48
especially political malcontents. The pamphlet concludes by saying Russia must be freed from undesirable and dan- gerous classes. Twenty millions of Chinese slaves could produce the whole of Russia's food-stuff. Thus Russians would dominate the systein of slavery instead of themselves being dominated by Jewish capitalists."
35
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY RESS AND
paid to the possibility of raising up, in those distant parts, difficulties far greater than would thus be overcome. Such a system could only be kept up by the Russians maintaining an enormous army on the spot ready at any moment to put down the slightest attempt at rising. The expense and strain which would be involved would It is not surprising that there should be a be altogether disproportioned to the pos strong feeling against Russian aggressiou, sible advantages that might be obtained; and when it is announced in high quarters that even if actual rebellion could be kept down, this is the use which it is intended to make there would be such a perpetual state of of it; and it is to be hoped that such schemes uncertainty and unrest, that before long the may be rendered impossible of accomplish-authorities would be very glad indeed to ment by the turn which recent events have enfranchise the Chinese-but the result taken. If such an attempt were made it would be that the Chinese would then be may be taken as certain that before very come a permanently hostile population, only long the Russians would find that the waiting an opportunity to rise against their enslavement of 20,000,000 Chinese was a
oppressors. thing much more easily talked of than such accomplished. The mere idea of project, indeed, shows how little the Russians understand the Chinese. They are by no means people whom it would be easy to make slaves, in far less numbers than twenty millions. Much may be done in the way of subjecting them to recognised authority even though extremely arbitrary, but this is a very different thing to making them the slaves of landed proprietors, many of whom would be of the commonest type, and would appeal in no way to their sense of reverence and respect for superiors. The Russians, if they ever attempt any such measures,
have will before long find that they reckoned without their host; and that they all bave mistaken the respect which Chinamen from long tradition feel towards officials for a readiness to give up their individual freedom and status-which is n
any
very different matter. That such a scheme
can have been entertained for a moment shows conclusively (if anything were re- quired to do so) how completely unfit Russia is for extensive domination in China. The attempt to carry out such a scheme would undoubtedly lead to the uprising of the Chinese in some way which would tax all the resources of Russian arbitrariness to the utmost; and at best would leave the
landed proprietors in a state of perpetual fear of massacre by their "slaves." The extraordinary art of the project is the idea that it would form a suitable means of getting rid of “the undesirable and danger-
ous classes."
There is no doubt that this object has largely influenced Russia in her policy of aggression; but at best such a measure can afford only temporary relief and is only removing the difficulty from one place to another. Certainly Russia will find China a very undesirable place for experiments of this nature; and it will not be long before she discovers that it will cost her more to keep the twenty millions of Chinese slaves under control than to hold her "undesirable and dangerous" citizens in check in their own country if, indeed, they do not continue to be as undesirable and dangerous abroad as they were at home.
It seems almost impossible to believe that such a plan was seriously contemplated by the Russian authorities; and it may be not unreasonably surmised that the pamphlet was issued with a view to obtaining the support of the masses in the war, and as an inducement to them to go willingly to the frout. At the same time, that document, throws considerable light upon the motives which have long governed Russian policy The danger of such risings as have recently taken place has been long foreseen and the hope has always been entertained that a large portion of the population could be got rid of in territories seized from China; and little heed has been
in the Far East.
专署
THE SHANTUNG BOGIE.
(Daily Press, 20th July,)
|
[July 24, 1905.
not compete with Germans within fifteen li of their premises, were no doubt enough, in the case of the Universal Gazette, to "make our hair staud on end and our eyeballs burst in uncontrollable rage" (the Chinese journal loquitur) but surely It no foreign critic should be so affected. is well known that when the Chinese are in earnest in any business they are very formidable competitors in leed, and the essay of the Germans to secure the future of their enterprise is as justifiable as it is natural.
