Show EMPIRES AND LEAGUES OF THE FUTURE by sir johnston G C M G in dealing with european countries ithra ith rt in thew articles one has felt instinctively that their quarrels hrire family qu arrela bound to be fol blotted by u reconciliation that bey aero after all governed in the main by a community of interests resulting from their having formed at one timo or another parts of that wonderful roman which really laid the bases of civilized europe even the scandinavian regions not hitherto discussed may lor all practical purposes be included within the koman world though roman legions never penetrated to modem dan mark to sweden or to norway but thesa northern peoples derived their religion and a good deal of their tion from the roman world with which they were in close touch roman coins are found in sweden and denmark curiously enough the norse and danish rovers played a notable part in the last struggles of the roman world for over europe the norse rovers who founded kingdoms in italy and ll lyria in france and who conquered the anglo saxons of england and britons of wales who originated most of the nobility of southern scotland and who with aid of their welsh followers commenced the british conquest of ireland were intimately allied with rome and with the carrying on of the direct work of the roman empire but the Slavs especially the slavs of alumia great and little played no decent part in the roman world in the balkan peninsula in southern austria bohemia and poland the slavs were worse devastatore devastators than the goehs goths and in the balkan peninsula were mixed up with that low raco of brutish mongolian blood the bulgara who traveled athwart russia to assist in ruin of romano brcek civilization in byzantium which was consummated by their turkish kindred from asia minor in hungary and dacia the Romani sed pan lonians and goehs goths were too strong an dement to be completely absorbed by finn or turk or slav and though these harsh invader may have ruled as kings or nobles their policy was Romani sed bv the mass of their subjects in moravia bohemia shyria and croatia the slava wera Romani sed by the germans in dalmatia and istria by the venetians their faces and their thoughts were turn cd towards home and not toward constantinople stantin ople or even the mongo oid rinn of eastern scandinavia modern finland were brought by sweden within the bounds of roman HOMAN EUROPE ON THE ONE SIDE RUSSIA ON OTHER but russia owing to the tartar invasion and mothr causes has remained to a great extent aloof from the roman world though in consequence of her adoption of greek christianity and of her having been ruled by so many dynasties that were first norse and then german it would bo absurd to argue that is not a european state still the frontiers that divide portugal from fippin spain from france france from germany england from belgium germany from scandinavia italy from austria austria from germany are of trilling importance poli tilly at the present day compared to the frontier dividing russia from finland from germany austria and on the western side of this frontier there is constitutional and representative government greater or less in degree but fairly expressive of tho public wilt there is liberty to and to express in speech or literature all opinions not anarchical or grossly immoral on the eastern tide of the frontier there is the complete double tyranny of a branch of the greek church of christianity on thaine hand and of a small governing class derived from the aristocracy on the other there is but a small degree of personal liberty and only turkey and perhaps afghanistan can ii with russia in the interference with the liberty of public expression through the press through private cor or the publication of books or pamphlets ii or those who govern russia no doubt know their own business best and the present writer is tha last amons hl fellow countrymen to that Britis li french or german methodi of government are necessarily gulfee gulfed to other communities or that the should bo always offering other nations good advice as to tha management of their internal concerns CLOSED COL TRIES still the broad fact remains that alone of european lands russia and turkey ara closed countries which can only be entered by specially passports they abw rapidly becoming the only parts of europe in which passports are necessary fo well conducted the energy the virility the fine physique of the russian people must not be overlooked neither should we refuse to acknowledge and acknowledge handsomely the splendid civilizing work which russia haa undertaken and performed in tha caucasus and throughout central asia to the borders of china she will attain complete salvation some day perhaps by way of asia just as ho reaction of the united tate of on their mother england has wrought undoubted good to english political conceptions so a prosperous and enlightened siberia may some day reform st petersburg and moscow insist on complete religious liberty and equality abate the persecution of the jews at the hands of the clergy and the military in short bring russian civilization up to date but in the meantime a western european may be for that personal person nl bias which would lead him to limit and curtail as far as possible russian rule over the gestern half of europe and direct it eastwards into tar tarv and mongolia where it h incomparably superior to the present condition 0 abow countries AUSTRIA NOT RUSSIA IN THE seems to the present writer can never allow a russian occupation ot any part of the balkan peninsula or of constantinople K the only alternative is alic introduction into tho sa regions of another great as controller the germano austro league can be the only choice montenegro and albania might become