The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-10
Lord salisbury's Speech.

IL 10 ONhoChb " taO oRCONh q oy
Lord SALISBURY In the House Of Lords on
Tuesday, that England has retreated from
the position which she originally took
when she named the conditions on which
she would guarantee a loan to China. 1t
Is also n fair inference from his words that
the retreat was made because the British
Government feared to provoke a hostile
combination too strong to be resisted. AS
for the optimistic assurance that England's
interests are not threatened, but that all
which has been done by Russia and Ger
many will be for her advantage in the end,
| we doubt IL this will be accepted by we'll
informed and far-seeing men, or even by
the bulk of the Premier's own followers.
Lord SALISBURY admits that, in return
for guaranteeing a loan to China, he insist
ed upon the opening Of certain new treaty
ports, including Talienwan. The motive
for designating Talienwan is unmistaka-
BILE. That port, at present, has no trade,
and will not have until the Russians shall
have completed a branch railway from the
main Siberian line to Port Arthur. But, IL
it were made a treaty port in advance, it
would remain perpetually in Chinese hands
under the guarantee of the treaty powers,
tAu "ooAa taoS - ~ "
struction to Russia's design of acquiring
control of the Liao-Tung peninsula. Talien-
wan would command the railway to Port
Arthur a British feet stationed at that
strategic coign of vantage would render
the railway useless to Russia in time of
war. and would isolate the naval fortress
of Port Arthur. Lord SALISBURY and his
colleagues must have known, when they
made the demand at Pekin, with reference
to Talienwan, that they were endeavoring
to thwart what has been one of the main
objects Of Russia's diplomacy in the far
East ever since the revision of the Shimo-
noseki treaty. They must have contem.
plated the possibility that Russia would
fight sooner than renounce her hope of
acquiring the Liao-Tung peninsula, and, at
the time hen Sir MICHAEL HICKs-BEACH
made his h~igh-spirited declaration. they
must have intended to oppose force by force.
1t may, indeed, be said, and has been said,
that the British diplomatists asked for
more than they hoped to get, and that they
meant, from the first TO withdraw the de-
mand touching Talicnwan. as soon as China
should consent to the other conditions of a
loan prescribed by them. 1t is impossible
TO reconcile this view of the case with the
assertion made by Sir MICHAEL and also by
A.. ]. BALroUR, that England wout not al.
low China TO be pillaged. for the Liao-Tung
peninsula, bounding, as it does, the Gulf
of Pe.chi-li on one side. is of vital mo-
ment to the Chinese Empire. Moreover. 1t
does not appear that in return for the with
drawal of the demand concerning Talien-
wan, the Pekin Government has agreed to
r. A1-I;Nt~-a AalAI L. E--l.-
to a loan. On the contrary, according to
the latest kilograms from China, the whole
plan OF accepting a loan from England has
fallen through. That is to say, in spite of
the bold words uttered by Sir MICHAEL
HORSEBACK, the Salisbury Cabinet has
lone nothing to Illustrate the acquisitive
intentions of Russia or of Germany.
May it not be said, however, that Eng
lane has obtained some compensatory ad.
yantages for the territorial acquisitions
made by other powersi Lord SALISBURY
tried to convince his hearers that she has
by declaring that Russia has promised
that, after acquiring T%alienwan. she
will make it a free port, and that
Germany has given the same assur.
ance with regard to Kiao Chou. Does
any one believe that the promise would be
kept after the completion Of a railway had
enabled Russia to maintain a large army
in Liao-Tung, and after Port Arthur had
been converted into an i~mpregnable naval
stronghold Russia once bound herself
never to maintain vessels of war In the
Black Sea, but when, some fourteen years
later, a favorable co~njuncture arrived, she
coolly informed the British Government
that she reDudiated the obligation.
To any one who is capable of judging
the future by the past. It must DO patent
thar, if the pillage of China is to be
averted and the treaty rights of England
are to be preserved in their integrity, the
work of prevention must be lone to-day,
while Russia Is weak in the far East, and
while England and Japan, united, might
be masters on both land and sea. Lord
SALISBURY himself In one part Of his
speech. points out how easy n common II