Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-11-19
PRESS COMMENTS.
Why Should We Play EngIand's Game
(N. Y. SUM-

| tool. as he did when he ordered the Amer
| lean flag to be hauled down In HaWall.
He seems to be envious of the plaudlts
with which Prof Wilson's declaration OF
| free trade opinions was received III Loh-
don. and to aim at becoming first favorlte
himself by stopping the war IN the 1ar
east, which threatens serious damage 10
| England's commercial interests and naval
ascendency in the Pacific. Nothing Is
easier than to show that Gresham oHer
to mediate between Japan and emma can
not have been spontaneous, but must nave
been secretly suggested by the British fof-
eign office Why do we say this: because
no such offer could be prompted by mo-
tives of intelligent humanity, seeing that
the effect of its acceptance would DE 10
Drop the rotten Manchu dynasty, whose
downfall is passionately desired by the
Chinese themselves Neither can it have
been dictated by patriotic regard 1or
American interests, for with the advent
of a new and honest government at re
kin, the United States would have
bright prospect of supplanting Great
Britain as the principal purveyor to the
Middle Kingdom as well as to Japan.
The worst thing that in our time has
China, who have never shown any craving
for foreign conauests, and who ask for
nothing but an honest enforcement OF
the laws and a rightful use of the reven-
ues, was the suppression of the Taeplng
rebellion. That was national uprising
against the corrupt and effete rule OF the
Manchus at Pekin, and the collapse OF IL
was brought about mainly through the
| aid of foreigners, one of whom, uoruon,
| lived to regret the part he played IN 1t,
when a multitude of prisoners, who had
surrendered in reliance on this promise OF
amnesty, were massacred. One reason 1or
the hatred with which the Chinese have
come to regard Europeans, is the convlc-
ton, justified by the conduct of England,
that Europe is disposed to strengthen the
hands of their Manchu tyrants. The sole
hope left to a Chinese patriot is that the
detested Manchus may be so discredlted
in this contest with the Japanese that
European states will be ashamed to op-
struct the rise to power OF "a natlVe
Chinese sovereign. There is no lack OF
candidates well known to the secret So
cieties; Of the last native dynasty, the
Ming, and of earlier native reigning fam
! lilies, there are descendants living. 1t mas
! been the experience of China from time
immemorial that only by violent change
of dynasties can the all-pervasive rotten
ness of bad government be got rid of,
and, for a term, at least, regime of
prObity and justice be secured. There Is
ground for suspecting that the native
Chinese, whose aspirations find agents
! in the secret societies. desire the destruc-
ton of the Manchus by the japanese, and
that this wish accounts in some degree
| for the unbroken series of defeats suffered
by China's naval and military forces
No one, at all events, whether native or
| foreigner, who is cOnverSant with the ac-
tual state of things in the Middle King
dom, can doubt that the speedy overthrow
of the present Pekin government would
be boon to the Chinese people, and a
condition precedent to their advance in
civilization. BY those on lockers who are
both humane and well informed, itwould
be hailed as ferventiy as was the fall of the
corrupt and worthless government of
Napoleon III. in France.
Why, then, should the United States
push forward and offer to mediate be
tween Japan and China before the loss of
Mukden and Pekin has compelled the
Manchu rulers to- give way to more up
right and enlightened sovereigns? Avow-
able reason there is none, but there is an
unavowed one namely, that whereas
Japan would not for moment accept the
mediation of England, the United States
might be used to pull Englands chest
nuts out of the fire. The assumption is
cherished that the Mikado's counsellors
may be deluded into confounding the
! opinions and wishes of Secretary Gresham
with those of the American people. No
graver mistake could be made, and the
japanese diplomatists at Washington will
serve their country i'll if they do not make
! the fact known betimes at Toxic. In the
! Hawaiian matter, Gresham IN and his chief,
! who had subserved England's interests,
were halted brought to book, and made
| TO drain the cup of humiliation. A SINH
| lar act of knuckling to England was on
| the point of being performed by our state
department at the outset of the quarrel
between China and Japan, when, luckily,
1t was prevented by timely exposure of
the design and a vehement appeal to public
sentiment by the American press. We re-
fer to the original scheme urged by Sir Ju-
j liam Pauncefote, whereby our government
was to combine with England and other
European powers in such an interpositiOn,
as under the mask of philanthropy should
avoid the betrayal of the weakness of the
Manchu dynasty, and the advent of
changes fatal to England's commercial
predominance in the Middle Kingdom.
The cooperation of the United States was
indispensable in order to assure the
neutrality of Russia and France and Ores
ham was on the eve of giving it when an
outburst of indignation from the press
made him shiver at the thought of facing
a second Hawaiian incident.
Gresham now plumes himself on the
second thought that led him to decline
participation in the plan of joint interven-
| ton first proposed but he deceives himself
in thinking that by contrasting his form
er reluctant refusal to join England with
his present protfer of mediation he can
pull the wool over the eyes of intelligent
Americans. What England wants is an
immediate arrest of the war in the far east
before the Manchu rulers at Pekin, through
whom she has acquired her trading ascend
cncy in China, are hopelessly discredited.
| That selfish aim could be attained just as
well should Gresham's 5 offer of meditation
4 be accepted, as through the formerly pro-
| jected interposition of all the great pow
ers What England would gain is clear