Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 February 1899 — RUSSIANS AND CHINESE AT WAR [ARTICLE]

RUSSIANS AND CHINESE AT WAR

Collision Said to Have Been Canned by a Question of Taxes. A dispatch from Pekin states that a conflict occurred between the Russians and Chinese at Talienwan. About 100 Chinese are reported to have been killed. A question of taxes is said to have led to the collision. Another account of the collision at Talienwan says that 300 Chinese were killed by the Russians. The reported conflict between Russians and Chinese at Talienwan is believed to be fraught with possibilities of fresh troubles between England and Russia. Of late Russian re-enforcements have been pouring into the garrisons at Talienwan and Port Arthur, ostensibly because the natives are growing restless. England, who is ensconced just across the Straits of Pechili, at Wei-Hai-Wei, has viewed with jealous eyes the Russian occupation In the Liao-Tung peninsula. It is not unreasonable to’expect that England will make the killing of Chinese a ground for breaking up the pleasant Russian-Chinese relations. Russia occupied Talienwan something over a year ago, shortly after the occupation of Port Arthur. These moves of Russia caused great excitement in England, and at one time seemed about to result in war between the two countries. In the end, however, the British Government contented itself with occupying Wei-Hai-Wei, when Japan gave up that port, which had been held as security for the payment by China of the war indemnity. There have at various times been reports of friction between the Russians and Chinese in that region, through which Russia is now building the Manchooria extension the Siberian Railway.