Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1915-09-01

deeds.
/ I. THE FACT ABOUT CHINA. y"
The Register feels under continu
ing obligation to keep the .recort
straight for China. The Chinese
are so habitually referred to- az
pacifists, and people of non-belng
erent disposition, THAT it is WORTH
repeating from time to time. thai
they have had a war every thlrtee1
years for century.
The mere fact that there have bee1
two formidable rebellions since I'M
new republic was established should
have given the world at large q
very different opinion OF Chinese
paclfism than seems to prevail. Yua1
Shi Kai is without any question What
ever moved to re-establish the EN-
pire not so much Ito get away from
fundamental weaknesses OF re
publicanism as to put himself In Pno
sition, to maintain any sort OF cen
tralized government over the rebel
lious provinces.
The TAPPING rebellion in China
was almost contemporaneous Will
our own civil war. We are IN the
habit of referring to the civil wal
as one of the most deadly in the his
tory Of the world up to that time
And YET there we're more people
killed in the TAPPING rebellion than
the present population of the United
States.
The fact about the Chinese is that
they are not pacifist at al The EN-
pire is composed of five different
peoples, having several different re-
iigions, div ed territorially as they
are racially and religiously. No
nation in history has ever been
strong under such circumstances.
It would be almost as improper to
refer to Austria as pacifist or the
Balkcn states as to refer to China,
for Austria has been q. weak, in the
very particular that China is weak
different peoples; separated by geo
graphical lines, held under one au
thority-and the Balkan states even
weaker than Austria. r
The present war, if the facts are
ever disclosed, will without much
question be found to have begun ovel
the weakness Of Austria and the pos
sibilities of division of authority
in the south, with the weakness OF
the Balkan states as an inducement
to aggression. What the Japanese
are doing in China is exactly what
northern Europe started to DO In
Austria and the Balkans and with
the same prospect of success. And
if it had been left to Austria or the
Balkans to care for themselves they
would be today as helpless as China.
The reason why the Japanese are
the aggressive and dominating ma
ton of the orient is not because they
are more warlike than the Chinese
so much as because they are, a
HON geneous people, living for cen
turtles by themselves on their is
lands, and developing a sense OF ma
tionalism. If the Japanese had been
found on the mainland they would
very possibly have been where the
Manchus are now, part of a great un.
wieIdy nation without national CO.
herency or power.
Why are so many intelligent Ger
mans heard to say today. that the
annexation of Alsace and Lorraine
was a mistake, a mistake which Bis
marck warned against at the time!
Because Alsace and Lorraine were
settled by an essentially non-German
population and being territor1ally dis
tinct from the great body of Ger
mans became an element of weakness;
rather than an element OF strength
Why are 80 many leading Germans
protesting now against the annexa
ton of Belgium or Poland? p Because
for one thing, they do not wish to
repeat the mistake of 1870.
Thomas Jefferson pointed out the
real peril to the United States when
he saw the struggle over slavery
arising, in which there was to be
"a conflict of ideas and interests.
bounded by geographical lines. And
there is suggestion here for those
who unthinkingly propose the annexa
ton of either Canada or Mexico
Such annexation, even II peac
ably made, would introduce distinct
peoples having geographical identity
always an element of peril to any
government. The United States is
strong in that having so many PEG
pies they are scattered and interm1n
gled. The geographical segregation
of any group would introduce weak
ness.
But coming back to the Chinese
the tong feuds that have broken Out
in, more than one American city
should have given some other notion
of them than that they are a pa
tient and humble people who cannoI
and will not fight. The tong feuc
has been the despair of the bes'
organized policei force, marked b'
deeds of violence unknown to the
western underworld. The Chinese
are nationally inefficient. They hav'
no national organization and no ma
tional spirit. Their government i:
ihoneycombed with corruption. Bu'
they are not pacifists, and if the,
ever become organized they will rule
the orient. The danger is not thai
the Chinese cannot fight. The dan
ger is that they will some day be lee
by Japan into efficient organization
and then, if in the meantime militar
ism is not abandoned by the world
will become a threat at western CIV
ization.-Register and Leader.