Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-26
Mrs. Hamlin on
Eastern Politics,

The subject of Mrs. Hamlin's lee
ture, Tuesday afternoon, at Library
hall was Eastern Politics" an
abstract of which is as follows:
Russia" said Mrs Hamlin, sis the
engineer of the world, it holds one
seventh of the whole worlds territory,
and has a population of 165, 600 000 but
there is no nation on earth there is
SO little known about The same
statement might be made with equal
truth concerning it's ruler. Car
Nicholas. of whom there is the least
known of any ruler on the globe
When Nicholas came to the throne he
was known to have Democratic ideas
and it was hoped that he would do
much for the advancement of Russia
but before he had been in power long
he became as autocratic as his pre-
iecessors.
Russia was a country of uprisings,
strikes. and long revolutionary tend
encies. No people in the world are so
ignorant as the peasant class in Rus
STA, while the poverty among them is
unbelievable. Nor has there been
anything done in recent years to bet
ter the conditions The Serfs were
freed, it is true, by Alexander in 1861,
and were given lands. but these were
so scattered that sometimes a single
peasant would own property in &c
different provinces; therefore this does
little to alleviate their proverty."
With regard to her relation to 9th
er powers, Mrs. Hamlin said that
Russia 5 one idea was to expand her
tremendous territory. her one thought
to reach the open sea. She has al
ready taken away the liberty of Fin
land, while selfish Europe sat by and
permitted the indignity," said Mrs
Hamlin. and she is encroaching up
on Norway and Sweden. pressing for
ward into Persia. and threatening
India. Furthermore Asa is willing to
allow Russian occupancy This is the
Question facing the eivfiized world ."
Mrs Hamlin. in introducing her talk
upon Japan refuted the common ac-
eusation saying, that Japan was not
an imitator; that she does not copy,
but absorbes the best of civilization
about her Moreover she is not I'M
friendly to the foreigner it was only
when the alien attacked the japanese
religion or integrity of the nation that
the japanese sword was drawn from
its scabbard," declared Mrs Hamlin.
Japan is facing the problem of social
uprising, labor unrest, and an enor-
nous debt, and besides being obliged
to keep strong hand upon Corea, Il
watchful eye upon Manehuria and
China.
AS 10 the trouble between Japan
and the United States, Mrs. Hamlin
expressed her conviction, that that
had been done away with by means
of treaty between the two nations
in which Japan agreed not to allow
further Japanese emigration.
China used To put scholarship first
in her list of attainments, but. now
she has come To learn that soldiery
was more important She must rely
upon her army to protect her territory,
and upon her commercial trade to up
build her republic. Her great difficult
ty now is in negotiating loan from
the powers. and the loan is held UP
because she will not allow a syndi-
cate of foreigners to control the
Finances of her country. II once the
loan is negotiated, however, and China
put on the level, she will rapidly be-
come a nation to be reckoned with"