The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-05
Another Report About Our Chinese
Policy.

Another Report About Our Chinese
Policy.
The Washington correspondent OF the
London Chronicle reafllrms In moro
| definite form the statement that new and
| significant position has been taken by our
! State Department with Wow OF safe-
| guarding our commercial interests In the
| Oh nese Empire.
There is a current impression that Russia
has announced that none OF the treaty
rights acquired by other powers in tho
Middle Kingdom will be impaired by Rus
| sas occupation of the Llau Tung pnnin-
sula, and that a similar assertion has been
made by Germany with regard to the So
called sphere OF influence secured by
her in tho province OF Shan Tung, through
her lease OF Klao Chou Bay. II France
has made a like declaration in refer
ence to her acquisitions in southwest
ern China we have not heard OF 1t.
Even the Russian and German assurances
have been thus far verbal, and could
scarcely be viewed as satisfactory by
government alive to the duty Of subscribing
the prospective interests Of American
manufacturers and merchants In the far
East. Consequently. according to tho
Chronicle, our State Department has re-
quested that the assurances should be
given in writing. The drs!rahllity of
obtaining prompt and acceptable reply to
tn" request will rs Obvious when we recall
that Russia 10 understood 10 10 on tho
point Of occupying New Chwong, the port
through which Americans have been abls
hitherto to control large part Of Man
churia's foreign trade.
We are told that the written assurances
desired are not yet forthcoming, but that
the powers concerned have put forward tho
alternative suggestion that the United
States in their turn should acquire port
and sphere OF Influence in China, thus be-
coming a participant in the dismember-
nient process. According to the Chronicle,
our State Department has repealed the sug-
gcstion, and has declared that. unless tho
written assurances asked for are given. 1t
will insist that China enforce our treaty
rights in all such harbors as were formerly
treaty ports. no matter whether they have
or have not been leased TO foreign powers.
The assumption made is that, whenever a
foreign power secures from China n lease
OF territory, sho tnkcs ii subject to the
rights which other powers had acquired by
treaty in said territory. 1t is NANTES 81
that those rights would be encroaohcd upon
II, in districts leased by Russia Germany
or France, our merchandise should be prac-
tically excluded through the operation
Of a tariff favorable to the goods OF the
lessee
Suppose the powers concerned should de-
cline to give the written assurances re-
questcd2 What could our State Depart
ment do about it2 We repeat that tho
question Is an urgent one. for the status OF
New Chwang may be- affected mt any hour.
1t is intimat.d that the United States might
apply pressure by lodging n forc!ble pro-
test at Pckin against any further Limitation
OF our treaty rights through tho alienation
OF Chinese territory. Ifthe Tsung Ii Yamen
were convinced that the protest was no
mere matter OF form. but implied deter
minutlon to uphold American commercial
interests by all the means at our command,
our veto could DO put forward as the
ground fore refusal to sanction any further
curtailment OF the Chinese duminions.
Would such veto prove efrectual? It
certainly would not have done so two or
three years ago, when we possessed no
port for coaling or repair in the Pacific. At
that time. We would have been powerless
to make sustained naval demonstration in
the China seas. no matter how powerful
might have been our incentive, unless, in
conjunction with some European power
that could give us the indispensable facili.
ties Now, on the other hand. as owners Of
the Philippines, and, especially, OF the spa
ciOus and fortified harbor OF Manila, We oc-
cnpy an unrivalled strategic position. with
reference, not only to tho Chinese main
land, hut also to a struggle for maritime
ascendancy in the nelghboring waters. We
add that the American fleet, which either Is
now, or will be shortly, assembled in the
far East. will have no cause to dread col
lision with the naval force Of any European
power. other than Great Britain, at present
stationed in that quarter.