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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 1904)
Senator Beveridge on the Struggle for Manchuria (Copyright. VMH. by Frank G. Carpenter.) . 'IA3IIINGTON, I. C, Feb. 12.-(9ie-J rial Correspondence of The Hoc.) 1 Thlt UIWfi-trof.il m r.r t.l. . " iiicfji imn urn century Is he who has not only the uhillly to do things but tho foresight to prepHro for them; to know a great opportuidty line selzo It; to fight his battles with his eyes to the front looking far Into tho future. That Im the kind of a man Senator l:-v. tIiIrc of Indiana Ih. Kii dowed with the g rilus of success he has acquired the capacity for hard work, and his ttinulo with fortune han made him con servative. At the name time he Is en thusiastic. His veins are full of young Mood and he in wide-awake. How much awake ynu will nee when you consider who ho Ih and what he han done since 18SW. Senator Roverldgo was born on a farm, nnd ho had to hustle for bin existence. At 12 he wan n plowboy, at 14 he worked on a railroad, at 15 he wan a logger and team ster and at the wimo time he went to school. He managed somehow to get an education, graduated at the lending college of Indiana and then studied law under dear old Joo McDonald, tho famous Indiana Vnlted States senator and politician. Ha had been admitted to the bar, and had made a local reputation as a lawyer and ornlor at tho age of 3.;, when he was elected to tho Vnlted States senate. All thin was good, but not extraordinary. Bo far, many other poor boys had done as well. Beverldgo's opportunity came at the time of his election. At that same tlmo there were eighty-nine other men member of tho United States senate. Every one of them panted for a national reputation more than the hart panteth after the water brooks; but only this baby senator, this farm boy, rallrond worker, logging camp laborer In the wilds of Indiana, saw the op portunlty and seized It. , We had Junt taken possession of the Philippines, and It was evident that they w-re the question of tho future. Henry Cubot Ixdge sat down and studied Interna tional luw on the subject; George Frlsblo Hoar waddled over to the congressional library and investigated the ethnology of the Malay races and their ability for solf Kovernment; dear old Senator Allison kneeled down on the top rail of tho fence and prayed the Lord to let him know how to Jump, and John C. Spooner looked up constitutional arguments for his great speeches of the future. And what did Beveridge do? He alone of all the senators saw that the best way to handle a great problem Is to first learn what the problem Is. He realised that knowledge Is power, and took the first steamboat for Manila. Ho went out with our army and Haw conditions as they were. Then he crossed to China and learned some thing of that country, stopped a while In Japan, and came home better pouted on eastern matters than almost any other pub lie man of the I'nlted States. As ho landed he wus met by newspaper r porters, and other reporters asked for Ms opinions In city after city as he crossed the continent. He treated all politely, but, like Brer Itubblt, lull 'ow and said nothing. Then ho came to Washington and, not heeding the advice of the old fogies who counseled him as a young senator to utter no words In tho chamber for the first two years, he arose, and his great speech on the I'hllippinea went ringing around tho country. That speech gave Devcrldge a national reputation and put him at the front as one cf the leading thinkers on International policies. Since then no one has attempted to keep him quiet. He does not speak often, but when he opens his mouth the senate and the nation prick up their ears. Senator Beveridge has not only gained the attention of the senate, but also Its confidence. ITnspoHed by his success, he went to work, and he has since put In more hours than most of the senators In study ing the great matters which conve before that body. He has gained the respect and friendship of the older members, and Is today one of the few men who are doing things In our national house of lords. He la becoming noted for his conservatism, and la, I am told, one of the most conservative counselors of the strenuous young man In the White House. I say this by way of Introduction to an Interview on the situation in the far east which I have had with Senator Beveridge today. The senator has supplemented his trip to the Philippines by others to China, ' Japan .Siberia and Russia, lie has met the leading statesmen of all these coun tries, and has actually studied the Man churian question on the ground. The in terview took place In the senator's apart ments In the Portland flats, on Thomas circle. My first question was: "What are the Russians and Japanese squabbling about?'' "They are not squabbling," replied Sen ator Bevertdare. "The matter Is a svrlous one to both parties, and, I might say, of almost national life or death to one of them. We ran hardly appreciate what this struggle means to the Japanese. The' re gard It as the salvation or ruin of their country. The Russians look upon it as the keystone of their future. They regard Man hurl as the door to their vast posted- crisis. i I P"""" If (7 SENATOR BEVERIDGE OF INDIANA. stons In Sfberla and to their prof pectlvely greater ones In China as well." "Give mo In a nutshell the story of t; e trouble, senator," said I. "Jt Is a matter of history," wns the re ply. "Japan