The Saint Paul globe., 1898-01-30
OAL AND IRON RESOURCES.

aged.
Copyrighted, 1898, by Frank G. Carpenter.)
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 27.--Dur-
lg the past summer and fall three
nited States senators have been travel
lg through China and Japan investi-
ating the commercial and industrial
Conditions of the people, and looking
lto all matters of interest to the United
itateS. This senatorial trio was made
p Of former Senator Dubois, of Idaho
nd Senators Frank Pettigrew, of South
Z Dakota, and Frank Cannon, of Utah,
Who are still in congress. These men
eft for China at the close of the last
/ ession and arrived home just before the
present session began. During their
ravels they have visited nearly every
art of Japan, have spent some months
n central and north China, consulting
With Ii Hung Chang and other nabobs
II Peking, and taking an overland trip
o the great Chinese wall. The men are
noted for their practical business sense
md their observations cannot but be Of
he greatest value.
e CANNON CHATS OF CHINA.
/ had long interview the other night
with Senator Frank Cannon about his
tIip. He has come back impressed with
1 the greatness of the Chinese and full Of
new IDEAS concerning their future Said
Inc:
I'VE people of the Western world
know but little of the Chinese. We have
thought that they were sinking back
land going into a decline. My impress
sion is that they are simply crouching
to spring at the rest of the world. 1
think that they will have all the rest of
mankind by the throat inside of a gen
'eration. If Russia, Germany and Eng
land divide UP China, they will only
stimulate her productive powers. They
will organize the Chinese, and the 400,
100000 people of the Chinese empire will
become producers. The foreigners will
introduce modern machinery, and this
will multiply the possible amount of
production from five to a hundredfold.
tell you it will revolutionize the world,
and the change will be almost instan-
taneous"
Don't you think you exaggerate the
Shility Of the Chinese. sena tor?"
mot Bit" replied Senator Cannon.
''They are wonderful people. Take d
little incident that happened while we
were in Peking We were going to visit
the astronomical Instruments of what
is called the Chinese observatory on the
wall which runs about the city There
are magnificent spheres and hemis
pheres of bronze there which were made
about 300 years ago, and which are al
most perfect now. We had as a guide
little half-naked, dirty Chinaman, not
more than fourteen years old. He look
ed meaner ard more ignorant than any
ragamuf1in ,jou can pick up on the
street here today. When he had guild
ed us to the top of the wall, he climb
ed upon the great celestial globe and
with his dirty finger pointed out to US
the various consultations. He seemed
to know all about astronomy and de-
scribed what every instrument was for.
The Chinese can learn anything. Some
of them have come here to school. They
stand high in their classes. They can
handle machinery and they are. I be-
lieve, the best raw material in the way
OF man to be found in the industrial
world Of today"
THE RESOURCES OF CHINA.
Speaking of raw materials senator;
did you learn anything about the ma
tural resources of China ?''
'"They are wonderful" replied Sena-
tor Cannon. China has a greater va
riety and wealth of mineral resources
than any other country on earth. My
special attention was called to the
provinces of Shansee and Honan, the
first of which is just a little larger than
New York, and the second of which is
smaller than Kansas. Those two states
support by farming population of
nearly forty millions, and at the same
time they have more coal and iron
close together than has ever been
found in any part of the United States
The people are living now by what
they get out of their soil by agricul-
ture. If the foreigners divide up
China, they will add to this manu-
featuring product far greater than the
agricultural one. China has soil that
will produce cotton in any quantity
They can raise long staple cotton, and
their latitudinal range for cotton is
three times that of the United States
The cotton manufactured in China is
all native cotton, and they are putting
up many new cotton mills. Why, they
raise cotton, wheat and beans in the
same field, and I was told they have
DeeH- GOlIS lnlS LOT lnI6e InOuSdnQ
years"
NEW RAILWAYS IN CHINA.
did you find any railroad building
going on, senator?"
"Some, but not a great DEAL" re-
piled Senator Cannon. I'VE went over
a railroad from Tientsin to Tung- Chow
on our way to Peking. The cars were
very good. They were built in China
and cost less than any cars in the
world. The new roads are we'll built,
and those which are now planned will
open up a country containing more
than one hundred million people The
Chinese patronize the roads, and l
have no doubt but that they will pay
well. AS yet, however, boats and
wheelbarrows form the chief freight
and passenger cars of the country. In
going to the. Chinese wall l rode most
Of the way on a donkey. l took a
short ride on a wheelbarrow, and dur
ing part Of my travels [ rode in a
Chinese cart which is about the hare.
est method of travel 1 have ever
known"
Ii HUNG CHANG IN 1898.
"By the way, senator, did you meet
Ii Hung Chang during your stay in
China?'
Yes" was the renIv eve Snent a,,