Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-16

ia HSSgl tion to establish itself as an
I'D IWl imperial power on the Pacific
IN q Hl coast of Asia was not
liz E El thwarted by the unsuccessful
lE&x2S2ll war with Japan is proved by
the stupendous program Of
railway development and colonization
lnow being carried out by the Russian
government in eastern Asia. Ihe Jap
anese victory merely caused Russia 10
change its plans a little-it did not az
feet the Russian purpose in the silgheSt
degree.
Across the Amur river from Man
churia lies that great and fertile tract
which takes its name from the river,
territory as large as Spain. 1t hes IN
the same latitude as Oregon, Washlng-
ton and British Columbia, and its agri-
cultural future is intrinsically as bright.
Further south and lying eastward OF
Manchuria, is the Russian littoraL Inc
coast is not promising, but further In
land that section tapped by the ralI-
road from Vladivostok north to Khap-
arovsk may be compared to the INLAND
empire" of the American northwest.
railroad from Khabarovsk westward
along the north of the Amur to a con-
nection with the Transsiberian rail-
road in the Transbaikal country will
soon be built; a project which means
about the same thing as the construc-
ton of the Canadian Pacific meant to
British Columbia.
Much has been said of late about the
great tide of immigration into western
Canada. The American invasion" of
Canada has called forth much comment,
and statistics have been published to
show that as many as $4,000 Americans
have crossed over into Canada in
single year, seeking new homes. The
settlement of the northwestern states
has been wonderfully rapid, and the
building up of Oklahoma and Texas has
excited the wonder and admiration of
the world.
But over here in eastern Asia, all but
unobserved by the world, the Russian
government has organized and encour-
aged o migration and colonization
which throws even the western Amef1-
can development into the shadow. In
1906 the year after the war ended, no
less than 1000 Russians moved from
Europe and settled in the Amur ana
the Russian littoral. In the following
year the number was over 4OOOOO. Thus
in the second year after the war, after
Russia's eastern Asiatic ambition was
supposed to have been destroyed, the
Russian government throws INTO inns
all but uninhabited country half as
MANY people as come from Europe TO
the United States in a year, and far
more than Canada has been able TO at
tract In 1908, last year, Nthe lnmlgfa-
tion into the Amur, according to Of
fetal Russian figures, was more imam
600 900. and the total for this year is
expected to be three-quarters OF Illu-
lion. This means that in less than
four years Russia has placed almost
two million settlers in these unde-
veloped provinces, and the work is pro-
ceeding at such rate that ten years
will find five million Russians donl-
ciIed here. That means that Russia
will do in ten years more than ENG
1and has done in Australia in a CEN
tury In the matter of building up pop
ulation.
These immigrants from European
Russia are being provided with land,
with implements and with all kinds
of government encouragement. Thelr
estate Is not, and never will be,
comparable to that of American
farmers, but their condition in the
Amur is SO much better than II WIS was
in European Russia that the effect VIII
he to bring up the standards of living
and to increase the regard of the peo-
pie for their government. The glow
ing reports of the fertility of this reg
ion, carried back to Russia by the SOL
diers of the great army Whlcn Iousht
the Japanese, and the agrarlan depres-
sion in Russia, were responsible III d
large measure for beginning this great
migration. But it could not have pro-
ceeded without government approval
and it could not have reached Its pres
ent enormous proportions without gov
ernment aid and announcement.
All great natural migrations of man
kind have been westward and south-
ward. The race originated somewhere
on the plains of northern or central
Asia, and from thence the various
tribes wandered off, always to the
west if we except the doubtful case OF
the American aborigines. From this
very country of Manchuria and the
An,Ir went the tribes which have at
various times invaded Europe under
the names of Huns, Tartars and Turks
The Moguls of India and the MancHus
of China originated here. All through
the centuries the tide of the human
flood has been away from thls part Oh
the world.
Now. in the twentieth century, aided
by railroads and telegraphs, spurred
on bv dreams of commercial empire,
the Russians refuse to accept milf
tarv defeat as final and plan this great
peaceful conquest of eastern ASA
The migration eastward of two million
people In a period of four years Is
absolutely unique in the history OF the
world. 1t is by far the greatest migra-
tion of one people known in modern
times The great stream of human
itv which pours into Aperica from
FIlrope is drawn from score of races
and nations. -,
Ten wears from now Russia will
have a new province lying Immediate
ly north of Manchuria and MONGOLIA.
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