fought its war with China. It licked China and as one of the to ma of peace it was granted Port Arthur, Tallenwan bay and a Urge strip of Man churia. The Ink was hardly dry upon that cession before tho triple alliance of France, Germany and Hust-li rent word to the mikado that It would be a stand ng menace to the peace of the vvoti I for Japan to occupy that territory, and they asked him to give Manchuria back to China. The request was made In poll e language, but there were armlet behind It, and the mikado dared not refuse. He gave It back, although the Japanese people stormed, denouncing Russia as the causo of the trouble. "Well, a few months after that the Ger mans demanded of China the cession cf Klachow bay and a rai'road and o her rights In the province of Shan Tung. Their request was granted, and Russia thereupon demanded the cession of Port Arthur for the term of twenty-five years and the right to extend its railroad through Manchuria, and Japan saw tho territory it had fought so bard for and which It hud been com pelled to give up handed over to the Rus sians, who had been the chief actors In the compulsion. "The Japanese were angry and a' most ready to fight then, but the Russians said they only wanted a pluce for thlr rail road and they promised to evacuate Man churia within a certain time. "Tho Japanese assented to trlt and waited. The time came and went and the Russians remained. They gave excuses for remaining, but they are there today. "They are not only there, but have been pushing their outposts farther and farther down' toward. Corea and Japan is afraid that they will cross the Yalu and go down the CoYean'penlnsula to the bottom, where their guns' might be mounted within can ; non shot of , the Japanese empire. . "Does that mean that the Russians want CoreaT" . "So . the Japaneso think," replied Sena tor Beveridge. "Corea Is a wedge split ting eastern Siberia from southern Man-, churia. . It has better harbors than Man churia, and If the Russians could extend their railroad into it their landing would be farther south. If they do not take it they fear . the Japanese will and that the Japanese In Corea might be a menace to Russian progress toward the acquisition of the rest of Asia, which many of the csar's people believe to be their destiny." "Would the Japanese be satisfied it the Russians gave up Corea to them?" "I think so," replied Senator Beveridge. 'They would, for a time at least, although this struggle was bound to come sooner or later. Both nations need territory, and the Japanese especially so. Both nations hope to control the trade of eastern Asia, and each Is jealous and afraid of the other. If they could combine and become allies as to the future of China they might have peace, but that Is not proba ble." "Tell tno something about Manchuria, V - sasasw . 7 k 1 senator. What would tho Japaneso have done with It had the triple alliance let them stay?" "They would have made a second Ja pan north of the Yellow sea," replied Senator Beverldgo. "The whole country would have been speedily colonized by Japanese Immigrants, and Japan would have probably made it a basis for the acquisition of other parts of north China. Japan is not a largo country. Without Formosa It is not as big as California. Nevertheless, It han more than half as many people as the whole I'nlted States, and Its population Is rapidly Increasing. Manchuria would have insured the pos sesion of Corea and would have been also a base for a closer alliance with China." "But Is the country worth fighting about, senator?" I asked. "Both the Russians and the Japanese think so," replied Senator Beveridge. "Al most any nation would think so. Man churia Is an empire In Itself. Do you know how big It Is? It has grain growing territory enough to feed the whole of Ja pan's forty millions, and It Is so rich in coal and iron that the Japanese would have made It a beehive of factories. The country is as big as France and Germany combined. It Is twice as big as New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New England combined, and quite as rich in natural resources. Its value cannot be es timated." "But about the Russians, senator; they certainly have enough land?" "Have they?" replied Senator Beveridge. "It would seem so. but many Russians be lieve their empire is not fitted to support a great population, but still they now have enough room and to spare. But the Rus sians count time by centuries, not by days, months and weeks. They are al ways figuring upon the future. They have a population now of 140,000,000, or more than one-twelfth of all the people In the world. They are growing by the natural process of reproduction at the rate of 3.000.