The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-11-28
THE CHINESE PROBLEM.
Circumstances Which Made 1t Almost
Impossible Of Solution-A Truce !.
Suggested.

Why should there be Chinese prob
lem! The reasons are two: CHINA "
weak and other nations stand to pront
by exploiting that weakness. It's people
are poor. but their land possesses vast
potential wealth in mineral resources.
in the development Of its mines, IN the
building Of railways. highways and
telegraphs, in the construction ofstac-
tories and machinery and the indus
.trialization of the nation of 4O00,00O,-
900 people there are opportunities
which economic imperialism finds IT.
resistible. China il the last OF the great
virgin markets; competition for it was
so intense in the decade before the war
that in the opinion of some competent
observers it would have been likely
sooner or later to cause world war
even if European disputes had been
smoothed over.
The war relieved the pressure in the
far east in that 1t eliminated two OF
the principal competitors, Russia and
Germany; on the other hand, it brought
to d sharper point issues between the
competitors left in the field. In partie-
uiar. BY destroying the balance OF
power between the two great empires,
Russia and Japan, which neighbored
China. 1t removed the check upon the
ambitions of the one which remains an
active factor in far Eastern affairs.
No sharp line can be drawn between
the part Of the movement which affects
Russia and the part which affects Chlna
because of the shadowy frontiers and
overlapping claims in the vast region
between the great wall OF China and
Siberia. Here lie Manchuria and inner
and outer Mongolia, all Of them in
cluded within the vague confines OF the
Chinese Empire, all of them included in
either the Russian or the Japanese
sphere of influence. All this region
would have been swallowed up by
Russia il Japan had not I0rcibly re-
sisted; the outcome of a brilliant but in
complete japanese victory fifteen years
ago was a division of the spoils in
Manchuria. Early in the World war.
Russia took steps for the annexation OF
outer Mongolia, an area third as
large as Europe. With the revolution
this claim was abandoned and this vast
region was left to itself except for fill
busters like the reactionary; generals
like Semenoff and Ungerv, who made
Urga a base when driven out OF Siberia
by the revolutionary armies.
These circumstances are Of present
hinterland are practically under the
lions Of the problem Of China which is
being put forward is to eonfne China
to the territory within the great wall,
and to leave to Japan in satisfaction OF
its demand for expansion all that lies
between that and Siberia, with the
island of Saghallen in addition. This
plan has many advocates, and II is de-
Tended on the ground that it would be
lesser injury to China to lop of its
country under international control,
political and economic, which is an
other Of the projects now being pressed,
The Chinese, however, appear to re-
gard them as equally bad and when the
existing conditions are examined it
seems clear that the creation of con
tinental japanese empire driving a
wedge 2400 miles deep into the heart OF
I! Asia giving interior lines that would
dominate both China and Siberia. would
be deadly blow to Chinese hopes of
escaping from yassalage TO foreign
countries. Manchuria is the strategic
key to eastern Asia, it dominates
+ Vladivostok, Picking. the Amnr river
and the trans Siberian railway. Al
ready this region and the Monaghan
hinterIand are practically under the
control of Japan through its dealings
with the most powerful and unscru-
pulous OF the Chinese generals Chang.
| Tso.li lin, who as inspector general OF
Manchuria commands an army of 300,-
600 men, well armed with Japanese
weapons and defiant Of the feeble
authority of Picking. II is the ambi.
tion Of Chang TO create a new Mongol
empire. and only a short time ago he
sent an army to the Mongolian capital
Urga, beyond the Cobb desert. a new
Mongol empire under japanese auspiee:
would give the world something to
think about as time went on.-Spring-
field Republican.