Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-09-05
The Eranco-Chinpse War.

What does France mean by the promis
cuous slaughter of Cinnamon which j.
going on under her authority That is
question the answer to which would al
ready require sinall-SiZcd volume. :,
complicated have the claims and counter
claims growing out of the occupation o
lohqulh become. Back of that occupation
ltSrlf there is quite Il chapter of history
which never would have had any SEQUEL
however but for the hunger. SO suddenly
developed in France, for new colonies,
rms is partly the growth of unsatisticd
national vanity and partly the out
come "i very practical desire to
ma new markets for French pro
ducts. 1t has been nourished bv
rllF,,lll thlt the grtatnnSsant
wealth Of En rlUnI are due mainly to
i''f colonial possess ems. and that as there
remains comparatively little of the bar
parlSm world to be divided among the
commercial ANA Christian powers of En-
rope 1t was good time for France to go in
irr ncr share. Hence the expedition to
lilS the Operations, in MADAGASCAR, ana
the occupation of some of the chief towns
~ the delta Of the Red river of Anan.
M, latter business had such warrant as
lnlGht he derived from the share which
the throne of AnHm. toward the CLOSE of
IN" last century. and from II succession of
lfCa' les eNtOrtcd by force or guile from la
ter rulers of that Kingdom.
Ionquln Is simply the core of the king
dom OF Nnam. containing tWO-thirdS of its
population. and at least three fOurths of
what may be called its resources, OF
act ual wealth, there is very little in the
entire territory. whose chief value consists
IN the place II occupies ON the Chinese
FRONTIER. once forming part of the Cccs-
tla Empire, it did not cease to he regard
rd by the government at pckin as Il tribu-
larN state. That claim has been allowed
by some of the rulers of Anam. disalowed
ny others, as their interests or their Op-
pOrtunlticS prOmpted 1t soon became
plain. however, that the l'rcncl. could not
20 on treating these putcntatcs
rs independent. and cNtorting new
from them without com
ing into collision with China \ crisis
was reached in 1874 when TIlduc virtually
became the vL,Sal of France by signing he
treaty of Saigon in March, 1874. Agree
lng to and carrying ont this compact were
to ludlc quite different affairs. and 10y
way Of relieving himself from subsection
to France he made haste to revive the
icudalorN relation with China If that
were accepted rs binding there could. Of
COURSE, be no valid treaty between Anam
ANA amy foreign power, without the con
e'ut of the ,jlzcrain The Government at
ptlIn insisted most >rrnpu~ly that Ucca-
~ionaI acts of rebellion could not be held
To break the continuity of the frudatOry
relation, and prr"mptOrilN refused to re
cog!llIr the treaty Of Saigon.
me next chapter in thc dispute is that
which l. now closing in blOudShcd ON he
river VI n. 1t extends over four years in
WAich the three expeditions to Tunuun
nave been fitted ont. and beginning with
me occupation of Hanoi, the capital of the
province. II includes the surrender of Son
taN, Bach Sinh and other towns into the
hands of French galrisunS. Last May.
tn" intcrmlnablc dispute seemed to have
been finally adjusted BY the convention
Df llentSn an understanding was reached
in which, while the silzerain rights of
China were acknowledged. the French
of .\num was recognized. But
before the end of June everything
was in confusion again. Chinese garr
sons had been placed in some of the
towns Of Anam, and their withdrawal
was provided for by the stipulatiOns of the
May convention. The Chinese colnnan-
Ter at Lang Son refused to eVaCuate that
place. and French soldiers and sailors
were fired upon and killed. Hence new
'aSus bclli, demand for an indemnity and
he Smelling of Foo Chow by way of warn
ne and reprsal. 1t is n very pretty mud
Tie as it stands, and if the reported
slaughter of the French garrison in Ton
luin has any basis of truth. il may lead to
complications of very serious import.
But the root of the whole matter is.
hat the French wrnt to get control
u trading route leading into the
heart of China, and that the Chinese
are determined To prevent any more for
ign invasion of their national scclusion
/ they can. France, whose scattered col
)nieN not including Algeria. already cost
go 600 600 Il wear, and which pptS less i'm
he way OF substantial return for the out
ay man amy other power which supports
orelGn dependencies, would seem to he
naturally disqualified for making paving
abroad. The Frcnchman
ack> the Instinct of colonization. and
'rench bureaucratic methods are the most
irritating species OF government to which
lalt -ciYilized people or the traders of other
lationN can be subjected The sentiment
# tine world is probably no less adverse to
he utiiltN than to the morality of the
lonQuin acquisitions, and To make them
he occasion of war with such Il power rs
nina must provoke Intel national protest
not international interference,
W. G. 7. L.
The tenth annual meeting of the Yer
mont W, c. I, /. will he held in Middle
Jury September II. Is and 10. Free enter
ainment will he furnished To delegates /
md return checks over the principal rail .
Dads Mrs Hannah Whtall Smith is
i the Union Signal, Mrs. Mclaughlin .
+ Boston will deliver the annual address.
CHOLERA prevented and cured by the Use of
,Zonc Powder A. II disiuicctunt, ana ozone .
water administered internally.
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