New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-02
THE SETTLEMENT IN CHINA.

st., .,or Lord Salisbury was denounced as
King Stork More recently he has Deeh raieu a.
as King Log Neither reproach was hie'i'e"'
Aggressive as seemed his policy twenty years
ago he was never a lingo. Silent ana quiet a'
he has often been Of late. he has not been siuhi-
herring. II was only the other day that ne gave
us n striking proof of his effective energy. Inc
air had for weeks been rended with WIG uiuia-
lions over Fashoda. Some declared the frlhe
Minister was supiney letting the BRUSH Ell
pire In Africa be destroyed. Others were
cocksure the world war was just around the
corner Lord Salisbury was silent until the uas
before he wanted to go TO the RIVIERA linen
In the quietest and most matter-of1act wa! II
was disclosed that he had concluded treaty
with France, settling the whole business III the
most amcable manner and on OASIS that
made each nation feel that it had got the bet
ter of the bargain. Similarly there has been
monstrous pother about the conflicting Claims
of Russia and Great Britain in China, and many
OF Lord Salisbury's stanchest friends nave
grown amazed or indignant at what even they
have deemed his neglect to protect British IN
terests And now. behold. He has concluded
with Russia n treaty which evidently satlsnes
the latter yet which confirms Great Britain III
the control of what is incOmparably the richest
and most valuable part Of the Celestial Empire
Beyond all doubt, then, British diplomacy Is
getting on. In these two strokes OF statecrart
the British Empire has profited more than In
any and all others for a dozen years; and In
addition there has been an incalculable gain for
the peace Of the world.
Broadly speaking, the treaty partitions the
Chinese Empire between Russia and Great
Britain. OF course, it does not do so in terms.
1t merely binds Great Britain to recognize and
to respect the paramOuntcy of Russian inter-
ests in the northern provinces, and binds Rus
STA TO regard British interests similarly In the
valley OF the Yang-Tse. That Is not partition
of the Empire. No; and tweedledum Is not
tweedledee. But 1t Is definite forsakng of
the idea Of keeping the whole Empire intact,
with all Its doors open TO all the world on equal
terms. 1t is a substitution therefor of the
spheres of influence" system. And we all
know that when one Of the great Powers ex-
tends its sphere of influence" over any terr%
tory that territory is as good as annexed. 1t is
all over but the shouting. In this case Russia
and Great Britain have delimlted their re-
spective spheres Of influence upon the map Of
China, and each says to the other, go ahead.
with q free hand, and work Ii for all II Is
worth We may regret that this was neces-
sary. The open-door policy and the preserva-
ton Of China for which Lord Charles Beres-
ford has been pleading so powerfully would
doubtless be far preferable In many respects
though in other respect a source Of constant
trouble and anxiety. But beyond all question
the drift has been straight in the other drec.
ton. and toward what has now occurred-the
establishment Of spheres of influence" The
other plan could have been executed only
through agreement of all the Powers Great
Britain strove for 1t, but the others, or some of
them, refused their assent. every we'll" saws
Great Britain; IF you will not maintain the
integrity of China, we must partition her; and
IL am going to take for myself the lions
sharer'
That Is what this treaty means The Rus
sian sphere of influence includes all of Man
churia and Mongolia. The former is exceed
ipgly rich and valuable 1t includes the whole
OF Shing Him. but probably not Pe-Chi-Li and
Shan-Se, In which British concessions have al
ready been granted on an enormous scale. II
10 these we add Shan-Tung-in which the Brit
ish already have an important foothod-and
Ho-Nan and Shen-Se as border or buffer prov.
inces, the lions share Is still left for Great
Britain For the seven or eight central prov
lnces, extending In a chain from the Yellow
Sea TO the mountains of Thbet, are the most
populous and most productive in the whole
empire, and they have the great advantage Of
being tapped by the Yang-Tse, one Of the
most important navigable rivers of the world
Large ocean steamers can ascend that river for
more Il an thousand miles, and it has along
Its banks more large cities and denser Dopu
lation than any other river in the world. All
that region is now 10 assume upon our mans
deepening hue OF British red And we NAV be
sure no other Power will dispute it. Germany
has made her settlement further north. I'm
border province. Frances claims are in the
far south. Japan wants nothing more than
the littoral Of Fo-Kien. And Italys recent seiz-
ure at San-Moon Is In the first place small. and
in the second place was probably made in col
fusion with Great Britain. Just as Great
Britain has by her seizure of the Nile ac-
quired continuous stretch of territory from
the Mediterranean TO the Indian Ocean so we
may reckon that by this latest bargain she has
gained presumption Of an unbroken empire ex-
tending from the Yellow Sea to the BAY of
Bengal. Yes, we are we'll assured that British
diplomacy is getting on.