Arizona republican., 1899-03-16
THE FUTURE OF CHINA
Views of Mr Foster, Former
 Secretary of Sfote.
Rich Commercial Resources fO Be DeVeIoped-Our Part Nfo Stand Aside From Any Embodiment Attending Partition.

1 Foster, former secretary of state, be- l leves that Italy will ultimately get what she is seeking in China. He says that following Germany's example and possessing a navy almost equal to that seize the post to which she has laid claim. China cannot withstand any assault from the sea, and Italy knows China's helplessness.
 ''Is the attitude of Italy likely to force the hand of Russia or any other European power?'' Mr. Foster was asked
 Without knowing positively, should say it would not My opinion is that Russia will not, for the present at i least attempt anything more in China than the holding control of Manchuria and the territory which insures her pathway to the Pacific ocean.
 Do you regard the commerce with the orient of sufficient importance to the United States to warrant our in terference with or participation in the questions that may arise there ?"
 If you mean that we should invite the possibility Of war. the answer must be in the negative. At the same time, I believe that the United States should have a firm policy with regard to the Orient. I agree with Lord Beresford that the surface of China has only been scratched, and that commerce with that country is of more value Joo z a of Africa The Chinese are the most in dustrious people on the face of the earth, besides which they are not sav- ages, like the Africans, but are ac- quainted with the arts and industries. They are civilized, even if they are not Christianized. Their country is capable of tremendous development in an agricultural sense, and I believe, also, that it contains great deposits of coal and other minerals, which will prbve immensely valuable, end of which the Chinese will be quick to take advantage in the near future. This being the case, we have reason to look in that direction for increased commerce, and we should not allow ourselves to be laggards in the race"
 Mr. Foster believes that the United States can get all we want in China without allying ourselves to any other country, even Great Britain. He says: I've are interested in free commerce, and so is Great Britain, but it must be remembered that Great Britain is a free trade nation, while we are on a protective tariff basis. In the Orient, our interests are identical, but our systems at home are so different that we may not always travel together The time may come when we will find England concerned in her own affairs, especially in the east, and she will not then be thinking of the United States, if our interests do not lie in the same direction. The time will come when the powers Of Europe undertake to di- vide up China, as Poland was parceled out. 1 hope the partition of China may never occur. But at any moment Rus sia, France and Germany may say that the Chinese government is unable to afford the protection demanded by ad- vanced civilization, and they will therefore proceed to substitute their own government for that of the Chin ese In that event, Great Britain will enter into the struggle for territory a struggle that will be gigantic in it's proportions, and tremendous in it's re- suits. No one can predict now what the outcome will be; but it needs no spirit of prophecy to say that the di vision of the Chinese empire will be an extremely difficult task. The United States should take TO part in that struggle, except to discourage it. We have no business in the remotest de- gree with any Chinese territory. We should not go a step further than to insist upon freedom of commerce We have enough problems confronting us in the Philippines, Cuba and Porto Rico to test our statesmanship. Not the least of these problems is the ad ministration of Cuba. I fear it will be long time before the Cubans can establish a stable and independent | government, and until then, we are their sponsors. I think the road ahead of US in Cuba is not lined with roses. |
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 TO BE HOWISON'S FLAGSHIP