The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-08
AMERICAN SYNDICATE.
OVAL RUSSIA IN IMPROVE
~ MENTs IN CHINA.

the Great GAtNA -
from the New York Herald
i,+arest has been awakened by the
.--..r7.s recent announcement that Amer
49,. 10 construct for China the big
abroad in Asia, excepting the Trans
,r line across Russia and Siberia
70 rae sea coast.
~ ,bz 10th of next month Gen. William
Bsrslay Parsons of New York is to sail
,,o,, san Francisco for China to begin
~. construction of the great trunk line.
IL COS as a representative of the Chi
no. Railway syndicate and the American
,,,rs Development Company, of which
Inc Senator Calvin S. Brice is the
l,isf The railroad concession was grant
- tn rbe company, but all the company's
sock Is owned by the syndicate.
While Gen. Parsons sails Oct. 10, party
n engineers acting under his direction
,,tu leave San Francisco two days earlier.
The cost of constructing this great road
Gill he sDOOvOO0. The men engineering it
o-a Americans. The material and all the
rolling stock will be of American make.
This railroad will make Americans the
ersar competitors of Russias TRANSIT
5arisn road-in fact, its only competitor
worthy of the name.
Former Senator Price has quietly financ-
al tLe gigantic enterprise Among those
VINO have taken shares in the syndicate
are the Standard Oil people, the American
Sugar Refining Company, the Arbuckle
Cohee Company and the Carnegie Steel
and Iron Company, Limited; also the
presidents Of an umber of prominent ma
tonal banks including George F. Baker
of the First National; Henry w. Cannon
of the Chase National; James Stillman,
civ National; presidents of leading trust
companies including f. P. OlcoIt of the
Central Trust Company, and J. /. Waiter
bury Of the Manhattan Trust Company.
Among the members of leading banking
houses are Morton, Bliss & Co., J. P.
Morgan 4 Co., Vermilye & Co., Sheldon &
Co.. Maitland, COppell e Co., Kuhn, Loeb
& Co prominent financiers and railway
shipping men, such as r. r. Hartman of
the Union Pacific; Edward r. Adams,
John G. Moore Grant 3. Schley, c. A
Griscom of the American Line Steamship
Company, and Arthur Sewall of Bath,
Me
The concession was negotiated by Thur
low Weed Barnes for the American syn
dicate and WI Ting-Fang, Chinese Minis
ter a Washington, for the Emperor Of
China The negotiations occurred at
Washington, and it is a strong tribute
10 Mr.. Barnes diplomatic skill that he
was able to complete unaided a contract
which met the unqualified approval of fifty
Of the best fnaciers in the United States
IL fact, the contract Is said to be more IA
vorable In its terms than the construction
Of the railroad from Picking to Han Kow.
When l asked Mr.. Brice about the con-
cession he explained briefly the complica-
ton in which England and Russia have
been involved; indicated on the map Port
Arthur and To-Llen-Wan where the ter
minus of the Russian railway is to be;
the fortress of Wei-Hai-W Wei, which the
British have seized the route of the rail-
road to Nieuchwang, over which the Tsung
IL Hung Change lost his official head;
the port of Kiao Chou and the district
which Germany is said to influence or con-
troll. South of Kiao Chou lies the broad
valley Of the Yang -Kiang.
It is in the heart of this valley, at Han
Kow that Hr. Brice's company will be-
gin the construction of railway to run
almost directly south to Canton, and
thence to the sea coast opposite Hong
Kong.
There will be 900 miles of road, with such
branches as trade may demand. Tribu-
tary to it is a country having a popula-
ton of 10000 600. Two of the provinces
through which it runs contain 100000
people, more than the entire population
Of the United States
we have spent 800, 900 nvestigating the
conditions in China, said Mr. Brice, land
deposited with the imperial government a
forfeit of 100000. Our agreement with Chi
ma is that we shall construct 900 miles
Of road at from $50 900, 900 to $40, 900, the
government to issue bonds covering the
cost Of building and equipping the road
These bonds we have to place When the
oaA tod mill Fat1 in
connection with the Chinese government
that is, according to just and reasonable
requirements, which is no more than is ex-
pected of a company building a railroad in
America"
Mr.. Brce could not say how much of
the capital to be expended in the con-
sJruction of the road would come to this
country for supplies. He said that the
fact that English interests were combined
with American in the enterprise made that
question uncertain The labor, he said,
Would be Chinese; first, because the Chi
nese labor was the cheapest to be had,
and. second. because the employment OF
natives would incline the Chinese people
tdVoraby toward tho road. las to its pat
ronage,' he said. that is not a matter of
doubt. Where railroads have been con-
strueted in China hey have found that
the demands On both freight and passen-
ger equipment have been greater than they
could meet
China wants railroads." said Mr.. Brice.
IL wants both railroads and telegraphs,
because il knows that by their aid revolu-
uon can be prevented or subdued. Presi-
ueht Diaz has maintained himself as Pres
hent Of Mexico all the g years because the
country is covered with railroads and teie-
eIaph lines IL used 10 be that if a revoiu-
toh started in remote part of the coun-
wy IL was two or three weeks perhaps
before the government heard of 1t, and as
much longer before troops could be sent
10 put down The uprising. Now ii a revo-
il'on is planned, the government knows
1t within an hour and in 4 day it can have
UooIs on hand to suppress it.
The Chinese have frequent upTisings in
u'leient parts of the great empire They
realize that by the aid of the railroad and
NE telegraph they can uphold their au-
p, NE proposed railroad from Canton ia
nan how, combined with the railroad
1T"i'n TIE Belgians are 10 build from Han
~" 10 Pekin, will give the government a
.-'1As Of inland communication, bringing
.Le principal points in The empire in close
pNoh with each other, but so remote from
'ue sea as to be protected from attack by
any of Chinas enemies.
h.. kav, 4ss,sae