The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-23
THE DIPLOMACY Of the Western Powerr in the
 Orient.

| of the gospel in foreign lands, and the manner in which after their death. they | are used to spread Christian civiliza- | tion, Is somewhat foreign to our older | ideas of the functions of the bearers of spiritual blessings"
 | China's acceptance of loan from Russia, which had previously been the subject of some unsatisfactory nego- | tiations with the British Minister was considered very serious affront to her l Majcsty's Government; and substanti tial reparation and apology were required. | The code of international honor of | these Western diplomatists at Picking. | was the most exacting: their sensibility 1 to insult the most acute; their resent ment relentless; and some of the offenses | imputed to China as grounds for de- mands for concessions, remind one of the interview between the wolf and the lamb so graphically told by Esop. | Lord Salisbury, March 1898, wrote the British Ambassador at St. Petersburg. | as follows:
 Her Majesty's Government on their part would not regard with dissatisfac- 1 tfon the lease by Russia from Japan of an ice free commercial harbor connect | cd by rail with the Trans-Siberian Rail- way which Is now under construction. | "Questions of an entirely different kind. however, are opened if Russia obtains a military port in the neighbor- l hood of Peking. Port Arthur Is useless | for commercial purposes, it's whole im- portance being derived from it's miii- | tary strength and strategic position. | and its occupation would inevitably be considered in the East as a standing menance to Peking, and the commence ment of the partition of China
 Five days later Lord Salisbury wrote again as follows:
 | Arth tS bor. It is doubtful whether 1t could | be converted into one. It is certain ev- en if such a project were possible, 1t would never be worth while for the owners or lessees of Tallienwan to em- | bank upon it. But though not com mercial harbor Port Arthur supplies d naval base possessing great natural and artificial strength, and this taken in connection with It's strategic position | gives 1t an importance in the Gulf of | Pechili. and therefore, at Peking upon which in their representations to Japan at the close of the war with China, the Russian Government laid the greatest emphasis.
 Tt is not because a position which can be easily made a naval arsenal of great strength has been acquired by Russia. that they regret it's occupation l by that power. It Is because the pos | session, even if temporary, of this par | ticular position. Is likely to have po- 1 litical consequences at Peking of great l international importance. and because l the acquisition of a Chinese harbor mo- | toriously unfit for commercial purposes | by a Foreign Power. will be inevitably interpreted in the Far East Ss indicat- ing that the partition of China has be- | gun"
 Before this. Great Britian had felt sufficient interest in Russa's intentions as to Port Arthur. to mako inquiry in reference thereto. through her minister at St. Petersburg. who had been assured i by Count Mouravieff that the possess | ion of Port Arthur as a naval and mill l tary post. was as little desired by the Russian Government as by that of Great Britian itself.
 Thus Lord Salisbury was ouieted by gross misrepresentation by the Russian 1 Government, and whilst Mcdonald tho British Minister at Picking. was active | ly engaged in extorting concessions from the Celestials. Russia was equally busy in extorting a so-called lease of | Port Arthur and Talienwan with the privilege of constructing railroads | through Manchuria and the Liao Tung peninsula. which gave the greatest value naval. military and commercial to these ports.
 Thus Russia mendacious in her rep-
 
 pacious in her dealings with China, de- spoiled the one and overreached the other.
 Coterminous for over 1000 miles with the land frontier of China, including | the portion lying nearest to It's capital Russia had long been influential in the councils of the Government at Picking: | and now in possession of Manchuria Liao Tung, Tallienwan and Port Arthur with sessions for railroads wherever she wanted them, Russia felt herself to l be and seemed to be securely estab- lished in commercial and naval su- ] premacy in the ports and waters of the 1 Far East.
 Great Britian soreIy outraged in the forum of honor and good conscience | and over-rcached by her willy adversa- | ", in the game of diplomacy. had not sufficient interest at stake to make l armed resistance. Lord Salisbury went no further than to put on record | through the British Minister at St Petersburg. Her Majesty's grave objec- tion to the occupation of Port Arthur by Russia. As soon, however, as Lord Salisbury knew that his remonstrance l had failed. and that Russia had secured Port Arthur, he cabled Sir Claude Mc- | Donald. the British Minister at Peking, as follows:
 Balance of power in Pachilli is ma | tcIittIty Dy or tOrt Arthur by Yamen to Russia. It Is. therefore necessary to obtain in the manner you think most efficiacious and speedy, the refsual of Wei hai Wei on the departure of the Jap anese. The terms should be sim liar to those granted to Russia for Port Arthur. British fleet is on its way from Hong Kong to Gulf of | Pechili"
 By previous experience. Salisbury was familiar with McDonald's aptncss for rough diplomacy; and the job of ex- | torting the lease of Wei hal Wei on the terms on which Port Arthur had been | leased to Russia, was committed to him with discretionary powers, and Brit | ish fleet in the Gulf o. PechiH. subject to his call; and this was done with confidence that. if necessary, all the resources of diplomatic intimidation would be invoked to accomplish this object. On the following day. Sails bury wired the British Ambassador at | Berlin, advising him that Her Maj | esty's Government had demanded the reversionary lease of Wei hal Wei" and also advising him how he should l proceed to soothe any apprehension l King William might have of Great | Britain's establishing herself at this l point on the Province of Shantung, the l other end of which, at Kiao Chau, Germany had already occupied for her | own naval and military uses and as the key to the commercial and mining in- | terests of the Province.
 , Salisbury evidently felt that the par ' titiop of China had beRun and whilst