Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-03-13
ENGLAND HAS GIVEN UP AvOWED
ORIENTAL. POLICY.
END OF EMPIRE IN CHINA
PARTITION OF THE KINGDOM Bur 4
MATTER OF TINE.
European Powers Combine Against
the .Open Door, Policy. and En-
gland COincides-The United
States Found tO Lose
Profitable Trade.

LONDON. March Elm some manner
no, easily to be understood, the latest
Chinese crisis has been amicably solved.
The statement; that Count Muravieff. the
Russian minister of foreign affairs, has tel
eGraphed to the Russian minister 4 Peking.
instructing him 10 withdraw his protest
against the British loan on the security of
the New Chwang extension railway is un-
ofiicia! and probably Inaccurate. The trUla
appears TO be that the protest was verbal
that the Chinese. backed by England, have
disregarded it, and that Russia. while main
tanning the justice Of her objection. Will
for the present do nothing more in the
matter.
No well informed person. however, be-
lieves that Russia's attitude has undergone
any material change. She had long deter
mined to have Manchuria. When the Brit
ish men-of-war were withdrawn from Port
Arthur she saw that she had chance and
seized it. She is now iliing this fertile and
most valuable province with soldiers. cover
ing it with strategic railways, impregnably
fortifying its outlets, and to doubt that in
the not far distant future she will bodily
incorporate it with the Russian empire and
commercially inclose ii within tariff pro-
hibitive Of foreign trade would be childish.
The policy of the open door. in fact,
seems doomed. Russia France, and. In the
future If not to-day. Germany. are against
it, and Salisbury's latest step seems TO
ignore it in an astonishing manner. There
is now no doubt that England is supporting
Italy's demand for a naval base. 200 mile
railway tapping a great lake connected by
water with the Yangtse, and other COM
mercial concessions, although this is in the
haa Of mo. Va which q
larly supposed 10 be within the peculiar
British sphere of influence.
Far from being an "open door" this is
beyond question the beginning of n policy
of partition, In which each country will
take what it can. and ultimately enforce
upon its own territory such prohibitive tar
iff arrangements as it prefers.
When this is done. both America and
England to whom new markets for their
surplus manufactures are a vital condition
of prosperity, will, believe have cause to
regret bitterly their failure to adopt COM
mon action at critical moment.
American critics have declared that the
United States cannot add the risk of
great war in the far East to its other ma
tional responsibilities. If these premises
We're true, the conclusion would be ire
sistible, but this contention ovcrloOks the
bedrock fact of the stuation-namely, that
if Great Britain and the United States had
simultaneously and in identical terms in
formed the powers Of their formal and de-
termined objection of the partition of China
and the exclusion of trade from any part
of the Chinese empire, neither of these
things would have taken place and there
would have been no war
Mr.. Samuel Weller's 'million-power mag
nifying microscope" would be necessary to
discover any power or combination of pow
ers which would dream of resisting by
arms policy thus championed.
Moreover, as our two countries would
thus have demanded nothing for them
selves which they did not freely offer to
the whole world, the moral sanction which
the EngliSh-speaking peoples alone desire
for their International acts would not have
been wanting. Such considerations now,
however, are but useless tears shed over
the sad debris of the might have been.
Before parting from this subject two
points call for word. First. look at the
unblushing cynicism OF ltaly's action
Without even the poor excuse of n mur-
dered missionary. Italy suddenly demands
great slice of China. The mandarins of
the Tsung-li-Yamen. sitting at their little
tables slipping innumerable cups of tea amid
tho cactus-e -e!Dhowered fountains of their
Office. with beautiful motto in big letters
ever their door: Inside. outside peace
happiness" durnfounded at this volcanic
demand. innocently thought the simplest
way after rejecting il would be to return
the Italian dispatches Will. 4 note saving
Ii could not be granted.
This. In default of Il missionary gave the
Italian minister his needed use. The re-
turn OF his demand he instantly declared
was an unparGonable insult only to be
wiped out by the cessiOn OF territory The
ISunE-lI fauen thereUpOn explained ,hnf
nothing was farther from their thoughts
than an insult. and il they had unwitiinr-
~ offended they haStened 10 apologize Si.
Martin! re'orted that this -xplauaiiou
only aggravated the original af1ront All
this i'll the official dispatches
What can have prompted Italy IN This
macnesS. What little trade she has viii
China would be- indefinitely betr.i ssrr.,i
by the open door. Poverty-stricknn rrunni
down by taxation until revolution is n -,
miliar spectsr in the land she has ~,
capitM Ter these remote and costly ent,r
PrijeS. Her navy and army are So jnnIa
quate that her allies of the tripIe aIiirn...
have r.'r-ntlv hluntiy told her her sunno,t
was no longer worth having
Indeed, The official German organ brutal
ly said three months ago: ITALY has al
ways proSpereti by defeat. Let her nlrsu-
the same profitable course in the f,irire
Her one colonial adventure in Abv.siui, is
sv-h ii failure that today the cvssion of
her remaining slice OF African territory 10
England is being advocated nv The Italian
press. Her horrible defeat al Adowa did
more harm 10 the prestige of the white
man against the black races than anythiu.
t4l.lf h,S AN var a 10, y,g.