistrates. when the people COM
planned, threw the blame upon the "for-
eign devils and the latter have had to
suffer for their folly. Hence there is an al
most universal prejudice among the peasant
class against the railways, and it will not
subside for generations. 1 have heard 1t
stated that more than 1000 little farms
were permanently ruined by railway con-
struction In the province of Shangtung
alone, and that means 1000 families i'm
pOverished.
Nevertheless, the coolies take very kindly
to the new method of transportation, and
squander their money In railway riding.
First-class cars are fitted up with some
comforts. and are. patronized exclusively
by foreigners and officials. No person but
a foreigner would dare enter a car occupied
by an official. The second-class cars are
almost as comfortable as first class. The
fares of the third class are about the same
as those charged in the United States, per-
haps little more, an average of three
cents mile. Second-class fares are about
two cents mile and second-class passen-
gers are subordinate officials. merchants,
low-grade mandarins, students literati, off,
GERS of the army and other welI-to-d0 peo-
pie. The third-claSS cars are, rough boxes,
sometimes without seats, into which the
coolies are damned as closely as possible.
The magistrates limit the number of hui
man beings that can. be packed into a car,
because passengers are likely to be suffo-
Gated and have been crushed.
Coolies Go for a Ride. = -
! Notwithstanding the discomforts. every
third-class car upon every train is always
filled to the utmost and when you inquire
where all the coolies are going You are
told that they are simply out for ride.
49,
enough to pay for around-trip ticket to the
next town. or to three or four stations be-
yond, and then treat themselves to the
luxury Of an excursion. Down in Canton
where there is little American railway
twenty-five miles long. the largest receipts
are for third-class excursionists. During
the New Year holidays last winter police
had to be placed all around the station to
drive back crowds of people who could
not be carried because of the limited ac-
commodations. Ii is the habituai prac-
tfce for third-class passengers to come to
the station two or three hours before the
train starts In order to secure seats in the
cars and when the train is full the gate Is
shut and no more are admitted. These pas
sengers ride to the end of the line and then
ride back with no other motive than to
enjoy the diversion Nor are people of the
upper class beyond the. temptation of the
novelty. For months after railway was
open the highest officials of the province
the most dignifiedl ma darins and the rich
est merchants used to come down with their
families and take a round trip just for the
ride. When Ii Hung Chang built the rail-
road from Tfen-Tsn to the coal mines at
Shan Haf-kWnn it was his highest pleasure
to ride back and forth in his private car.
Notwithstanding their natural conserva-
tism the Chinese are eminently a practical
people, and are very quick to take ad
vantage Of means by which they can save
or make money, lessen their labor or in
crease their profits, and, as railways charge
low rates for freight to attract traffic the
people are prompt to respond and utilize the
advantages offered instead of sending their
produce to market and bringing out their
merchandise in wheelbarrows or by porters
pOrtation IN the interior. Railway managers
tell remarkable stories of the enormous ton
mage already being hauled in sections where
an ordinary observer would not detect any
promise of traffic at all. The local patron
age Is the source of the incomes OF nearly
all the Chinese railroads. 1t will take them
years before much through traffic can be
built up. .-!,;.-s
The chief object and the greatest advan-
tage of the railways. however, is to assist
In the development of mineral wealth.
coal mine, and the deposits of both an
thractte and bituminous coal are quite as ex-
tenslve and quite as accessible as those
OF the United States. Years will be re-
qu1red to develop them to tht full ca
paclty, and the commercial and Industrial
possibilities that lie behind this wealth de-
serve the consideration of statesmen and
political economists. The yellow, peril Is
not to come from the political domination
or Japan upon the eastern coast of Asia,
but from the combination of the fuel min
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