The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-02-24
THE RUSSIAN IN HISTORY.

|
THE RUSSIAN IN HISTORY.
Why American sympathy should Lie
with Jnpnn In ireHtnt Conflict
/ To tn" Editor Of Tn" State:
! IL TX difficult to understand nov. nny
on" VINO ~ nj all acquainted with Ei-
/ ropeah history. especially the part OF il
thht relates To RUSSIA. can sy1IlputhiZ.
WIN lhht country In It's struggle with
japan: for viewed from any stand
point. except that Of brute force. Jupun
! ~ Dy rhr the more highly civilized ma
| Ton OF the two. From its very first
contact with civilization Japan has
IhHu" IL progress that is almost mar
rclous. while I;lssi. has remained
practically bnrbnrOus despite th.. furt
| thnt she has been in intimate. usSurla-
! tloh with IN" civilzins Influences Of the
other countries Of f.urOpr
,,. u" ruin or NE matter is that Rus
Sia has n pretty black record behind
h"r a record of tyranny. oppression
ana dunlicitN that almost SllrUasses be-
lirf. II is easily within the memory Of
| people now living when II was II no,
! ut'oinlhn occurrence for ladies' OF the
Polish nobility To he stripIrd tu th,.
waist and whipped in public, by on
Gals OF tn" Russian government. When
sweden was practically forced to ccdr
fHhIthu 1" RUSSIA. the latter cuuntr,
pledSr'i itself that it would not inter
Ter" with III" language or local gov
"rhtnrlit OF tn" people. This PROMISE
mas been most sliauirf,ilIy violated, and
ne !,, Vlrtuots. enlightened and patriotic
| finhs have been subjected To almost
every indiEnity that RusSl:sn ingenuity
could devise. l1ut the darkest blot on
huSsin'S record Is fOuni in Siin.riu
Countless thousands OF It's own citi-
zcnS and from ita provinces like Poland
and Finland have been consigned. for
no "ffrnSe whatever ut least nothing
| tnht would be considered such i'm II civ
liiZed country, to Il living death in the
mines nf siberia, without the slightest
tncy are by the iron hand OF n iespot-
| ism that would have hardly been cx
cusnble in the dark ages.
! There is something almost farcical i'm
the attitude that RUSSIA assumes as
| me champion of civilization and Chris
! tianlty. FOR she stands in sore need of
clNlllzation herself and. in act Mt least.
IL stranger to the prerepts or Chris
| tianity. What was the conduct of tho
itusslnn troops during the recent trou-
nle III CHINA? Lo"tinG by wholesale
anu the murder of thousands Of help
less anu inoffensive Chinese. driving
| them into deep river just as If they
were wild beasts. While the Russians
were acting like savages. the Japanese
troops maintained their splendid dis
cipline. and returned to their own
country with clean hands and with
our single blot upon their record. But
putting MI other questions aside, Rus
sia IL the nggressor and this being tho
case deserves to lose. Japan clearly
sees that the time has come when she
must make supreme effort for ma
'iohal existence and she can be counted
on 10 struggle to the bitter end. Rus
sia mas no need of additional territory
while Japan. with :ts ;.enae population
STANDS in sore need of an extension OF
it's land area.
IL Is very ensy to make comparisons
put tha present struggle Is being waged
under conditions that have never here
| toiore cXl listed. In the South African
war England had to transport troops
ana munitions OF war 5000 miles. bur
tnerc was not hostile vessel to inter-
lele WIN her transports. 1t will be i'm
posslnie Tor Russia to send Il single
man or gun hy water and her sole ,Ie
penaehcr is on one single line of rail-
roau, ana this Is IL very long one Ex-
pc. ps''ence s,! mas demonstrated that sim
distance. Is not adequate for the trans
portation of large bodies OF trooDs
Germany has probably about eight SEN
arate lines leading To the Rhine and
s aooae 'ne same number in the direc-
ton OF the frontier. facing Russia. In
case or hostillties breaking out between
france ana Germany they would each
have million men on the frontier in
less time than 1t would take Russia to
put one-tenth that number in Man
churla. Unless something entirely un-
expected happens Russia will be- con
Ironted with very much the same con
ditions that prevailed during the Cri-
mem war. She had plenty OF troops and
resources hut could not. owing to th,
lack or transportation facilities, CO,
| them In the front quick enough. This
being the case. baffied hut not crushed.
sne had To accept the terms offered by
crane" aud England. japan cannot,
or course. exhaust the resources Cf
Ituasia hut stands a. good chance of
eXhatstihg all the resources that Rus
Sia can make available
TIC call this war II struggle between
Christianity ana heathenism la tho
Veriest nonsense. Russia today is more
Dirrler to the propagation of Chris
tianity tnnn is Japan, for Il nation Just
az II witG an individual. that processes
10 De christian and who. ut the same
tim" does the greatest Violence to tho
teachings OF the Master ia a Crenter
enemy to Christianity thai an ;lyowet]
disbeliever. If 1t could he Accomplished
without bloodshed the partition Of the
Russian empire would be n tremendous
gam FOR the cause of civilization for
then the RuSsian people, Steeped In
dense Ignorance and ground beneath
the heel of an iron despotism, would
breathe the air OF freedom and hanni-
ness and be given the opportunity to
emerge from II position that ia but lit
t!e superior to that OF the beasts Of
! the field.
The people OF the south at least ought
| 20 mold in everlasting remembrance the
iact that while they were engaged in
their great struggle for Independence
RUSSIA used her influence to the