Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-23
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

J right from the Manchu Emperor to
build a Russian railroad across Man
churia to Vladivostok and branches
down to Hardin and to Port Arthur.
Russia later set up claim of right to
police and protect her railroad across
Manchuria and was gradually getting
a military foothold in that province
through her railroad ownership-in
fact, it Is now claimed that the military
which the railroad was incidental and
! subordinate in importance.
All of this encroachment led to the
| jealous Intervention of Japan, and
eventually to the Russo-Japanese War,
resulting in forcing Russia to recede
/ from asserting political power in Man
churta, though she retained her treaty
rights with China over the railroad
When the World War came Japan set
up her claims to all that Russia had
formerly claimed, and Japan submitted
her famous "Twenty-one Demands in
1915. which would have given all of
Manchuria over to Japan. but for the
intervention of the allies, protecting
China's rights. An American engineer,
Col. Stevens. then exercised manage
ment Of the Chinese Eastern Railroad
the one built by Russia across Man.
churia-and only through his ability
and loyalty to his Chinese employers
were the Japanese thwarted in their
schemes to seize the railroad and step
into the same power formerly held there
by Russia.
The new Chinese Republic was pow
erless to tight for its rights against its
powerful neighbors, and when for awhile
the Soviets seemed to gain paramount
control even of the Chinese national
government, treaty was made where
by the Soviets professed to be surrender
ing all entertainments of the former
Czarist government over Chinese rights,
except that they retained-as alleged
through great bribery of Chinese Of
f1cials-the right to Joint control" OF
the Chinese Eastern Railroad, and then
proceeded to interpret "joint control
into control exclusively by Russian rail-
road officials.
Now the Chinese National Republic
nnds itself in undisputed power in It's
own country and undertakes to assert
It's equality among the independent
powers and to abolish OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
IN all forms. 1t charges that although
Soviet communism has been driven out
OF emma: the Russians have persisted
IN distributing communistic propa-
ganoa, contrary to promises to desist,
ana that Russia has monopolized con-
tIol OF the rallroad, even to refusing to
transport Chinese troops over it. Hence
the Chinese Nationalist government, de-
term1ned to regain sovereignty within
lts own territory, arrested the Russian
manager of the railroad and seized con-
tfol. China claims that that act is not
INVASION of Russian territory: Russia
asserts that 1t is equivalent to such ag-
gressive invasion, and that it justifies
RUSSIAN defensive" fighting. There
! Grnl As~.-
scared threateningly, and yesterday
RUSSIAN troops captured some Is Chi
nese river boats.
So far as control of the railroad is
concerned. it is purely an economic
question, which can be submitted to ar
hltration without loss of honor by either
party. But Russia bluntly declines
Frances offer to arbitrate.
China claims that she Is fighting for
her national sovereignty. If so. that
Is matter non-juSticiable. It is not
matter that can be left to arbitra-
ton.
If. for example, Mexico. backed bv
coalition of Central and South America,
were to decide. that she would regain
all the United States territory that she
had coded as result of the war of
the 40s, the United States could not
|
The Hague, but all the Nation would
rise to defend its sovereignty over its
territory. 1t is mon justiciable" -can-
not be left to any outside arbitrator.
| X + X
The Chinese are the oldest civiliza-
ton In the world. Are they an inferior
race compared with the Russians. or
even with us proud Americans or An
glo-Saxons? The question appears
strange to us, for don't we all know
that I'VE are ruiped by the heather
Chinee"?
A few years ago Prof. Ross Of the
Wisconsin University Travelled extensively
through China, and he submitted q
question to 43 educators whom he found
In that country: do you f1nd the ca
pactty Of the yellow race equal to that
OF the white race?"
All but five answered eyes," and
J among them one university president
and offlcial adviser to the American
legation replied: Most Of us who have
spent Is years or more out here come
to feel that the yellow race Is the nor
NAL human type, while the white race
is a sport"
! tcopyright, 1879. By Paul y. col,ins1