state depending on italy all the greek islands should come to greece together with spirus asia minor should be kept in order by germany with the of the province of Trebia and of turkish ar lii enin tec indeed might be handed over to russia to be governed on the some sensible lines as she governs the kindred races in the caucasus germany might also have a chance of showing what she can do in mesopotamia in the way of educating the arabs and burds kurds towards golf go eminent possibly as already suggested england might perform the same office towards the province of aleppo and france give an education to syria while a jewish state under international ter protection was established palestine and syria the absolute independence of persia should be guaranteed and defended if necessary b britain france germany austria hun gary belgium and any other power that i interested in persia ally or commercially THI DIVISION OF FINLAND in N corthern europe every effort should be mado by friendly negotiations in tima of peace or warlike insistence if ever russia i in difficulties to obtain the independence of the greater part ot finland aa grand duchy under the supreme sovereignty of the king of swe len and norway but ia drawing the boundary of this possibly liberated fin and russia should not be treated unreasonably it should be remembered that she bent her efforts towards the acquisition of the grand duchy ag an of her tears because its ter abutted closely on the russian capital of st petersburg in this russia must not be rendered desperate the boundary of the emandi atad duchy must therefore be much re and in this case should follow the existing boundary which at present divides the province of Archangel from the Ulea borg province of finland but out of Ulea borg the finnish provinces of st michael viborg and nyland should become russian territory this would give a somewhat restricted area to scandinavian finland but t would be the only settlement towards the aspirations of the really scandinavian section of tuat people which one could expect the russian empire to tolerate IN EXCHANGE in return for this retrenchment of the russian frontiers in the west and for the complete abandonment of all russian aspirations over the balkan peninsula the austro german league might see its way clear to recommending the incorporation of li alicia with russian poland this move would bevery popular with the peasantry of galicia but the reverse so faras far as the polish speaking gentry were concerned seeing however the great apparent prosperity of russian poland since it has settled down under rule it is possible that the poles of calicia might not be unwilling to join anh their countrymen of warsaw especially if in any amending of the russian home government cater degree ot home rule and ft more national character were given to the polish province CHINAS OUTLYING FOREIGN incel in asia while the chinese empire over china proper must be kept intact sive foe th tiny footholds allotted to britain france germany and portugal as depots for their commerce we must be prepared to face a weakening of chinese control over the huge puttying put lying provinces where the chinaman Is a foreigner as much as the european the persian or tho hindu in tibet tho replacement of chinese suzerainty by that of great britain 1 for the safety and welfare of the indian ampire and pro aided vided that this necessity is recognized ia 1 and c amt of europe great need be in no hurry to interfere m th internal of libet but eastern Tur kostan Dzung aria mongolia and manchuria much come to russia at in view of british needs for expansion and control and of german trench japanese and united states action in other directions it would be hypothetical po and unfair if russia is billing to come to an understanding to refuse under any circumstances to allow her to control those outlying foreign possessions of china in manchuria especially ally in the districts of kirin and Sheng king the commercial interests of britain america are fo seriously bif by russian al tempts to shut out commerce russian absorption ian of manchuria agreed to without special understandings being arrived at on the subject of foreign commerce agreements which would po 0 at least these abare por tiong of manchuria in a not worse position for foreign commence ce than the rest of the chinese empire further in return for this eastern sanction of the absorption within the russian empire ot the four huge northern ap of china russia taht have to to japan the once japanese island of sakhalin Sak halin she would certainly have to agree by solemn covenant that she considered korea entirely reserved to japanese control tibet to that ot england while she joined the rest of europe and japan in guaranteeing the independence of china proper and of persia from this guarantee chinese territory the island of hainan and of course the existing german british french ana colonies or leaseholds lease holds might be except ed in case france for reasons connected with her possessions in indochina indo china required to exercise a preponderating influence over an island which overhangs the tonkin coast perhaps also shanghai owing to the importance of yang tse kiang trade might be created ah international city with british french german russian italian and japanese laced and controlled respectively vy the nationalities to which they were altril buted in return for this adhesion on the part of russia great britain bee its way to revoking il agenora claim to special influence over the yang csc kiang districts on the understanding ot course anaf it was at liberty to raise these claims once more it russia was to her engagements or if such anarchical conditions prevailed in china as compelled a on the part of europe and japan |