(00 a year. Without taking Into con sideration the Increase by geometrical ra tio. In ten years there will be 170,000.000 Russians and In fifty years there will be 9 0.iO0.000. Indeed, the csar will need more than Manchuria to house them." "What are the Russians doing there, senator? Are ihey really colonizing the country?" "They are settling along the line of the railroad." replied Senator Beveridge. "Many cf the soldiers bring their wives and families with them, the rallro.',! la borers come to stay, and the result U nat Russian villages are growing up along that road In the wilds of the far east. I remember stopping at towns on my way south which had all the Improvements of modern civilization. There were good stores, comfortable houses and first-class restau rants with French cooks. The bands played In the parks on Sunday, and all this in striking contrast with the mud houses and filthy streets of the Chinese towns adjoin ing them. The Russians are building a commercial port, on Tallenwan bay, and their cities along the Transsiberian road are rapidly growing. Indeed, there are towns uloug that road which have better department stores than Washington city." "How many troops have the Russians la Manchuria?" "Only the Russians know," replied Sen ator BeverldRe. "The soldiers have been brought In In small parties, but they are everywhere. It was estimated that there Vcre 60.000 In 1900. When I traveled over tho Chinese Eastern railroad In 1901 1 was tolil by a high military authority th.it the soldiers numbered 150,000 and they may have 200,000 or even 3O0.000 there today. With the new railroad thousands more can be rushed in. As you know, every man In Russia Is a soldier, nnd tho czir's available army numbers millions. "At the same time the Japanese troops are thoroiiRhly well organized. There are no better soldiers anywhere and no braver. On the one side the Japanese are fighting for their homes and on the oiher the Rus sians are fighting at the orders of their father, the czar, and at the same lime in the relief that It Is their duty to carry the cross Into China and thus Christianize the far east. That Is a point that Is not generally considered, but I am told the Russians believe that It Is their destiny to spread their religion over alt Asia." "In the trouble between Japan and Rus sia, what should be the policy of the Vnlted States?" "It should be that of a friendly neutral ity," replied the renator. "We are In the happy condition of b lng the closest friend of each nation. The Russians have a sen timental as well as a real friendship for us and so have the Japanese. Ru-isla was our friend at the time of the revolution, It aided us during the civil war, nnd it sold Alaska to us In pref"rence to any other nation. In return we have done many things to cement this friendship, and especially so during the famine of a few years ago. The Russians are appre ciative, and today, notwithstanding the efforts of other nations to make tho United States Russia's enemy, we are its strong est friend. "It is tho samo wlth Japan. Commo dore Perry, one of our naval oftlcers, opened up that country to modern civil ization, and since then we have always been fair nnd liberal In our dealings with it. In our diplomatic negotiations we have asked loss than other nations and given more. The result is that Japan regards the United States as her friend, and if the fight between her and Russia is car ried to finish we hhall be in a position to take advantage of the situation then, whatever it may be. if any nation is to receive anything from such a settlement wo at least shall not be left out." "You have met both Count ito of Japan and Sergius Wltte of Russia, the great st men of the two nations, Senator Beveridge. Tell me about them." "Physically they are as far apart as the p.les," replied Senator Beveridge. "Count ito is dark, short and stocky. Mr. Wltte Is roi'V-cheeked, tall, but broad shouldered. Both Men are very great and very quiet. I should say that Ito Is perhaps the great est Astatic now living and I thfhk one might say that Wltte Is the greatest Slav. Ito Is the civator of modern Japan. He wrote the constitution and he has been the adviser of the mikado since It was en acted. He Is cool, calculating, conservative and perfectly fearless At the same time he is as simple aa a child, "Sergius Wltte Is also simple. In fact, all really great men are unostentatious. It Is only the little fellow In a big place who puts on airs. Mr. Wltte makes you at home and talks to you In a low, quiet way, which Is very Impressive. You cannot help seeing that he Is great, nor feeling so when you realise what he has done. He started life as a railroad clerk at Odessa and rose to be manager of the rallroids of that part of the country. He was taken to St. Petersburg and given charge of the railroads of the empire and then made min ister of finance and the right hand of the czar. It Is largely due to him that the TransHiberian road was built so quickly. He has put the empire on a sound flnao clal basts and he Is today the power be hind the throne as to most matters in the far east. He Is a broad-gauge man. He sees the whole world as It changes from day to day and he knows how to take ad vantage of every change for the good of Russia." "Speaking of Russia's financial condition. Senator Beveridge. The empire Is heavily In debt. In the fight with Japan will the czar have enough for his needs?" "When war comes money usually comes also." said Senator Beveridge. "It may cost more, but It comes. Russia is a land of vast material resources, which it would take many mortgages to blanket, and Its government has the power of raising m ney without asking a congress or the peop'e to ratify Us act. "Take the matter of the liquor business, which Is now altogether in the hands of the government. Sergius Witte saw the enormous profits of the Russian rum sellers and he sent out word that after a certain time the government would make and sell all the Intoxicants used In the country. That time came, and today every drop of vodka or tr ndy consumed In Russia comes from the government stores. The business Is so handled that there Is less drunkeo- (Ooutinued on Page Fifteen.)