Birmingham age-herald., 1895-07-09
MR FOSTER ON THE TREATY China's Guide, Philosopher and
 Friend Talks at Length. PEACE WILL BE PERMANENT
Great Britain Lost Caste by Not intervening d
 the Proper Time.
TIE UNITED STATES GoBBleD TIE GLORY
China Will Not Default on the Loan-How Japan's Demands Were Abated at the Instance of the Ameri-
 can Diplomat.

1 Washington, July S-Hon John w. 1 Foster has arrived at his home in this | city from China, where he served as 1 counsellor to the Chinese peace envoys 1 in the negotiations to end the Chinese | Japanese war.
 | Mir Foster has been absent from Wash l ington on this mission nearly seven 1 months, having started on the 22d of De- | cember last. Until the day he left Shang l hai for home, after having accompanied l Lord Lii to Formosa to transfer that is | land to the Japanese in accordance with l the terms of the treaty of Shimonoseki,
 MT. Foster was engaged almost night and | day in the labors of his office, and he l comes back somewhat fatigued and ready | for a summers rest.
 In conversation with a reporter this | afternoon MT. Foster was asked for his 1 opinion of the prospects for permanent 1 peace with China and Japan as the result | oI the treaty or ShimonosekI. lie replied: "l Is good reason to expect per manent peace between the two empares. | | ne terms demanded by Japan may be | regarded as reasonable especially Tn N1ew l qf the retfugresslon Of the Llao-Tung 1 peninsula Inc treaty has been op- | served and carried out by China With
 scrupulous good faith. Her conduct in | tnls respect las created very favorable impressIOn in Japan.
 "Cable dispatches announcing the con- | cluSlon or the arrangements tor a loan or | fSU, UOV, ,000 to Cnlna contain .speculatlonS | as to China's ability to meet her obllga- | tons to Japan. Is there any warrant ioh | the intimatlon that she will fail in that 1 regard?
 T think not. The proceeds of the loan | which she has placed through Russian | influence will enable China to pay the | first two miscellaneous of the indemnity. l These two nstallments cover half of the | indemnity, and the balance, extending | over d period of six years, Wall be coms | paratively easy burden for the Chinese | l,overnment 1T any skill whatever is | shown in the management of the imperial revenues. The country has great re- | sources end has never yet failed in its | financial engagements. Hence the peace l concluded at Shimonosekl IS not nkely to 1 be broken on account of the shortcomings | of China If rupture occurs 1t is more | likely to be brought about by the inter- | nleddling of the European powers | What is thought of the attitude or | these parties to the recent contest! ''The intervention of Russia on account l of the terms of peace was not understood, 1 but it is not unnatural, in view Of her | predominating interest in the orient, es- 1 pecially on the north Pacific coast of | Asia That France followed the lead of | Russia created no surprise in the east, l put that trPFUidHy diiitC "'th 1 them in a display of force against Japan l was entirely unexpected and is not yet understood British residents in China | and Japan are very bitter in their crit l icism of their government for Its absten- 1 ton in the matter. They allege that it's | failure to join with other powers in re- arranging the terms of peace has lost for | their country much prestige and has left 1 Russia a free hand in it's influence and control at Pekin. Of all the countries | Automatically concerned in the contest | the United States has come out of 1t with l better grace than any other" said MT. Foster.
 Why is that?"
 "Because from the first her interest I has been recognized by both belligerents l as purely disnterested, her only desire | to be to render such service as would | bring about an honorable and lasting l peace. The conduct of the state depart l ment in its very delicate relations with | both combatants has been marked with 1 judgment and by few mistakes, and the l good offices of our ministers and consuls l in China and Japan, where they repre- l sent the interests of both governments, l have been very useful and are highly ap- | preciated by both nations"
 l MT. Foster was asked why he declined | to accept the offer to remain In China l as the adviser of the government, the l first ever made to any foreigner to enter l into the councils of that nation. He 1 answered that during the past twenty l five years he had spent the greater DOT l tion of his time in foreign lands and | that while his residences abroad had | been generally pleasant he had found no ! country equal to his native land. and | he desired to spend the rest of his days | in his country and his own home. He admitted, however, that if the invitation had come five or ten years earlier in his | career he would probably not have de- | clined it.
 1,s. -to
 mands of Japan were reasonable in view of the conditions prevailing at the time the negotiations began, make pertinent a summary of what Japan was induced to abate from these demands, which il- illustrates the value to China of his serv-- ice, inasmuch as Chinese authority con
 cedes that but for MT Fosters presence at Shimonosed and Chee Foo there prob
 ably would have been no agreement be- tween the parties.
 The Pekin Times, in an editorial re- view of the negotiations in the issue con taining the document and history of the treaty, says that the document as finally promulgated showed an abatement of one-third, $144, 100000, of the amount of the indemnity claimed; the reduction by one-half of the area of territory claimed
 on the main land, the Liao Tung penin-
 sula, which Japan promised Russia to return to China; the reduction of the
 payment to be made to China of the cost
 of the Japanese army, of occupation
 pending the performance of the treaty
 obligations to China, from the whole es-
 timated sum ($1 ,000) to one-fourth of
 the cost ($400, ,000); the restriction of oc-
 cupation of Chinese territory by Japa-
 nese troops to one post. Wei-Hai-Wei,
 in the province of Shan Tung. and the abandonment of the right to occupy Feng Tieng Flu (Moukden). in the prov nce of shan Tung. There was also complete abandonment by Japan of the claim for special privileges to her sub jects trading in China, the immunity from, certain taxation imposed by China