The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-17


| ere. Price 25 cents. Sold by all druggists.
/ The only Pills to take with Hoods Sarsapariila
some railroad concessions were made in
the empire and while England and Russia
have contended alternately for privileges
which would favor the one or the other,
there has until the present year. been
/ granted no railroad concession which as
pires to tap the country in way to bring
an of its wonderful resources within easy
reach of the civilized world.
How Present Franchise Was Won.
Early in the present year ex-senator Cal
win S. Brice, who was associated with the
previous railroad scheme, and Frederick
Z. Olcott, president Of the Central Trust
Company, came together with the idea
of rejuVeuating the proposition of a Chi
nese railroad franchise. They felt that the
old project had, been abandoned prema-
turely; that at least the situation might
now be reviewed and placed before the Chi
nese government through the medium OF
the Chinese minister in Washington, wa
Ting Fang, much Travelled well educated
and altogether wen intennoned official. In
conjunction with Thurlow Weed Barnes
they began series of communications
with the Chinese government. which were
meant 10 prepare the way for more eX-
tended negotiations later on. These first
communications were carried on by cable
ana cost Sl.bU q WOru. j nOuSdudS OF uOi-
lars We're spent in this way before an i'm
perial edict was obtained from the throne
author zing the Chinese minister, WI Ting
Fang, to act as agent and to treat win
the American company. Mr.. Barnes, who
engineered most of these negotiations, tells
the following story of how the great fran
chise was obtained and how the Emperor
of China ratified it by cable.
Mr.. Barnes Tells of Negotiations.
Il began operations for the new com
pany last March. AT first we cabled all
our communications straight to the Chi
nose capital. but after we spent thousands
of dollars for mistakes in transmission, we
concluded to adopt another plan. | sue
ceeded in obtaining from the throne an inn
perial edict which was sanctioned by the
Chinese parliament and by His EXcellency
Sheng Ia Jen, authorizing Minister WI
Ting Fang to act for his government and
vesting In him imperial power to close
contract l found his excellency WI, a
most accomplished gentleman, with wide
experience of affairs and like most China
men an extremely good business man,
abundantly able to make a conservative
and careful contract. l visited him eight
or ten times while We took up the matter
of concessions and discussed informally
the lines on which a contract might be ne
gotiated. The minister received some sug-
gestions from his government, but only in
a very general way a sort of frame work
TO go upon the wording and minutiae of
the business being left to his own discre-
ton and judgment. During prolonged ne
gotiotions, we came nearer and nearer to
the point of settlement and incidentally
gained a better appreciation of the orien-
tai character and its peculiar way of doing
things l have spent two winters In the
far east and the knowledge there gained
stood me in hand during our conferences.
1Ix- W.
signed by WI for the Chinese govern
ment on the one hand and by the Chi
nese Development Company for those
capitalists who still had faith in the
enterprise, on the other. After 1t was
signed a complete copy of it was trans
mitted by wire to Pekin, in order to
make assurance doubly sure. This
Formally caused delay of but few
| days, when an imperial decree was is
sued from the throne ratifying the con-
tract. Then Sheng cabled his approval,
adding Am glad and grateful that this
great work has been so well accomplish
ed
Interrupted by War with Spain.
Two days after the receipts of this
cable message Havana was blockaded,
and the financial world became very
uncertain in its attitude towards posi-
BILE International complications. 1t was
impractical to proceed with foreign bust
| ness in which very large sums Of money
were needed. People wished to wait until
the war was over. Yet, in the face of this,
one of the first things the company was
| expected to do was to make a very large
! deposit In cash, Immediately upon receipt
| of the notice by WI Ting Fang from the
| Chinese government that the contract had
! been ratified. 1t was also necessary to eX-
| pend 100000 in making a preliminary sur
| Vey of the entire projected route of the
| new road Even these, however We're
! mere bagatelles when compared with the
! floating of the general securities of the
/ road, for our own company had put itself
under contract to secure loan for the
! construction of the entire railway sys-
| tenn with its attendant docks, warehouses,
| bridges, stations and other appurtenances,
at an estimated cost of $40 100000 in Amer
| lean gold The enormous funds necessary
| are secured by a special issue of imperial
! Chinese government 3 per cent, 5O-year,
! gold coupon bonds.
Chinese Surprised by Our War.
'FBut the war seems really to have been
/ of remarkable advantage to the railroad
scheme, in view of the wonderful awaken
! ing in the United States concerning our
intercourse with China and in view of
the remarkable change OF attitude Of
the people of the East toward the people
of the West In respect of this latter
| minister to China, told me of an inter
view he had with Ii Hung Chang, dur
| ing which the latter told Mr. DENLY that
| the late war was a positive shock to the
| people of China that he CID and the
| Chinese generally had supposed that the
| American people were like Cinnamon (sic)
that is, a peace-loving, humble minded
| sort OF people, whose only thought was
I the furtherance of the arts of peace. !
am surprised to find, said Ii, from news
| that has come from Manila, that you know
| how to shoot so well. This has given us
a different opinion of the American peo-
pie. In fact, we are dumbfounded and
amazed az these very warlike propensi-
ties II is really so. If the Americans
have been delighted with their victory
the people of the East have been dumb
founded and there is throughout the whoIt
Orient a greatly increased respect for our
armed resources, which already is accru-
ing to the benefit of our trade.
We'll, the war went on and what at frs
seemed like genuine discoura cement be