The Irish standard., 1905-04-01
RUSSIA A WORLD POWER.

RUSSIA A WORLD POWER.
The lecture by Prof ]. c. Monaghan
Of the Department of Commerce and
Labor in this city upon Russia a
World Power" was an intellectual
treat to those fortunate enough to
hear it. Prof. Monaghan has store
house of information always ready
and has a most apt and interesting
way of telling what he knows. He has
given economic and historical ques-
lions so much thought and study that
one statement or thought leads rap
idly on to another in such way that
nothing seems satisfactory to his
hearers except a complete exhaustion
of the whole line of subjects.
He did not dwell upon the present
phase of Russian affairs as much as
his audience would have liked, but he
gave general view of the whole stu
alton such as it would be hard to ex-
Gel in the length of time given to an
ordinary lecture. The present war in
the East Professor Monaghan looks
upon simply as one of the steps in the
great struggle that Russia has been
making for centuries to reach an
open port either upon the south or to
the east. He pointed out that Russia
in the Crimean war and again in the
war of 1S77-7S crossed the Balkans
with the intention Of Selling Constan-
tinople and the Dardanelles. In both
instances she was foiled by the powers
of Europe. In the Crimean war Rus
STA fought England, France and Tur-
key combined and this war was fol-
lowed by the Treaty OF Paris which
compelled the Russian withdrawal
from south OF the Balkans. The war
OF 1S77-7S in which Russia was sue
cessful was followed by the Council OF
Berlin over which Bismarck presided
and in which Disraeli and Salisbury
were leading figures. Again Russia
was compelled to give up CONSTANT
nople and retire north of the Balkans
and it was furthermore provided that
Russia should not have the right to
take her men of-war out OF the Black
Sea without dismanteling them. Thus
Russia at the instigation OF England
has been denied an open seaport to
the south. There was nothing left
except to seek for port elsewhere.
This she did by constructing the great
Siberian railroad spanning distance
OF six thousand miles, and established
herself at Port Arthur and Dalny
upon the Pacific. Again, England,
jealous of Russia's growing power in
The far east, instigated Japan to COM
mence the present war. Russia, it
seems, has been thwarted again, but
It is only for the time being. There
are 15O.0OO,0O0 Russians and it is I'M
reasonable to believe that they can be
shut up in land without access to the
ocean. The armies of Russia may be
defeated in this way, but it will be
only one step in the struggle which
Russia has been making for centuries
and which she will continue to make
Tor an open seaport. The conditions
may not be favorable at the
present time, but the Russian
character admits OF no per-
manent defeat. Professor Monaghan
intimated that the present struggle
might be lillened to the constant strug-
giles which Peter the Great and his
soldiers carried on with Charles the
Twelfth OF Sweden. Charles the
Twelfth of Sweden was one of the
greatest generals that ever lived and
he succeeded in whipping the Rus
slams time after time, but the only
observation of Peter the Great was
that his soldiers would learn to fight
after while. After repeated defeats
his armies withdrew into the swamps
of the Neva only to appear again and
finally to overwhelmingly defeat
Charles the Twelfth. Will history re-
peat itself? We do not know. We
are neither prophet nor the son of
prophet, but we do believe that the
Russian people will one day possess
an open seaport. 1t may be Constan-
tinople, it may be the Persian Gulf, it
may be the Yellow Sea. One or the
other it surely will be and all the
Vaccinations of England will not
prevail to prevent it.