The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-07-09
AMERICANS IN CHINA
The Number that Would be I'm.
mediately Affeete@.
BY A POLICY OF RETALIATION
On the Part of the Celestial Empire-They
Would be Less Than Two Thousand
Commercial Interests.

Especial toTHE HERALD-Examiner Dispatch1
New YORK, July S-The threat Of retail
alton made by Minister Tsui, China's repre-
sentative in Washington, in an interview
published yesterday, created a sensation
Merchants who deal with China and repre-
sentatives of China trading companies are
not disposed to discuss the matter for pub
LEGATION, however, as they claimed it was
not proper thing to do il view OF their re-
lations with both countries. Privately
they talked freely, and the president of one
of the companies, man who spent several
years in China, explained the situation this
way:
"There are not near as many Americans
in China now as there were some years
ago. Minister Denby in one of his reports
last year gave statistics and they showed
that there were only OPP Americans in
the entire empire, of whom ~ were adult
females, % minor females and 20 minor
/ boys, leaving balance CT SIS men. OF the
total there were in Shanghai 400, Mingpee
A, F'oOchow 81, Annoy Al, Canton 80,
Chinkiang 10, Han Kosw ~, Chefoo 81,
F'ieutsin. including Pekin lS6, and New
! Chawang u. OF total of 500 there were
missionaries %, in the customs service %,
in the diplomatic and consular service 8,
merchants %, mechanics IL. miners and
sailors So. These occupations are not
complete as only a number of the sailors
and diplomatic employees in Shanghai are
given. 1t will be seen that the American
eagle will not be afforded much OF an op-
| porGunity to scream If Americans are
| ordered out of China Nor is there much
| American capital invested there In 1886
there was in Shanghai alone over one
thousand Americans. One American
| IO1
American commanded the Chinese navy
Then there were eight or ten big Ameri-
can trading houses in Shanghai and now
there are only three or four. The change
is due to our governments bungling mode
of handling treaties with China. The
treaty arrangement made by President
Cleveland was good one, but the Senate
Could not rise above partisan politics and
bungled the treaty to prevent Cleveland
taking credit for it. ] don't attribute the
decrease of our business to the inference
of Congress. Now the theory that the ac-
ton of Congress had anything to do with
the apparent decrease Of exports cannot be
ascertained to have any foundation what
ever. The average Chinaman is not SEN
timental sort of person and will buy what
ever is cheapest that will answer his pur-
poses. If he knows anything about the ac-
ton of Congress, which is doubtful, he
would not be likely to care about il, since
his own government has assented to Chi
nese exclusion treaty.
A. NJ. Townsend, manager OF the Hong
, Kong and Shanghai Banking company, No.
; so Wall street, said: There are many
; Americans drawing handsome salaries in
the Chinese custom service and there are
several hundred American missionaries
scattered through the interior of that
country. They would probably be among
the earliest departures if Americans were
ordered to leave. We get tea, silks anC
f some other articles from China, and pay
S out more money than our exports bring
back, and consequently we would lose less
in money than she would if all intercourse
was prohibited between the two nations
. There is not much American money in
vested in China except in merchandise. Al
: American company did own large steam
. boat line running mainly up the Yangtsz,
: river, but sold it to the Chinese govern
\ ment. don't think there will be any act!
i of retaliation. The Chinese are conserv-
r alive, diplomatic people and not disposed I,
E seek trouble. They talk good deal, bu
U act cautiously"