The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-01
THE BURLINGAME TREATY.
From the N. Y. World.

eve trust tile report is incorrect, which comes to
us from Hong Kong, So the effect that the treaty
nop 1s BY sa M
has been rejected at Pekin.'-Bu6atO Courier.
We do not share the regret for the loss of
the treaty which was so freely expressed by
our contemporaries before the publication of
Ross Brownies despatch contradicting the
report of it's rejection. According to Browne,
the treaty has not been rejected by the
Chinese Government, but its ratification has
been postponed until the return of Mr.. Bur
lingame and his embassy. Its fate is really
of little consequence, for 1t is a string of
empty verbiage without pith or substance
We should indeed be rather sorry to see Mr..
Burlingame's wings clipped and his vanity
mortified; andin the fact that the ChineseGov-
ernment is no hurry to ratify his treaty would
seem to indicate that the gushing demonstra-
tive confidence that led to his appointment
has undergone some abatement
Diplomacy of the Jratorical, festive order
does not, this year and last, seem to be at
tended with very good luck. Mr. Reverdy
Johnson is an able man; he was sent to Eng
land on mission of real Importance; in all
his dining and complimentary speech-making
he never lost sight of the business side of his
duties; the treaty he negotiated was a bust
ness-like document, which, had it been rati-
fed, would have settled an important contro-
versy His festive oratory, however unfor-
tunate in its results, was subsidiary to a more
solid object, and intended to promote it,
whereas Mr.. Burlingame's treaty was subsi-
! diary to the display part of his mission. 1t
| had no other intelligible purpose than to con-
! Vey an impression that so much diplomatic
! cackllng was not unaccompanled with the de-
| post of an egg. 1t is the emptiest and most
meaningless treaty Gas we showed on its first
! publication that was ever negotiated. Its
ratification by the Chinese government would
| bring no gain; its rejection no loss.
The regret felt III this country at the re-
| ported failure of the Burlingame treaty was
merely a regret that so much ostentatious
festivity and glorifcation should have borne
no fruit 1t certainly was not regret at the
| loss of any advantages which would have been
| secured by the treaty; for there is not man
in the United States who recollects, or can
state, any advantage, of any kind, which
would have resulted to this country from Its
ratification. The treaty. indeed, consisted OF
eight articles; but none of the eight had an.
meaning that was worth the paper on which
the draft of the treaty was written. AS fo
the fuss and festivity we got the value o.
that IN the enjoyment of it. Like virtue, II
was Its own reward. We can recollect no re
cent instance in which fuss and festivity, on
am international subject, have realized th'
hllanous predictions of the after-dinne
= | ,PNNSIioS anu eHerVeSclnB newspaper lea Ter
ny winch the bubble was blown. When the
whole nation gave wild welcome to Kos
: suth, 1t fondly and generously dreamt that
! was making great contribution to Huuga
: ran independence but not dollar of tn
IS material aid" given by our enthusiastic citi
e zens to kossuth ever found its way to Hun
g gary, and the hopes of independence sool
n after went into total eclipse and obscura
n ton. In the autumn of 1860, our country
Us men, with characteristic ardor and enthu
4 siasm, ran into frenzy of generous welcome
st on the arrival of the Prince of Wales Ou
re orators and editors were pretty unani
he nous in the opinion that fhe exu
'y berant hospitality which we lavished O
n the heir-apparent of the British crown. durin
those sunny autumn days, would knit tn
u two countries together in bonds of the closes
II friendship for the residue of two reigns; br
re before the next spring had put forth its bio
e, SONS in our tardy climate, the Queens Go
l. emment made haste to recognize the Rebe
d as belligerents; and from her ports were fitte
ry out the cruisers that destroyed our commerc
I'd and occasioned the claims for damages while