Conservative * 9
THE WORLD'S RAILWAY MILEAGE.
The total loiigth of railways iu the
world ut the commencement of the your
1899 was 400,500 miles. This is the
ruilougo arrived at by the Gorinnii rail
way journal Arohivfnr EiseuhahuwoBOii ,
which hns long made an auunul com
pilation of railway statistics for each
country. Of this grand total of lines
equivalent in length to nearly twenty
girdles around the earth Europe is
credited , inround numbers , with
107,600 miles ; North America has
218,000 , South America 27,000 , Asia
88,000 , Africa 11,000 , Australasia 14,500.
The United States alone at the date
named , a year and a half ago , had
180,800 miles , or 20,000 miles more than
all Europe. Railway building did not
progress so rapidly in 1898 as in some
former years , the total increase through
out the world being stated at 11,800
miles , which is less than the new con
struction of single years iu the United
States. But looking back twenty-four
years , we shall see that the growth of
railways has been marvelous. The
mileage of European lines increased
since the beginning of 1875 from 88,000
to 107,400 , a gain of 88,800 miles , or
over 100 per cent ; while in our own
country in the same period the growth
was from 72,885 to 180,800 miles , or 158
per cent.
In respect to total railway mileage
and to population per mile of road the
great nations show wide differences.
We compile a list of the principal conn-
tries , arranged in the order of greatest
mileage , the column of density of popu
lation often showing in reversed order
of progression :
The disproportion between different
countries in respect to the ratio of mile
age to population is impressive. Thus ,
assuming Great Britain , with 584 miles
of road to each million of inhabitants ,
as the standard for a well-peopled coun
try , then the United States , with a
population in 1898 of , say , 70,000,000 ,
would be entitled to only 87,800 miles of
railway , or one-fifth of the actual mile
age. On the other hand , British India ,
instead of only 21,500 miles of road , or
70 miles to each million of people , should
have 168,790 miles to be on a par with
i
Great Britain , and little Japan , by the
same reasoning , should have about eight
times its present mileage , or 28,500 miles
of road , instead of less than 8,000 miles.
Of course , area as well as population
is a vastly important factor to bo con
sidered in comparisons of this kind , and
hero wo find very different ratios. Great
Britain and Ireland have about 17)
miles of railway to each 100 square
miles of territory. On the same basis ,
the United States should have 588,000
miles , or 247,000 miles more than it had
lost year , and British India , instead of
less than 22,000 miles of road , has room
for 840,000 miles , without crowding the
lines any closer than they now lie in the
British isles. Similar comparisons might
be extended to many other lands , in
which railway development is as yet
small in proportion to area , thus show
ing that the world has room , as it will
in time have need , for an extent of rail
way mileage compared to which the
400,000 miles constituting the last re
ported total seems insignificant. The
railway builder and the supply man will
find ample scope for their energies dur
ing many succeeding generations.
Railway Age.
THE CHINESE SITUATION.
The reader may bo assisted in forming
an opinion touching the important
events which are happening now in
China by some account of the life of the
remarkable woman who is now the head
of the empire.
The Empress Regent Tzi An has had
a career full of startling changes , coups
d'etat and romance.
In her youth she was a servant girl at
a public inn. She became the secondary
wife of the Emperor Heinfuug. It is to
bo noted that secondary wives are not
concubines , who constitute a lower rank.
The concubines themselves are divided
into classes , there being first , second
and third classes.
The empress is now GO years old. She
has never received any foreigner except
Prince Henry of Prussia , in 1898 , and
the ladies of the legation in 1899. Her
own subjects never see her face. She
receives behind a screen. From 1801 to
1899 she never gave audiouco to any
foreign minister , and I believe that she
has not done so since. In 1889 the Em
peror Qnangssu assumed the reins of
government. The empress came promi
nently into public life after the allies
had taken Poking in 1800. This ovout
occurred October 18 , 1800. October 24 ,
1800 , the British treaty was inado and
the day after the French treaty.
Last year the Empress Dowogor became -
came alarmed lest the whole of China
would bo ceded to the foreign powers
and seized the reins of government with
her old but strong hands.
As the writer left China iu August ,
1898 , ho is unable to render an accurate
account of the facts which transpired
connected with this event.
When the empress attaiuod the ago of
00 , in 1894 , all the nations which wore
represented at Poking vied with each
other in showing her respect. Auto
graph letters wore written to her by all
the chiefs of state , including her own ,
and many handsome presents wore
forwarded. It would Boom that this
respect and esteem have changed to
infinite hate and loathing. It is under
stood that the foreigners in China re
gard her as the "anti-Christ , " the
opponent of progress , the prospective
murderer of the omporor.
Other people say , and I am inclined
to give some credence to their state
ment , that the empress is making a
desperate effort to save China from par
tition. It is claimed by well-informed
people that this is her supreme end and
purpose.
If this be true the people of the United
States should wisli her success. The
main purpose of American supremacy
today should be to prevent the partition
of China. If the empire is divided up
there will bo an end to our missionary J
work , except , perhaps , in the English
possessions. As for our commerce ,
which is so greatly developing , it will
bo constrained , cabined and confined.
There is no reason in the world why
Great Britain , Russia , Prance or Ger
many should have any greater right to
seize portions of China than we have.
Will any man formulate a reason why
wo have not eqxial rights in Asia with
the European powers ? Will any man
put on paper a decent argument why
they should have the exclusive right or
any right to take possession of the
provinces of China ? Wo have done as
much , or more , to introduce modem
civilization into Asia as they have. Out-
trade surpasses theirs , except England.
Our people are next to the English in
numbers.
That the powers should protect their
people from death or injury goes with
out saying , but must they necessarily
wipe out of existence a field of enter
prise which is the most promising in the
world for our people ? And must wo
stand idly by while the process goes on ?
The empress ruled China from 1801 to
1889. She had built up the dilllcult
edifice of foreign intercourse. She loft
her country at peace with the whole
world. She was reverenced by her own
people and respected by foreigners. It
is hard to believe that all this honorable
regard has boon forfeited.
The reign of the Empress Regent was
noticeable for a marked and general
progress iu a number of different direc
tions , especially commercial. Railroads
did not until recently win their way ,
but the foundation was laid for them.
The use of the oleotrio telegraph became
general.
The secret societies iu China have