The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-11-11


revision and a convention of the six
teen powers has been held here a.
Toxic during the past two years. The
foreign ministers of the various power.
have been the members of this conYen-
ton, and, from what can learn, some
of its sessions have been very lively
ones. Governor Hubbard'I voice ha:
not been unheard in them, and Ameri-
cans here tell me, has made a bold
stand for American rights and Ameri-
can trade. He has also oontended fol
the recognition of Japan as an indie
pendent power, and Count Inouye, the
Japanese Secretary OF State and the
president of the conference, in acknol.
edging the receipt of President Cleve
lands message aliuding to treaty re-
vision, said that he gladly took the op-
| portunity TO thank the minister for the
bold and enlightened stands he had
taken in treaty revision. The last re-
port of the State Department at Wash
ington contained copy OF this letter oil
Count Inouye.
Some of our former ministers to
Japan we're so anxious to have the
treaties revised that they were willing
to concede to anything. Their friend
ship for Japan and it's progress was so
great that the Japanese government
paid little attention to them as factors
in the matter. America is with Us
anyhow" was their theory. and hence
the encouragement given 10 foreign
trade and to foreign importations was
placed where it would do the most
good. Whether by actual or implied
agreement. do not know, but it is
said that Germany and Eugland have
been favored over other countries, anG
merchant of Yokohama told me he
knew of Japanese merchants going
abroad to buy goods, who were refused
pass ports from the government to
leave Japan until they had agreed to
buy their goods in Germany. At any
rate, the statistics show that the Ger
man exports last year increased mil
lion and half. England and Germany
furnish the railroad supplies of Japan,
and in the letting of railroad contracts
by the government, the oth.r powers
have been favored over the Americans.
A year or so ago, General James b.
Wilson, an American representing q
large syndicate of American capitalists,
was here at Toxic. He offered to bid
for certain contracts for government
railways, if he could be told that the
contract would be given to the lowest
bidder. His request was neither re-
fused nor granted, though he was will
ing 10 agree to furnish all of the ma
te1ials tor these roads and their equip
ment, save the iron for the rails, at
price fully as low, if not lower, than
the lowest bidder. 1t afterwards be-
came an open secret that these roads
had been contracted for in advance by
the German and English capitalists,
and it was also not doubted as con-
side7stlon for the support of these gov
ernments in the revision of the treaties.
Governor Hubbard presented General
Wilson case, and he has at all oppor-
tunities pushed the rights of Ameri-
cans as the friends of Japan, to the
same chance in these contracts. The
result is, [ am told, that Americans
will, hereafter, have a fair competitive
show, and that American business will
be better now than it has been before,
provided the American manufacturers
suit themselves to the trade. In justice
to Japan, however, it should be stated
that their railroads were originally
started on the English system, and
that all the roads which have been
bull since that time in this part of
Japan have been made to run in cen
nection with these English built roads
Japan as its shops built with view
to supplying the machinery and the
materials for such roads, and the use
of American patterns would require
new machinery and an entire change IN
the railroad system. Itclaims, on this
ground, that the adoption would be
expensive and impracticable.
As to treaty revision, Japan was will
ing to throw her whole country open
to foreigners if this tariff regulation OF
per cent. upon imports and the con-
sular laws were abolished. She was
willing to adopt new code of laws,
and to have the cases of foreigners
tried in mixed courts, part of the
judges of which should be foreigners,
paid by the japanese government.
The conference, however. adjourned
without doing anything, and the same
laws prevail to-day. In going to the
interior of Japan, got through our
| 1eSdtIOu q p6SSpIII lIUu bue JdphuSSo
government, stating that l was about
to travel in a certain route, and that l
would visit certain places, and that the
trip was for health and scientific inves-
tigatlon. This passport is demanded
at every hotel at which stop, and it is
registered at the police station of every
village in which pass the night.
Governor Hubbard tells me that We
buy more from Japan than any other
foreign nation. Last year." said he
'our imports from this country
amounted to $1,000. 900 Japanese dol
lars, or about Is 900 600 American dol
Jars. We bought $11 900 O6O worth Of
her raw silk, and nearly 81 ,00O, 900 worth
of her teas. The fair cheeks of oul
ladies were cooled last year with $97, 0O(
worth of Japanese fans, and our noses
were wiped with $4,000 worth of jap
anese silk handkerchlefs. We buy
nearly $3.50 600 worth of porcelain
every year, and our imports of bamDoe
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