Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-26
Nothing
Serious


ated great stir In political circles. but
there IS ample reason to conclude that In
both cases there has been much ado
about nothing"
Following an avalanche OF dispatches
from st. Petersburg, London, Berlin and
Washington announcing Russia's threat
ened military demonstration in 4 urkestan,
a dispatch from St. Petersburg dated the
I'd instant announces that China's an
swer to the Russian note is wholly salts
factory to Russia, that four of the six
points In the note are satisfactorily an
swered and that the others can be easily
adjusted
Turkestan is terra incognita, and wants
to be better known. In our schoo, dsvs
1t was called in geog-
AlCCle known raphies "Independ-
TurL..+., ent Tartary." a re-
gion Of Central Asia
between Siberia, Afghanistan and the
Aral and Caspian seas. Turkestan is
divided into two regions-Russ,an Tur-
kestan and Chinese Turkestan, the bound
aries Of which are yet vague. The for.
mer lies west of the Chinese territory,
having its seat Of government in Samar-
kand. Ferghana, Syr-Darya, semveyet-
chensk. transcaspian territory and Rus
sian Pamir, with a total estimated popu-
latton of five million souls. Chinese Tur-
kestan lies east of Russian territory be-
tween 35 degrees 10 minutes and IS de-
greeS 40 minutes north latitude and longf-
tude q degrees 30 minutes and 9S de-
mir t1fo xxyft tntn
thnated population OF two millions.
Chinese Turkestan has an extensive
trade with Kashmir. Russia, China and
Tibet The great Picking caravan route
enters the region on the southeast ex-
tremity. and, following a line Of GASES
or wells in a northerly direction. reaches
Khamir, where 1t divides into northerly
and southerly routes. the former via
Barkul and Kulja, following the base o.
the Tsan-Shan mountains via Semtzye-
tchensk, Turfan and Aksu to Yarkand
and kashsar, the seat OF administration
and chief emporium Of trade with Rus
STA. Kashgar is situated about 100
miles northwest Of Yarkand In latitude
80 degrees q If1inutes, longitude 16 de-
grees east. It is inclosed by. a mud wall.
and manufactures carpets and articles of
gold and Jasper. 1t lies at the junction OF
roads to Picking. India and the Russian
empire. kashgar was commercial city
of Importance before the Christian era.
It was for a time the capital OF the DO
minion of Yakub Beg, and after his death
1t was retaken by the Chinese in 1877.
The traveller Adolphe Sclagintweit was
assassinated there in 1851.
Iii, the region which Russia was as
suliled to reOccupy, takes Its name from
the river that rises IN the Ian-S ,.;s, !.
mountains in Dzungaria. whence fl. wing
northwest it empties into Lake Baikash.
near it's southern extremity, after a
course Of about GO miles.
Kuiia. or Nim-Yuan. its Chinese name,
is the most imnortant town on the banks
of the Iii, and from 1911 10 lo>l IL "dS q
Russian POSSESSION.
BY virtue Of article VI of the treaty
signed at st. Petersburg FepruaIy n.
1881, the Chinese government pald 70 the
Russians the sum OF 9VO.OOO rouoies TO
cover the expense of the occupation OF
the III region and to satisfy other pecu-
mary claims of Russian subjects.
~
Ti1e German press may be cited De-
cause 1t says something-based upon
Washington kilograms. II
American is aIleged-which inter-
ests Americans. The
knteIeSt. Berlin Post is accredited
with saying that "the United States gov
ern,nent was OF the opinion that Russia
must submit her Monaghan claims 10
a arbitration. Should Russia reject arbi-
tration. America must place her army
and navy at the disposition of China, UNI
Tess the arbitration suggested is TO even
tuate as a mere bluff And the Post
"that the relations OF Ameri-
ca, as well as England and France with
the Russian-Japanese combination are
destined to be vitality affected"
Another point of view no less absurd Is
expressed by the Vossische Zeitung.
which writes:
"Russia's sudden initiative in the far
east is a SIGN that her recently erected
friendship with Germany permits ner
freedom Of movement which her partner
ship with England and France was never
able to give"
How absurd to believe for moment
that Russia, however much she may nave
recovered her military force. would think
seriously of expending It by any adven-
ture in the far east when. with other
nresent grave responsibilities. the near
east has no small claim Upon her.
The interest which has been awakened
over the Turkestan Incident may at least
servo the public as an object lesson III
political GEOGRAPHY. AS the Russo-Japa-
nese var familiarized the public with un-
known Manchuria. 50, also, the Russo
Chinese question may serve to acquaint
us with undiscovered Mongolia. Besides.
the Russian note may give point To an
other important lesson. namely. to DEM
omstrate the fact that Russia, from a
military point of view, Is no longer rele-
gated to the defensive. but has now once
more resumed her place as colossal Of
fensiye force.
On this head let US cite what serious
German authorities think OF the new Rus
sian army. dispatch from Berlin TO
the Figaro transmits the Following note.
which appeared In the Deutsche Tages-
zeitung, by Count Reyentlon, in which he
writes:
X y
1.-THE reorganization of the Russian army
and It's new dislocation, commenced in
1909, before Potsdam, are
Russian based upon the railway
,l,rosn .,l,. &c rEhas,