The record-union., 1894-12-29
OUR PLIGHT IN CHINA
How the Interests of the Nation Are
Looked After.


When left Shanghai the other day my
country's colors had not been seen in
that bay during the TWO months that
was in that neighborhood, but suddenly
the tiny little Concord came to break the
record of humiliation. She dropped
anchor beside a French, German, a
Russian, and four English war; vessels,
and her officers learned that the English
were to mass thirteen or fourteen tight
ing-ships there before the winter set in.
Such facts and comparisons hurt the soul
OF the Americans in China, and
one-a man of note among them
told me- the other day that he had
long acknowledged his nationality
with shame. He expected to be laughed
at when he admitted that ne was an
American, and he said that tor years,
when he had seen the ferry boat Monocacy
drifting sidewise into the harbor, his
gorge had risen in shame for his country.
Ii Is not that the Monocacy is not a valu-
able boat for service in shallow rivers. L
agree with the navy officials that it is of
great use. But IL Is not lit that it should
be left almost alone in China to represent
US year after year, while the other powers
develop trade and strength in the lee of
their great ships ana guns. 1t is not
lit that year alter year Americans should
be taunted with keeping their ships at
home or in Europe. 1t is not fit that
every Briton and German and French
man should say that our country sends a
petty tWo-penny fleet to Asia only to
have it held at Yokohama or some other
Japanese port, where the delights
of Japan are enjoyed at the cost of ma
tion's shame. We have not needed a
warship in Japan during twenty five
years, but in Annoy, Foo-Chow, Tien-
Tsin, Hongkong and Shanghai a dozen
of our best ships would have made the
oaff a do 81
citizens worth speaking of, which has not
been the case there in the same length of
time. On the contrary, the fact is las it
was expressed to me by one OF the Keen
est Americans who serve their country
in China) that "our Government owes it
to the missionaries IN China TO order
them all out OF the country until it can
mass It's best warships here to command
for US the respect which the shrewd
Chinese officials now see no reason to
grant u.s."
1t seems to me there is something
greatly amiss when have such state
ment made TO me on leaving China and
then come home and read in an inter
view with high American official that
sit is usually The custom for one or two
vessels to hold the station and for the rest
to go away, leaving it to those on the sta
ton, OF whatever nation, to look out for
the interests of all foreigners" Ii that is
the view OF our Governments; ii that Is
fair sample of our concern for our fellow
citizens, and If that is what American
pluck and pride has been reduced TO,
Heaven help this country. Such an ar
gument is on par with our putting our
selves in position where the only thing
we could do with the Japanese who came
to us for shelter was to turn them over
to the Chinese to be tortured and slain.
Our Government now says that the pro-
lection we offered to the Japanese was
protection Of their consular archives"
Positively, l say, that explanation comes
too late, for the acting Minister, the Con-
sui General and the Consuls who repre-
sented us in China when the japanese
students were arrested never so under
stood the role they were made to play.
When Mr.. Jernigan went to the Presi-
dent of the Imperial japanese Bank in
Shanghai and said to him, you and the
200 or 300 of your compatriots who are
here had better depart, and stay not on
the order of your going" that gentleman
was amazed. He supposed himself in
the shadow of the American flag. But he
was convinced that he had better go, and
he went, else literally hundreds of heads
would have followed those of the two
Japanese students who died as spies. Is
there any doubt of it? No American in
China doubts it. Witness the fate of the
peaceful, deyout old Japanese priest who
was dragged from his pious retreat at
Ning-Po and beheaded as a spy the
while the Chinese told our Consul at that
port that it was none of his business why
the priest had been arrested. Ii these
things are not true it will be easy to dis
miss them. If they are true, L am in
duty bound to write of them.-Harper's
WpaklV