Evening star., 1898-12-03
IN THE FAR EAST
Crisis in China's Career Seems to Be
Near at Hand.
WOULD PROBABLY RESIST PARTITION
Views of the Chancellor of the
Japanese Legation.
AMERICA IS INTERESTED

AMERICA IS INTERESTED
Written for the Evening Star Icy Durham " S,"-
| yens.
Only yesterday the news came that Chi
ra' the sleeping giant of the east had at
last aroused herself. and was shaking OF
| the shackling superstitions of centuries
Hardly had the news been published when
by one of those intrigues which appear in
these modern days like a page from the
Arabian Nights the hapless young emperor
was dethroned, all his well-meant efforts at
reform were scattered to the winds and that
remarkable woman, the dowager empress
was again in control No one can question
the gravity Of the crisis which this event
! has created. 1t is of especial consequence
to countries like the United States and
| Japan, whose great interests in China may
at any moment be imperled
Yet. notwithstanding this crisis which
seems so like the beginning of the end
| there are optimists who believe that China
| will escape from this ordeal as sh.. has
from others, practically unharmed. There
| IS a power of passive resistance in this
| behemoth of nations, they argue which
offsets its unwieldiness and the apparent
lack OF the faculty of coherent action be
| tween its various parts China before this
has been in peril of ACKNOWLEDGMENT from
without and of disruption from within. hut
| at the critical moment the danger has been
| aVerted, and no irreparable damage has
been inflicted.
Chinese VIII Fight.
/ iii the talk of China's dismernba-r,,cnt or
partition no account appears TO be taken
! of any possible action on the part If the
Chinese people themselves. 1t seems to be
the general understanding that foreign con-
trOi Will he substituted mr.
| that the people will remain quiasc4.rt. offer
| ing no objection or resistance. An ..lnpire
with population of over 100000. GOO inhabi-
| tants, with territory covering se.-eral mil
| non square miles, comprising productive al
| luVial plains traversed by great WATERWAYS
fertile valleys and mountains and hills rich
| IN minerals, it is apparently thought will
| be yielded up without a murmur The idea
| is preposterous. To gain even a reasonably
complete control of any one of China s
| great productive provinces, to make il for
eign territory in fact as well as in name.
J lines OF railway must be built costly mill
tary and civil establishments must be MAIN
tained-in word, many things must be
done which cannot be speedily con- pcted
| IN the meantime armed resistance may he
| expected and with it chaos. so FAR as the
poor people of the coveted regions are con-
cerned.
OF course We know that strlnge things
are done by Christian nations in the M: me
OF commerce. but China is not Africa and
the Chinese are not savage tribes. A for
elgn ruler is reported recently to have said
| that the extension of his Counfrv's com
| merce with China was tdntamount to the
spread of the blessings of civilization amcre
/ the victims of nlisrule "J.ti.Iue in the
worlds history That is the good old way
OF putting it. The difficulty is that when
commerce is accompanied by Maxim guns
and repeating rifles the blessings of civili-
zauon are apt TO aDDear tb5cur"-tp the
victims al all events.
Chaos Following Partition.
| The Chinese are a peaceful people dis
inclined TO war, but not towards. In many
Of those rich and populous provinces to-
ward which foreign nations are now look
ing longingly no foreign armed force has
ever set foot The people. although they
may not care 10 enter the military service
OF their country, where low pay goes with
degraded position, are not incapable of
bearing arms efficiently. In many parts of
Shlna there are brave and hardy soldiers
The French found it so in Tong King as
their loss of 30000 soldiers shows Japau
did not find victory so difficult but here
was war against the mandarin. who rep
resented and controlled an obsolete and
worthless system. A war of resistance 10
the partition of the country would be a
d1ferent thing 1t might not be success
fui, nor even protracted, but it would entail
| consequences which even the most ardent
advocate of the extension OF commerce by
the acquisition of territory could not view
| with indifference. Every Vestige of law
| anu OlutI NOuln disappear, and man :
life or'property would be safe. The secret
societies, the bane Of China, would not he
slow to take control. and the braves" of
whom they are largely composed, would
hold high revel. Even the final restoration
or order, with whatever of profit or of
| power II might bring could not make this
! overture to the introduction of the bless
ings OF civilization" pleasant memory
Partition Practically Impossible.
If l may venture the opinion, however.
| prophecies regarding the partition of China.
| whether immediate or in the remote future
| must be taken with certain grain of al
| lowance. In the first place, how could such
partition be practically effected? Who
| would mark the metes and bounds and
now would mutual jealousies be recon-
| ciied and satisfied? So, also as regards
spheres of influence" except where the
term is used in the broadest sense How
can such spheres be determined exactly i'm n
| country like China, and how can infringe
ment, or the appearance of infringement
be prevented? The powers which have OH
tanned foothoid on Chinese soil will eN-
erclse a certain influence in those imme-
date neighborhoods, no doubt but does
| that necessarily mean that all other for
elgn commerce can be rigidly excluded >
To buy in the cheapest market and TO sell
\ in the dearest is the soul and essence of
successful trade. Can Chinese even with
IN the spheres of influence be compelled
TO violate that law? The Chinese as |
| "o4i pSioIN' diC ii pEdttlcai people
and good merchants, and it is not likely
hat-the artificial restraints of sphere
Of influence would long suffice to force
them to do violence to their instincts as
| traders.
| 1t should not be understood from what
| precedes that L intend TO belittle either
| the Importance or the significance of the
| recent movements of certain EuropaaD
powers regarding China. To me they an
pear as ominous they doubtless do 10
others. My only object as will apnear
| later on, is not SO much to minimize the
| danger, as to draw attention to certain
considerations which will enable il TO h.
met successfully, should 1t ever come.
Mysterious Russian Bear.
There is an element of mystery about
Russia's recent course in China. So far