Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-15
OTHER LANDS THAN OURS.


Il seems to be the prevailing notion that
the value Of sakhalin to Japan will be only
strategical and sentimental, and that COM
mercially the island viii never be Of ad-
vantage. on the other hand, its very
northerly situation at once suggests the
altogether unexpected value that Alaska
has proved to have in store for this coun-
try, and the possibility that there may be a
second Alaska in Sakhalin. This, however.
is mere speculation, on which time alone
will throw light. Its coal mines would
seem to give the mountainous island its
greatest potential value. but the absolute
want OF good harbors presents a great
drawback to its development. The asser-
ton has frequently been made that one OF
the first conditions OF peace upon which
Japan would insist would be the cession OF
sakhalin Such condition now becomes
unnecessary, or at most a mere form. Com
handing the mouth of the Amur river and
such coast line as may remain to Russia
, at the close OF the war, the strategical i'm
portance Of Sakhalin to Japan is apparent,
though Il really consists more I'm getting
the Russians out than in putting the
Japanese in. AS for Sakhalin's sentimental
Importance to Japan, the fact that II was
originally Japanese territory, not being
ceded to Russia until under compulsion in
1875, is explanation sufficient
News received in Paris from Jeddah, the
landing place Of pilgrims coming over sea
for Mecca, is TO the effect that all the in
land towns and ports Of the Arabian prov
ince of Yemen, with the exception Of Ho-
deida, are now in the hands Of the rebels.
Mocha the famous entrepot for coffee
which comes mainly from Abyssinia, has
been occupied by the insurgents and Turk
ish authority has ceased everywhere. The
latest reports from the northern districts
toward Mecca were that the rising was
spreading to Asia, and that the rebels we're
in control of the port of Gunfuda about
200 miles below Jeddah At Constantlnople
there is no definite plan for the paciflcation
of the country, the employment of force
being prohibited by the excessive summer
heat, and the leaders of the revolt imper-
vious TO other methods, such as the Turks
have found effective in the past. The gem
eral complications in Europe also operate
to cause the sultan TO keep his forces in
hand for eventualties nearer home, and It
is understood that he has been advised
from an influential quarter to play a wait
ing game
A veteran officer of the Russian stan was
discussing the invasion of India with a
special correspondent of London journal
the other day. He ridiculed the idea that
there was the least possibility of anything
of the kind. He said: Where is our over
whelmng force to come from? Where could
we now find five army corps. the least
possible number for such a risky cam
paign? You talk of the Trauscaspian and
Orenburg- Tashkend railways two i'm
mense military arteries through which our
invading legions are to be poured. One
of your expert military commentators says
that the invasion of India is the only posi-
BILE means by which Russia can hope to
regain its lost prestige. That prestige, 1
may tell you frankly. is utterly lost
quantity. On the conclusion of the war,
Japan will be in possession of Sakhalin.
A glance at the map will show that any
warlilSe possession Of that island consti-
tutes a standing menace to our great
Amur province. The japanese being Great
! Britain's allies, is It not certain that If
our army in central Asia assumed a
| threatening attitude towards Afghanistan
or India, the Japanese would simultane-
ously threaten the Alhur province, and
even the whole of eastern Siberian" He
went on to say that whatever plans once
existed for the invasion of India from CEN
trail Asia, they had all been dissipated by
| the unlooked-for result Of the struggle in
the far east, and the sudden rise of the
new Asiatic Titan
There is to be a new French academy,
the Academy of Sports, 1t has sprung into
existence because the old original acad-