The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-01

| sung Road Company sold their franchise to
another corporation calling itself the Woo
sung Tramway Company, Incorporated
under British law. Although the Chinese
had only faint idea OF what n tramway
| was, the change Of name excited their suspi-
cion. The company hurried up the construc-
tion OF the roadbcd, In the prosecution Of the
work regarding the rights Of adjacent land
holders with perfect indifference. throwing
| up ombankmcnts, obstruciing paths, block
| ing rights Of way of immcmoral antiquity,
and In some cases liling in waterways and
intcrrupting boat traffic. In this manner the
new road incurred the violent hostility Of
the dcnscly populated region which ii
travcrscd. Several riots occurred, and at
one time there was no little danger of the
destruction of the fraudulent railroad by
the cnragcd Celcstials.
The next step in the plot was an applca-
ton for permit 10 import, free Of duty, tho
necessary material for a wagon road"
The trick was successful, and the company
sent abroad for rails cars, and locomotives.
About this time the Toatn discovered the
real intentions Of the corporatorr, and with
drew his sanction. SEWARD was then in
Hong Kong recruiting his health He
officially wrote as follows to BRADFORD. his
Vice-Consul ut Shanghai:
~ have learned that an engineer has arrived from
England To- prosecute the construction the sulnuf
from shanghai to woosung II l. altogether likely that
h, Chinese authorities viii object to the work and an
real To you to RESTRAIN any Of countrymcn who may
lc concerned In it. Every step taken thu. tar has
regular ant dccu.hc saving perhaps that from ,irfiy
~ point II view the ultimate ~ Should have been
declared nom the uut~t Thah 0n po.h Las,d ,ieoi n,
'Hfeft1r, ho' run ie no b-'L
~ mn ir,c e. say that sNmpath1c most kccnly with
hr omuers They are striving To- confer benefit upon
the Chinese. They believe that they have " rehi Ia
hud " rohd over ground which they have bought aud
paid tor The promoters have been largely our country.
men Tie corporation has become Hfiush'
SEWARD then goes on TO advise his sub
ordinate how TO continue to bamboozle the
Chinese There will be no WISDOM" ne
writes, lin assuming more II right Ia the
premises than we can do with Justice" We
should say mott 81 would avoid" he con-
tinucs, ANY declaration which would call
In question the sovereignty OF the Emperor
over the soil, and the right of his Govern
mcnt to control works of public nature"
This was, indeed, considerable in SEWARD
Tho arguments TO be employed, he instructs
BRADFORD, are 20 be chiefly of an cxpostu-
latory and soothing sort.
We could hardly ask from Mr. GEORGE +.
SEWARD clearer admissions Of the dishon-
urablo part which he has played IN this mat
ter than are set forth in the letter from
which We have made the extracts above. 1t
contains IN its very first paragraph evil
dencc of the deception which he and his as
sociatcs had prdctiscd ON the Chinese. We
doubt whether the archives Of the State De-
partment contain n more remarkable or
more discrcditablc document. Every step
taken thus far he says, has been regular
and delensibe"
The Toatai sent n despatch 10 the British
Consul requesting that the work bc sus-
pended. The company paying no attention
To the warning, began To lay the rails The
authorities threatened to tear up the road
The company threatened In return toempl, v
"A gunboat to prevent them. And so the affair
went on between the owners OF the soil and
the foreign spectators, until at Nankn. in
the mcnacing presence Of men-of-war. no.
gotiations were completed by which the
Emperor Government secured peace. and
SEWARD and the other greedy foreigners
secured profit by the sale of the road for
about 100000 tacls nearly $4,000. This is
the history Of the first railroad in China.
We have said that the Imperial Govern
ment makes an intelligent use Of the unin-
telhgcnt prejudice Of the Chinese people
against railroads and steam engines The
Government Is not ignorant of the advan-
tagos OF steam transportation. For many
years Il has been in receipt Of accurate in
formation Of the progress of civilization in
other lands. But IT believes that the intro
duction Of railroads at the present time
would deprive vast numbers Of its subjects
Of thoir means of livelihood, and perhaps
put In icopardy the existence Of the Govern
mont itself II knows furthermore. that
railroads in China, owned and operated 10y
foreigners, would open the way to inuuya-
tlons and aggrcssiOns which, from the Chi
ncse point OF view, are not to hc cuutcnl-
plated without grave approximations. With
tho example Of highlands operations in
India on tine one hand, and with the menace
OF Russia advance on hcrnOrthcrn frontier,
the attitude of China toward foreign enter
prise Is neither unWiso nor surprising. Tho
suppression of the Wousung Railroad is
part of n clearly defined and rational policy
a policy which the Empcrors Government
has right Ia maintain
The connection of the present American
Minister with this disgracoful business
ought to be thoroughly inVrstipntpl