The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-05-12
TO BE A REAL POWER.
China Is Organizing Great Impera.
Army on Modern Lines as Rap
idly as Possible.

their educa ton in the new military acad-
envy at Pckin.
1t means that the old Confucian idea
that it was degrading to serve as d war
,rior has been discarded and the empress
dowager and the emperor have become
convinced by the bitter lessons of the past
that It Will be only through the expert use
OF arms that China will be able to preserve
her integrity ana secure respect 70! her
sovereignty.
That. the adminiStra ton is thoroughly
alive to the change which has taken place
in Chinese thought is shown by the as
signment of Capt Harry Leonard OF the
United States marine corps as special mill
tary aid to w. w. Rockhill. the newly APP
pointed American minister at Pekin.
Capt Leonard will have a special mis-
sion. which will include a personal in
spect:on of the people of the various prov
inces to determine their capacity for mill
tary service.
Among other things, before he has fin
ished his tour Of duty with the legation
he will visit Turkcstan and Mongolia and
discover what Russia and Japan have been
dong Thus his work will be important
for both military and diplomatic reasons
and his reports will be of great assistance
to Minister Rockhill and the general staff
of the American army.
China Recognizing Army.
Capt Leonards assignment to servic,
with Minister Rockhill IS due not only to
the interna tiona situation. but also to
the activity China is displaying in reor-
ganiZing her army.
To some extent the imperial government
has been borrowing from the experience
of the United States. Sir Chen Tung
LANG Cheng, the Chinese minister here,
recently furnished Pckin with complete
data in regard to the American military
organization and the method observed IN
the education of officers. Similar reports
were obtained from the legations in the
old countries. Following their consider;-
| ton scheme was adopted for the organ
| liza ton OF one army corps of 5000 men In
| each province. The empire is composed of
| twenty provinces.
One Of the curses of China is the lack of
a spirit of national patriotism The China
man of the south has little interest in the
! Chinaman of the north. During the boxer
revolt, though cons.uerab l sympathy was
| expressed in the southern provinces for
| Chilli and Manchuria. invaded by foreign
| troops, the southern viccroys agreed if
| the powers respected the inviolability of
the territory they ruled they would pre-
serve order and not permit any assistance
to be given the imperial government.
Doesn't Want Repetition.
The empress dowager doesn't propose in
another war that any such backwardness
| shall be displayed by the provincial au-
thorities. She has ordered that troops shall
be transferred from one province to an
other. to make the people of China ac-
quainted and develop a spirit of entity so
sadly needed.
To facilitate this condition and to pop.
ularize the army the empress has approved
plan tor education of princes imperial
at the military academy in Picking. Sir
Shen Tung Liam Cheng recommended that
this be done, pointing out that every reign
ing house in Europe required it's male
members to undergo a military training.
The minister sought to have the young
princes receive exactly the same treat
mcnt as the other students, but it APP
pears the empress dowagcr thought this /.
step too far in advance. 1t wouldn't dc
for those wearing the imperial yellow tC
come in intimate contract with the youth
SO far below them in rank. 1t might lead
to familiarity and destroy that feeling OF
reverence so necessary to the maintenance,
of the Chinese form of government.
So, special course of instruction has
been provided for the princes. but at TIL,
same time it is proposed that they shall
be strictly dealt with and compelled 1t
learn everything that may be needed il
order to become good officers.
Soldiers Well Equipped.
Reports received In Washington SHOW
that SO far as equipment is concerned th'
Chinese army lacks nothing Under tn,
terms of the Picking protocol, which term
mated the Boxer revolt, China is forbid
den to import arms and other munitions
of war during a period of two years. Rus
, STA Germany and France especially ia
vored this provision and desired its cN
+ tension on the ground that by keepin,
China weak the yellow peril" wouldn'
threaten the destruction of the white race
But the United States, Great Britain an
Japan declined TO agree TO any extension
wi a ia p6 n
the treaty which occurred. After tn
. withdrawal of the foreign troops fror
China the imperial government purchase
large quantities of munitions abroad an
kept the arsenals at Shanghai and othc
points working night and day turning OF
the most improved material. 1t is fac
. that there are sufficient modern arms
: the empire TO equip an army of 1000, O.
men.
\ Russia is using the military activity
: China as a pretext for fresh warnings
II the world. Count Cassni. the Russia
ambassador at Washington has repeated
dwelt upon it in his conversations with II
: officials of the state department. But II
Il authorities are not concerned al the for'
q bodings he expresses because they belieN
S it is to the interest OF the United State
II and other trading nations that China sha
q be sufficiently strong to defend her oW
( territory from the encroachments Of 9TH
II powers.
Russia's Future Policy.
If Russia be driven back from Ma
churia there is little doubt She will co
tinue her efforts to obtain outlet
the unfrozen Pacific. 1t is regarded
i. natural ambition and even necessity,
80 achieve which she must strain every merry
japan cannot be expected to renew II
struggle with Russia in case the latt
= power advances into Chinese TurkeSta
-. which is separated from Manchuria by t
70 large province of Mongolia.
80 The United States is determined to u
~ only moral influence to preserve the
tegrily OF China. Therefore the officis
say it is desirable, from the Americ
point of view, that China should have
army at least large enough and W
drilled to form menace to encroachme
\ by Russia or any other power. Und
Japanese training it Is believed such
n army can be organized within she
ch time The conduct of the so-called hur
ty huzes, who are in reality Chinese soldi'
in under command of Japanese officers, a
ny of the Chinese regiment enlisted at w
lis haiwe and directed by British Office
a during the Boxer revolt, leaves no dot
u that these people will make excellent fig
ing material.
Russia has no question on this score. S
is only afraid that as the bulwark of F
rope she will be the first to test its
ficiency.