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Show H J MANCHURIA AND RUSSIA. B f if l To one who has read closely the history of the B f If East (or West) since the close of the Japanese- WB i Chinese warthe speculations indulged in regard- HH J ing the actions of Russia and China, have an al- HB ' 4 A most grotesque appearance. Japan had smitten BH 1 China as an eagle might a barn yard full of Shang- HB , ' f i hai loosters and was making preparations to B 1ft capture not only the remaining fowls, H . ( but the coop, when Russia interposed 1MB rw?tBBBHWBBBBW in China's behalf and stopped the plans of triumphant Japan. We believe that for that service ser-vice Russia obtained by secret treaty title to all Manchuria and of China north of the great wall. All her acts since indicate this. The transfer could not be made public for that would at once have leagued Great Britain with Japan, and France and Germany would have said, "If there is to be a partition we want our share," but as it was worked there was no ground for interference. Then Russia having ostensibly secured only Port Arthur, a winter port for her Siberian road and a right of way to it, deflected her great road south and stealthily began to send her troops that way merely to protect her slight interests and to act as a guard for her railway builders. The years have gone by; Port Arthur has been converted into an Impregnable second Gibraltar; she assures the woild that she will evacuate Manchuria so soon as it can be done with safety; China professes pro-fesses a perfect willingness to open several Manchuria Man-churia ports to the world, but when the test comes Prince Chung writes to the American minister pointing out what complications would arise if such a thing should be attempted while Russia holds possesison of that country, and the dispatches dis-patches say our state authorities are puzzled over the situation. They may be but we suspect there was a smile on the expressionless face of Prince Chung when he wrote the letter and more smiles in the Russian capitol when the letter was read. It is our belief that while it looked as though Russia Rus-sia obtained her hold on Manchuria precisely as Great Britain obtained her hold on Egypt, when the full facts shall be known it will transpire that Russia went to Manchuria with a perfect title to that country, ceded bj China, in her back pocket, and that what the nations should do in their Chinese Chi-nese negotiations with Russia and China, should be to start out with .the impression that Manchuria Man-churia is henceforth to be a Rusisan, not a Chinese Chi-nese state. |