River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-04-24
RAILWAYS IN CHINA.
The Ptgtafied Celestials VIII Soon Hear
the IucomnfIve WhistIe

the Locomotive whistle.
Two of the most powerful nations OF
the world are calling attention to-day
TO new departure in internal affairs
in accord with modern progress. Russia
viii build a line of railway through ST.
IBERIA, and China, so long reluctant TO
| admit this factor III her civilization,
will connect her capital city and one of
her chief ports with banks of steel.
The announcement that line of rail-
way is actually to be built under the
authority of the imperial government,
from Pekin to the Yang -tse- Kiang,
through the most populous and fertile
region of China, is one which serves to
attract the attention and arouse the in
| terest of the entire civilized world.
| We have been accustomed to regard
China as wholly lacking in that ener-
getic enterprise essential to thorough
civilization and rapid advancement.
The current number of the Nineteenth
| Century Review contains a paper from
| the pen of representative Chinaman,
the late secretary of the Chinese Lega-
ton in London, giving an exhaustive
review of this important topic. From
| this it appears that the people of the
| Flowery kingdom do not greatly differ
| from those of other nations, and that
| the same sentiments have served to
keep China IN a conservative position
as have actuated the people of England
and of our country whenever any radical
| innovation in established customs has
been made. Some still living re-
member the antagonism which was
/ aroused TO a considerable extent in the
| popular mind in this country against the
introduction of steam railways. 1t was
urged that to build and operate railways
would be to throw out of employment
large and worthy class of laborers, and
that the horse would soon become an
unknown animal if he were supplanted
by the locomotive engine 1t appears
that it is precisely these arguments
which have kept this old and conserva-
tive country of China so long in the
background of modern progress. 1t has
also been urged that to build railways
penetrating into the interior of the
country would be to afford assistance TO
enemies in time of invasion.
1t is true that this is not the first at
tempt to introduce the railway into
China. In 1876 small piece of road
was built from Shanghai and Woosung.
But this work was planned and built by
foreigners, and although with the con-
sent of the authorities of Shanghai it
was not with the consent of the general
government. The suspicion of foreign
ers natural TO the Chinese interfered to
| prevent the complete success of the en-
terprise. In the next year the plant
was removed to the island of Formosa,
the Governor of which has long been
heartily in favor of the introduction of
railways into the kingdom
Later, when the government began to
consider seriously this subject, doubt
was raised as to the ability OF the Chi
nese people themselves to carry out the
scheme without foreign assistance. In
order to test this line between eighty
and ninety miles in length was built.
stretching from Tiang Shan to Tientsin,
the commercial port nearest to Pel1in.
This line was built mainly Nv Chinese
capital, and the enterprise managed by
men of that country. Thus was demon
strated the ability OF the Chinese to
manage such enterprises, and the wav
was opened to the contamination of the
more ambitious project now in contem-
| plation.
1t will be readily understood that so
great an undertaking, involving, as is
estimated, the expenditure of the sum
of $50, 900, 900, is of no small importance
to China. But the government has taken
alarm at the rapidly growing balance of
| trade against the country, and has
awakened to the fact that the methods
of more enterprislng, If younger, ma
tions must be adopted in order to main
tain its commercial position. The intro
duction of railways into China, now an
assured fact, can not fail to have its ef-
feet upon our country. We are now in
close commercial relations with China,
and our opportunity for making these re-
lations still more intimate is of the best.
The construction of this great line of
railway into the heart of China will
necessarily lead TO the construction of
more in the future. Although itself
wealthy nation, China will doubtless
look abroad for the purchase of por-
ton, at least, of it's railway securities.
Moreover, China has not to-day the ia
cilities for producing the materials for
the construction of this railway and the
rolling stock for its equipment The
attention, then, of both financiers and
mechanicians will for the next few
years be turned toward China.-Boston
Adyarficar