The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-17

tInRencies. There IL reason TO believe.
however, that II the demand for LII HUNG
CHANCES dismissal and for the reclsion OF
recent Objectionable decrecs werc firmly
pressed by England and Backed by n naval
demonstration neart the Taku forts, the Pekin
Government would DO advised by Russia
to comply with It. For Russia to fight
now, when the Trnns-Slberian Railway
has only reached Irkutsk, some sixteen
hundred miles from Vladlvostock, would
be a blunder fatal to her hopes
Of early prcponderance on the Pacific coast
| Of Asia. At this juncturo England and
Japan would DO absolutely dominant at see,
and q force Of 100000 Japanese could DO
quickly placed upon the Asiatio mainland
for the purpose Of resstablishing the Shi-
monoseki treaty In lts original form, where
by Japan would acquire control Of Corea, the
Liau-tung peninsula and the whole Of Man.
churia, and thus erect q formidable bar to
Russia's plans OF southwark extension. II
the Russians were once expelled from Chi
nese territory, the privileges acquired blythe
Germans at Kiao Chou would be pared down
to next to nothing, and the hopes cherished
by the French Of similar gains in southern
China would be rudely dispelled. With the
Japanese i~nterposed as a bulwark against
Russian aggression from the north, theinter-
nal development Of China could be strenu-
ously pushed. and o new army and a v
could be organized under British super
vision. Under such circumstance the
threatened partition Of the Middle King
dom and the closing OF most Of It's ports to
English and American would
be deferred, possibly for q long time.
AS regards the respective interests OF
Russia and England in China, there is no
doubt as to the direction which American
sympathies would take. We do not forget
the traditional friendship of the House of
RoMANoFF nor the services which 1t has
rendered us. The sense OF self-preserva-
ton, however, compels us to wish to see
kept open the one vast n expanding out
let for American manufactures which exists
in the temperate zone. Our share in China's
foreign trade Is already next in respect Of
value to Great Britain's, and 1t is destined
to attain immense proportions contempora-
neously with Chinais internal development,
provided we continue to retain free access
to the markets of tho Middle Kingdom. To
concede such freedom OF access would be !
counter to the fixed policy of Russia and Of
her coadjutors in the Far East, Germany /
and France. Only through the reassertion
and reestablishment Of British influence at
Pekin and China's consequent recovery of
political independence and territorial in
tegrity can we be thoroughly assured Of a
vast extension Of our trade commensurate
with the increased demands Of a reinvigor-
Celestial Empire.
In the question Of China's future Ameri-
are vitality concerned. This country
Is rapidly becoming a great exporter of
products, and, II China were
to retain her independence and
peacefully to develop her natural resources,
should find In her an invaluable Gus
OF all the great European powers,
England alone is DESTROYS of upholding in
the Far East a state Of things propitious
for our actual and prospective relations with
the Middle Kingdom. We should be blind not
to recognize the fact that, with reference to
the Celestial Empire, there Is between the
English and ourselves q complete solidarity
Of interests. How far that recognition
should carry us need not be decided now.
Meanwhile we should not for a moment
underrate the gravity of the threatened
complications in eastern Asia, nor their
bearing on the present and
future welfare Of our people.