The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1881-05-21

THE Senate of the United States has at
length ratified the new treaties with China.
The manner in which the subject has been
dealt with by the press and in political
speeches in America shows that this has
been done in Difference to the clamor of the
population on the Pacific coast, and not to
any conviction that it is a wise, or states
manlike measure. The general feeling in
the Eastern and Central States has evident
" been, that whatever evils flow from the
presence of large numbers of Chinese
laborers in a community are more likely to
be understood by those who actually ex-
p~erience them, han by those who merely
look on from a distance. The people Of the
Pacific States nave made a great deal of
noise on the subject and nave demanded
considerably more that this treaty will give
them. A feeling has prevailed that there
ought to be some attention paid to their
wishes, and since the Chinese Government,
in return for concessions which seem to the
American people very trivial, is willing to
enter into this treaty (Which the Califor-
mans approve as a step in the direction of
what they want the popular desire has
been that it should be ratified. The all but
unanimous vote of the Senate on its rati-
fication fairly represents the feeling of the
nation. Nevertheless there are not want
ing, in the United States, those who feel
that, in the matter of this treaty, the
American Government has simply been
outwitted by the clever diplOmatists who
manage her foreign affairs for China. The
Americans think that they w obtained
about all they wanted in the way of right
to control Chinese immigration and given
scarcely anything in exchange for it. AS
to the opium trade of which America has
now sOlemnly washed her hands, why
she never produced any opium, and
having none to sell, thinks she
has only surrendered a shadow in return
for the substance she has secured. Mean
while, there is a high moral tone about this
undertaking to abstain from the traffic in
this soul destroying drug. But the few who
really understand what the surrender
means, do not find much compensation in
the grandeur of this moral sacrifice for
this new blow at the unfortunate mercantile
marine of America. To quote the words of
one writing On the spot, the treaty will
prove most disastrous to American shipping
in Chinese waters, and will give up the
whole local carrying trade, coast and river,
to English and German shipping. 1t sub
sidizes the vessels of other nations by the
amount of the freight money on opium
which is sufficient, in the close competition
of that trade, to settle the question and drive
the American flag from those waters" AS
the Chinese Government officials are large
ly interested in the steam shipping which
sails under the Chinese flag, they never
lose an opportunity to throw traffic, former
ly in the hands of foreigners, into that
channel. They nave cozened the British
Governor of Hong Kong into a course
which has given the coolie trade to these is
lands into the hand of the Cantonese. Now,
by the new treaty with America, they have
put the vessels of that nation out of the
field of competition for the local carrying
traffic, in respect of which both English
and Germans are feeling the influence of
the Chinese steam companies. But the
Chinese statesmen may be credited with
far further reaching motives han these in
concluding the new treaties with America.
Agitations against Chinese immigration
similar to that of the Californians have
long prevailed in the British Colonies of
the South and nave of late grown very
noisy. All this is known in China, and no
doubt the hope is entertained there that a
revision of the treaties with England may
be wanted some day. A precedent which
suits China very much has been established,
and the best possible use will be made of it
in any future negotiations with other
foreign nations.