That the request may have been made to Peking is not at all improbable and we are not aware that it has been officially denied. That the Chinese should refuse it is equally natural, and equally probable. There does not appear to be sufficient cause for referring to such applications as "leman ls", and the sensational accounts of unusual military activity in Shantung still require confirma. tion. The chief witness that there are more soldiers than are called for by ordinary circumstances, and that Tsingtao is being The Times has had it telegraphed from transformed into another Port Arthur, is the Times correspondent himself; and it Peking that we are endeavouring to secure a monopoly of exclusive rights in Shantung appears that he gathered his impressions at the expense of other countries. I should during the same tour that furnished him not like to lose one moment before twisting with the too eulogistic account of the Newspapers in the neck of this canard as soon as possible. Japanese doings in Corea. Germany demands in Shantung as else Japan, responsible journals of repute, as where only the open door. If in Shantung well as foreign journals in Corea itself, fet we have acquired several concrete railway obliged to call attention to the extent to and mining concessions from the Chinese which the Times' picture was overdrawn. Government-this, by the way, took place On the subject of Gerna armament in in the years 1898 and 1899-there is no Shantung, as we pointed out at the time, a question of its being done or being contemn Japanese traveller in Shantung, who might be trusted, one would think, to raise There is, therefore, no ques- plated now. tion of German exclusive rights in Shan- such an alarm where the circumstances tung." Thus Count, now Prince, von BUE-seemed to call for it, declared that there Low in the Reichstag more than three years ago. Evidently His Excellency made some It mistake as to the breed of the bird.
seems to possess more of the characteristics of the phoenix than the canard, for it has The arisen since, and continues to arise. Peking correspondent of the Times returas to the charge in the issue of June 16th, and reiterates his statements that Germany is making demands upon China for extensions and further exclusive rights in her leased territory. He now supports his discovery by a long quotation from the Universal Gazette of Shanghai, a journal which he considers to be "an excellent paper which follows closely the foreign affairs of the country and is animated by an indepen. dence of spirit and a healthy patriotism which place it in the forefront of native urnals." Whether the reputation of being somewhat ghead of Chinese journ. alism generally is undiluted praise, and whether Dr. MORRISON, in his gratitude and genuine delight at finding a Chinese paper saying what he thinks it ought to say, is to be wholly trusted to know what is healthy patriotism and what is merely the usual anti-foreign prejudice, we do not know. What we do know, or think we know, is that in declaring that "in Shantung she (Germany) was creating for herself and by similar methods of misleading assurances the same advantageous position that
established in Manchuria,' Russia had Dr. MORRISON betrays a prejudice that needs a little toning down, and makes a comparison that is far from odorous. Whatever German ambitions may be in Shantung, and however far they may come, to be gratified, it is certain that Germany is not
an understudy of Russia, where Asiatic enterprise is concerned. The new demands, that the use of modern mining machinery in the German sphere shall be restricted to Germans, without interference by Chinese officials, and that Chinese shall
The
Was по appearance of extraordinary strength of militarism within the German colony. Turning to the Chinese point of view, we have to admit the prima of the native paper's facie justice protest. “Germans are allowed machinery, and Chinese are refused its use. liberal treatment to the one stands antipodal to the unjust treatment meted out to the other. Germany's oppressive intentions,” says the Universal Gazette, “have reached too high a point." This is all very fine, but to a fair minded man it seems to us that the injustice would b. more apparent if the Chinese had been hitherto keen enough to introduce these now very desir able methods in all her other mining terri- tories. If, having done all that lies to her hands in the way of industrial progress throughout the rest of her dominions, she then came to Germany and insisted upon being allowed to play a part in the scientific development of Shantung, it would not seem so "dog-in-the-manger-like" as it at present does to all who are not, like the
obsessed by Teutophobes, suddenly after all belated idea that China is threatened
Universal with foreign oppression. The Gazette had not only the Germans in mind, as is evident in the use of the foreigners in its generic vigorously worded prute lation. Of course, if the subject is to be viewed from the elementary ethical standpoint that foreigners have no bainess to be where they are not wantel, then undoubtedly Germany may be regir led as a sinner in But in these vehement attacks, Shantung.
term
the Teutophobes appear to be in the posi tion of parties who have insisted on some allotment-holder allowing their meek chickens to graze over his garden, and who hold up hands in horror at the dishonesty of another neighbour who has presumed to dig a pond for his ducks in a corn er of the same garden.
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