The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-09
Present SfdfdS OF
Unfortunate China.



GP HE COAST is now dismembered
Russia has occupied the most
northern province, Shing-king,
holding its chief ports and pro-
posing to cross 1t by railroads.
Pe-Chi-Li, the next coast province, hold
ing Peking, is still in Chinese hands, but
the entrance to it's gulf is on one eide
held by Russia at Port Arthur and on
the other by England at Wei Hal Wei
The province of Shantung has been pre-
empted by Germany by taking Kiao Chau.
The Yang-tse- Kiang delta passes through
the next coast province, Kiang-su and
the valley of this river has been solemn
ly declared under the English sphere of
influence. The Italians from San Nun
Bay are laying claim to Che Kiang. Fo
kien is as yet unclaimed. The French
have always asserted special interest
in Fu-Chau, Japan holds Formosa over
against the province, and there are scat
tered English interests. Last comes the
great populous province of Quantung, or
Canton England has a foothold off the
coast at Hong Kong and has added Il
mainland tract. The French may anw
moment take Haian, and Macao is Por-
tuguese, liable to 60 to the highest bid
der. Interests, however, sufficiently con-
tiict at this point to prevent any such
action as has been taken in the provinces
without any foreign foothod.
%
OF the seven coast provinces of China,
therefore, four, Shng-king, Shantung.
Kiang-su and Che Kiarg. are practically
pre-empted by Russia, Germany, England
and Italy. The entrance to Pe-Chi-Li Is
in foreign hands and Russia already dom
mates the northern third and will enter
1t shortly by railway The coasts of Fo
kien and Quantung are already COM
manded. Chinese administration goes on
over all this territory. Chinese customs
are collected. BY international law they
are all Chinese territory. But in the four
provinces already earmarked each for
eign power which has planted its flag
controls or exercises mining and rail-
road rights, and is ready to assume full
sovereign power at the first sign of an in
truder. The treaty ports remain, one of
them, Shanghai, as good as foreign set
tlCment, and with the low Chinese tariff of
. per cent; but China has lost control of
Its coasts as completely as IT its line
were savage and still open to seizure and
settlement by right of discovery.
When this process began by Russia and
Germany at the north and was proposed
by France from the south the position
of England was precarious. The utmost
that could be done was to lay broad
general claim to the Yang-tse Kiang val
ley But Germany is row detached from
Russia. Italy comes in as the other col
oniZing member of the Triple Alliance
| and Lord Salisbury's favorite plan of an
| English alliance or understanding with
| the league of Central Europe is in full
| progress on the Chinese coast. Exactly
as German and Italian possessions have
come in as buffer territories in Africa
| between the claims of England and
| France, so they have been neatly inter-
posed on the east coast of Asia between
| Russia and England on the north by Ger
| many at Shantung, and between France
and England at the south by Italy at Che
| Kiang, one on each side of the rich core
| and fertile center of China the Yang
| e-Kiang valley-about as big as our Mis-
sissippi-which England is about to en-
| ter at its head by railway from Burmah,
and which 1t claims to its mouth as a
sphere of influence"
| The impartial American, as he contem-
| plates all this with even-handed readl-
ness to sell rails TO anybody in one ones
sphere of influence" cannot help a lit
| tie admiration at the neatness with which
England has again come to the front in
| China.