OCR Text |
Show THE WAR IN THE EAST. Another great-battle has been fought in Manchuria. Man-churia. Another victory has been won by the Japanese. Japan-ese. .Mukden is being evacuated and the Russian forces under Kuropatkin arc in full retreat. What effect will this fresh defeat have upon the czar and his councillors? 'Will it lead to peace ? For weeks past, the European and American press had been discussing the possibility of this event and speculating specu-lating upon the conditions that would satisfy the Japanese. .The latter have been examining the situation. Their publicists tell us what they will demand. de-mand. Flushed by the success of its wars against China and Russia, Japan declares herself to be the newly risen empire of the east; that henceforth, in all purely eastern affairs she will exercise the paramount para-mount influence and that Europe and America will be allowed only a secoTjdry. position. Ae compensation compen-sation for losses of men and treasure, she de mands absolute possession of Korea; virtual, if not absolute,, dominion over Manchuria and the right of maintaining order in the government of China. The formulation of these claims reopens the whole Asiatic question. The yellow peril becomes an actuality. Will Europe and America sanction this programme? We know what happened after Japan's war with China. The treaty of peace granted her about all that she asks now. But the powers interfered and Japan had to be satisfied with very little. No one knows but that history will repeat itself. On tho other hand, will Russia consent to such a peace? We believe it not. She can not afford it. AVhen she was allowed to build her railroad through Manchuria, she was given virtual permission to occupy the country. To recede now would be a fatal "blow to her eastern power and to her prestige at home and abroad. She will never agree that Siberia shall be permanently her eastern boundary. The internal condition of Russia is not so bad as depicted by parties interested in depreciating everything Russian and exagcrating every occurrence occur-rence that indicates discontent. A worse state of affairs existed in Colorado and yet it never imperilled im-perilled the existence of the United States. The labor troubles of the last two months have repeatedly re-peatedly had their counterparts in this country. But they never grew to the dimensions of civil war. To yield now to Japan's claims would be a departure from all Russian precedents. Russia has never abandoned any newly acquired territory. We do not believe that the colossus of the north who withstood with-stood the attacks of Bonaparte and finally broke his power, will submit to the "little brown Empire." Tf it should, we will be brought face to face with another an-other situation, one involving the antagonism of England and Japan on the one hand and of the rest of Europe and America on tho other. |