Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-10-17
The Position ofForergners in china.

Although the treaties with the Chinese
Government, have given them many
rights and privileges formerly denied,
the position Of foreigners in China must
continue 20 be one Of much delicacy and
danger. The Chinese have abandoned
their policy of isolation, but there are
many signs that they would not be
loath to utilize their new knowledge and
their vastly improved military resources
with the view of returning to it. The
readiness with which the Chinese au
thorities accepted line of conduct In
direct contravention of precedent, and
in more or less subservience to foreign
views, was due as much to a sense of
their own internal difficulties as to any
inclination to admit European SUPERIOR
ty. 1t cannot be too emphatically I'M
pressed on those having the conduct of
relations with the Chinese, that the
China of to-day is very differently stu
ated IN its capacity for war from the
CHINA of twenty years ago. We do not
suppose that any design has been sug-
gestej for the putting in force of q
scheme to expel foreigners generally by
even the most Chauvinist member of
the Palace faction, usually designated
the War Party, but certainly of late an
increasing disposition has been shown
to MAINTAIN the dignity of the Empire and
to assert its sovereign rights. SO far.
questions of trade and the presence of
foreigners In the treaty ports and other
places III the country have not interfered
IN any way with the exercise Of the En-
peror's power; but the attempt to force
trade in new regions by either open con-
quest or ignoring the views OF the
Chinese themselves, Is certain to pro-
woke retaliatory measures against the
persons and property of those who are
within the reach of Chinese action. The
rights which foreigners possess In China
have been won by an unce asing contest
with the antipathy and duplicity OF the
Celestials themselves. They represent
the results and the prize OF the best OF
alliances. Not hundred years ago IN
nocent foreigners were surrendered to
certain death IN order that the Chinese
might not close one port of trade. Less
than half century ago English mer-
chants were willing 10 hand over their
property 10 destruction in order to save
their lives; and the record of intercourse
down almost to the present day Is full
of passages of personal suffering and
national injury. The conditions Of our
relations with q proud and despotic
Government must always include mar y
elements of peril and uncertainty, but
IF the PLAN facts in connection with the
foreign intercourse continue to be re-
allied by the Government of Europe
ana America IN the same way as IN the
past, there Is every reas oil to hope that
the happily existing condition OF things
may be preserved. But it must be re
membered that the stronger China be-
comes; and the more independent she
may feel of the assistance of others, the
greater will be the danger of any un-
Justifable act on the part of the foreign
Government bringing the persons OF all
foreigners into jeopardy of their lives.
The position of foreigners in China even
now rests on no surer basis than the as
sumption that their Governments co..
lectlvely, and that of England alone
perhaps singly, are more powerful than
China, and that an anti-ioreign policy
woulu be resented and resisted by them
all. We cannot be expected to sympa-
Ihize with or TO approve of uniustifiable
action on the part ot France In Tonquin
any more than we should sanction Rus
sia's aggression in Corea, yet none the
less does division OF opinion among the
Powers weaken the position OF foreigners.
The long-looked TOR opportunity of the
extreme party, headed by the Mancbu
princes, would have come, if that diver
sity OF opinion were TO lead to opposite
action ON the part of England and
France,