The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-07-27
A RICH PRIZE 70 Be WON
Manchuria Coveted by Both
Japan and Russia.
LAND OF MANY TONGUES

10 Manchurian.
Manchuria, the scene of the greater
battles in the Eastern war as at pres.
ent planned, is a mountainous province
OF the Chinese Empire as large as all
our New England and Middle States,
with Colorado thrown in It's popu.
lation Is much less dense than that OF
our Eastern States or that of China
proper. The latest estimates give it
nearly the population Of New York
and Massachusetts combined-about
s.5OO,OO0.
The original Manchurians were not
Chinese. They were part OF the
"outside barbarian" world against
which the Chinese built their great
vail. The present Chinese imperial
dynastyy, however, is Manchurian.
coming from Mukden, the Manchu
capital. where their dead ancestors
are buried. Hence Mukden is a sacred
city in the eyes of Chinese courtiers.
and its capture by the Japs in the re-
cent war had corresponding politi-
cal effect.
The Mancu language Is employed in
the Chinese court, but is not under
stood by the Chinese proper. When
Manchuria was addeo 20 the empire il
was under-popuated. much as our
country was by the Indians. and to fill
IL up the Chinese transpanted there
Chinese Mahometans from Central
Asia and other mixed peoples. For
this reason the inhabitants OF Man
churia are now of many races and
tongues. a fact which makes it easier
to hold them in subjecton.
Newchwang at the apex of the Gulf
Of Liaotung is in about the latitude
OF New York City. Port Arthur is at
divides the Gulf of Pechili from the
Yellow Sea, and which is fancifully
known as "The Regents Sword" Its
latitude is that of Baltimore.
The climate, however, seems to be
more severe in Southern Manchuria
than in New York and Baltimore The
presence of the vast mass OF the
Asian continent behind the Yellow Sea
subjects the coast to blzzards from
the west which make the winter bitter
cold
Russia has In Manchura two claims
one good, the other good enough to
bluff upon until Is called" She has a
legal right under treaty with China to
maintain her railroads in Manchuria
and to keep troops there to guard the
tines. Since the Boxer troubles. how
ever, Russia has kept strong bodies OF
troops in towns that are nowhere near
the railroads. practically occupying
and controlling the whole country. 1t
Is this latter and wider occupations,
permitted at the time as a supposed
measure OF safeguarding foreigners in
China during the troubles. that Russia
has promised again and again to end
but has not ended.
Manchuria's possibilities may be
compared roughly to those Of our
North Atlantic States. Its splendid
wheat harvests call every year thou
sands of Chinese laborers northward
and many OF these remain The noun
tains are full Of mineral wealth. the
fields are broad and fertile, the har-
bors excellent and commanding from
the military point OF view. Port Ar
thur commands Peking and the most
populous provinces OF China.
The people Of China proper and of
Manchuria have to a considerable ex-
tent swapped places. Hundreds Of
thousands of Manchus have gone
south to become the warriors and the
court diEnitaries and the provincial
governors of China. Most of the fine.
tan handsome men whom In this coun-
try We have seen as representatives OF
the Chinese Empire have been Of orig
lnal Manchu stock. Meanwhile the
active little Chinese of the more usual
vashee-washee type have swarmed
over Manchuria doing most of its
smaller retail trade just as the larger
trade and commerce have been in Jap
anese hands. despite the Russian oc.
eupation.
or late Russia has had its wanting
sye upon Corea for a curious reason.
The port of Masampho, at the extreme
southern tip of Corea, is, ice-free. Via
divostok, the original terminus of the
Siberian Railroad, is closed by ice for
months every winter. When they got
Port Arthur the Russians at once
abandoned work at Vladvostok, d. |
rerted the stream of emigration to
Port Arthur and near the latter place |
planned the great new city OF Dalny. !
Now 1t appears that Port Arthur itself |
is not wholly ice-free, Masampho is. |
For hundreds of years the huge
Northern Bear has been struggling !
TO escape from the ice and snow that |
rim his birthplace. This is the secret !
Of his activity in the Far East.