Evening star., 1923-11-02
HARb|N LAST STAND
OF CzAR|ST RUSSIA
Chinese Eastern Railroad
Town Sees Close Approach
of Dissolution.
BY JUNIUs d. WOOD.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and Chi

HARDIN. Manchuria, September 1.
The arrival Of an American envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipo-
tentiary electrified this crossroads Of
the orient today. 1t was a great
event In the city's hectic history. In
Harbin the Office means all that the
ponderous title may signify, which is
considerably more than is realized in
the United States. Harbin, capital
or the zone of the Chinese Eastern
railroad. Is the sole surviving domain
OF the Russia Of the old days, auto
cratic ofticialdom, awesome titles and
automatically saluting military.
The formality is hollow, for the
mighty empire to which the railroad
zone-now the last flicker of i'm
perlaiism-once was an uncouth pur-
iiep Is gone and only the presence
OF the allies, first by military oc-
cupation and later by the Washington
conference, make it possible.
Road Without Country.
1t is railroad without a country
Russia owns it. but it does not recog-
nize the present government in Rus
sia. 1t is in China, but 1t insists on
Its rights of being independent of
emma. The railroad is there running
trains, administering cities and gov
erning the 100000 acres under it's
control, but 1t belongs to no country
1t is the international orchid, The
moral force of the allies unsupported
oy arms. alone is back of it, They
nave stated their position as holding
1t in status quo for the Russian
people. whether the emigrees of
the Russo Astatic Bank in Paris or
the officials in Moscow are the rem
resentattves of the 1S0,00o,00O Rus
sian people Is not decided The al
lies typewriter barrage is losing its
effectiveness and others may decide
for them.
The road is threatened by 4 new DO
litical alliance looming in the far
east. On one side is soviet Moscow
quite ready TO talk with the powers
whlch have protected the railroad
since 1917. On the other are Chang
iso-lin, war lord. murderer and ex-
bandit Of Manchuria and DIR. Sun
Yat-sen. China's foremost dreamer
and revolutionist, the. two strongest
forces in China. with all the other
leaders who are against the Peking
government which the powers recog-
nize. The two sides are getting to-
gether and the rulers of the Chinese
Eastern sec their fate approaching.
See End Approaching.
Consequently DR.. Jacob Gould
Schurrlan was welcomed with en-
thusiasm as the crew of a sinking
ship greets the man bringing d life
line. To most of the Russians in the
zone it means all of that-the off,
cial lives of those in authority and
possibly the actual lives of others. if
Moscow decides their fate. The allies
are rather a forlorn hope if Chang
and the soviet agree and seize the
zone. The allies can dictate notes
that such action is contrary to their
Washington conference agreements.
Great Britain. France, Japan. Italy
and the United States have already
done that; but Marshal Chang can
not read and soviet Russia was not a
party to the conference. If 1t comes to
force, the soviet troops are on either
end of the railroad; Chang's uniform
ed bandits, always ready to cut a
throat or shoot an unarmed man or
woman. are on the spot, while Japan,
which is the nearest of the allies,
will not send any more soldiers to
Manchuria, especially after her as
sociateS made such fuss about her
last ones being slow in leaving ST.
IBERIA.
Paper Trail Sure.
The allies can be depended upon to
scatter paper trail OF protest. Inc
United States sees an agreement or
the Washington conference going
into the discard; Great Britain does
not want a China controlled by lead
ers who are avowedly antagonlstic TO
her; France realizes that the last tan
gible asset for her claims against
Russia through the Russo-Asiatic
bank will be in soviet control, and
Japan, while ready to talk with
either Moscow or Chang. does not rel
ish being left outside if the two get
together.
The American legation at Peking
explains that Minister Schurman's
trip to the north was merely TO WISH
the Harbin consulate. The powers
of the railroad zone quickly de-
stroyed that fiction. The minister
was accompanied by his military aide
and son-in-law. Maj. John Magruder;
the chief of the legations Chinese
section, Willys r. Peck. The wives
of all three also came along. AT
Manchurian railroad changes to the
Chinese Eastern, four private cars
three compartment sleepers. with
baths and an observation car-were
waiting to be hooked onto the regu-
lar train.
bands playing in three languages,
lines of soldiers at attention, officers
saluting, Russian and Chinese dlgnl-
taries kowtowing and presenting
cards, fiunkies running with bouquets
for the women and refreshments for
the men. Changchun was merely
starter for Harbin; more bands. more
officials. more soldiers holding back
the bewhiskered proletariat carpets
stretched across the platform Tor the
ministerial party to walk to the royal
waiting room and have a cup or tea
Given Private Cars.
Four private cars became part of
special train of ten cars when Harbin
and the main line was reached. A
compartment in an ordinary sleeper
or a private car attached to regular
train might be sufficient for an
American minister, but that is not
have had fifty cars If the road could
have mustered that many of befitting
luxury and enough newly painted red
locomotives to pull them. AS IT was,
the MANAGEMENT contented itself with
ten cars and two locomotives. gdlsten. ,
and grease boxes of the wheels. which
were white on a red background, ike
sporty automobiles.
Soldiers kept the curious crowd
from the rolling palace. Soldiers
motored in state through the city.
Soldiers in heavy marching kit, even
to trench spades, had the baggage car
for their barracks Everything which
luxury could imagine-dainty foods.
rare wines, potted plants in corridors.
staterooms and diners, palm trees
reaching to the roof in the two OBJ
seryatfon cars-was provided. Such
was the style of old Russia. gone
except in the zone Of the Chinese
Eastern railroad.
The road is well managed from an
operating standpoint. Financially 1t
runs at q loss and the friendly allies
are called upon to make its deficit.
iust as imperial Russia did in the old
davs. Then II had a military pur-
nose. Now 1t is only commercial.
Chang insists that It pay him for
protection. and In return ne REFUSES
10 nav for his liberal use Of 1t. The
L or1 fro