The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-19
HIS LORDSHIP ADDRESSES CHICAGO
COMMERCIAL CLUB.
Tells How Our Trade with the Orient
May he Developed Under
the British Policy.

| by Cyrus H. Mccormick in a neat speech,
! and when the distinguished Englishman
arose to make his address he was for a
| moment overcome by the cheers that greeted
him. He recovered quickly, however, and,
| bowling repeatedly in acknowledgment Of
the warmth of the welcome extended to him,
| spoke as follows:
| May [ say that, as far as / am person
| ally concerned, l am totally unofficial. l
have nothing whatever to do with the gov
| eminent. But it is impossible in these days
| for any man who takes up that question
| not to recognize that this great country and
| our country are inseparably connected IN
| all questions Of trade and commerce. L
came also this route so as to get the opinion
| OF the Chamber OF Commerce OF Japan, and
was amazed to find the immense interest
| that the japanese nation as whole-and
l saw all their leading men, and, l think,
some six of their chambers of commerce
| takes in the question of the future develop
ment Of trade in China.
Now, with regard to China. What did 1
| find in China? May / say here that l sup
| pose you ask me to speak because l have
| just come from China, and have done my
best to find out all could with reference
| to the resources Of China and the position
| of China with regard TO futuer development
of that country. 1 found that the natural
nous. They perfectly incalcuable The
possibilities of trade of the future are limit
less. Whatever the government of China
says, whatever the feeling of the Chinese
people may be, one thing is absolutely GER
tain, that China will be opened up
HOW TO OPEN CHINA.
"China is certain to be opened up in the
| near future by means of railways. Now,
how is China to be opened up for the benefit
Of all nations, for the benefit of the Chi
nese themselves, and in the interest of civ
| ilization and humanity, but more than all,
| how it is to be opened up in a peaceful
manner with regard to the claims and wish
es of all nations? My suggestion is this,
first and foremost 1t is necessary for COM
mercial enterprise and industry and invest
ment that China should hold the open door
all through that empire. The open door
means merely that the treaties as they exist
should be held to now at this moment and
not altered. The existing treaties are that
no country is TO annex territories; no coun-
try is to have sovereign rights in China.
The open door means, as you know, a fair
field and no favor to all nations. That pol
icy has always been the policy of Great
Britain. The result of the open door policy
is that there is not one of our colonies
which has cost the British taxpayer one
single shilling. They all work on their own
lines; they work in their own way, but they
are of enormous Importance to us because
they Increase our trade and commerce at
home
THE great question is the practical point,
how are we To keen this door omen? / came
to the conclusion that the opportunities of
great trade in China are certainly gathered
by the four countries-AmeriCa, Germany,
was that there should be some sort of COM
mercial alliance or commercial understand
put those four countries and leave out Rus
STA and France? / don't want to be dis
| courteous to any nation, and 1 never am,
| but look upon this from business point of
| view, and why, when Russia and France
| have no trade, that is import trade, into
China are they or am to suggest with
| great respect to them, that they should
| come into this sort of commercial alliance
| with regard to trade which these four coun-
| tries have mentioned posses? Those four
| countries are also the four countries that do
| not wish to have any territory whatever
| What they want is simply commercial free
| dom. do not want to say anything un-
graceful about France and Russia, but in
| the past history has shown us that they are
countries which like territory. l do not
blame France and Russia a bit. No country
ever conducts a policy of that character
without it being conveyed to the minds of
that country that what they do is for the
| benefit of their country.
Now the first essential for the open door
would naturally be to keep China in its in
| tegrity and the next essential must be that
essential upon which every country exists at
the present moment which is efficient
military and police. 1t is no use putting out
theoretical proposals that we are to reform
the finance, reform the government and do
all that sort of thing unless you have the
first essential In any country, an efficient
military and police.
THE DANGER TO CHINA.
"The danger with regard to China is that
China herself, through her effete govern
ment, through her old-fashioned system of
administration herself may break UP owing
to the disturbances all over that country.
Those countries that have properties in
China and have investments there and have
trade and commerce there will naturally do
their best to protect that trade and COM
merce. 1t is not a question what the foreign
powers are going to do that will smash up
China 1t is China herself that will be
smashed up 10 the disturbance of all our
trade and commerce unless we look the thing
in the face and help the Chinese themselves
10 remain stable in some way"
NOW, as 10 the quality or the Chinese as
soldiers. don't think there are many peO-
pie IN the world who have got as good char
acterlsucs as soldiers as the Chinese. But
| they nave only got in the whole OF China
! seven thousand men who can be called dis
SipIlhed men, and they are drilled by the
Germans. Iney are all that can be called
an army at all The others would be an
right II drilled by competent Instructors
| They could have a most efficient army in
! every detail, an army of 10000 men, on the
money now spent. My proposition is merely
that we should land officers and men TO put
TINS army IN order as chinese army for
the benefit of the Chinese, for the benefit of
their trade and the security of the trade of
those countries that at present do trade
with China, and also help the future de-
VelOpment of trade with those countries who
now trade with China.
There have been some remarks made as to
this question of an alliance. L have never
said nor VIII l say or think Of saying that
America ana Great britain should have
alliance for offcnse and defense. Ii would
be a most stupid thing to say. Fancy if
Great Britain had some bother in Europe
What business is that to the Americans? l
don't suppose you people would think Of go
ing TO war about some question Of that kind
What / meant was a sort of commercial
understanding. That is a better word An
understanding with regard to China alone
and with regard TO the trade and commerce
in China alone, in order that we should keen
the open door and in order that we should
help China herself and help US in helping
China. That is all.
The question of creating the fleets and
the armies and all that sort of thing and
making remarks that might be held as ir-
ritating 10 the other two great powers is
very Ear from my wish. In my humble
opinion-and l have just come from that
Countrywide crisis as TO the breakup in
China is only postponed. 1t is certain to
come sooner or later. and is it not the bust
ness of Us who have trade in China to look
the question in the face. to devise some
means by which we can protect our trade
means which will not be Offensive TO other
countries, some means that will be for the
benefit of ourselves in the way of trade and
commerce
AN IRRITATING POLICY.
Now, let Us take the other policy, which
is the only possible policy at present I
think you will agree with me it is a policy
of thrift. But there is another policy. I
cannot conceive anything that is more mys-
tifying, that is more irritating than what
Is called the SDbere of Influence noTicv Tt