The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-19
CHINA WILL BE OPENED UP.
THE COUNTRY HAS ENORMOUS NAT
URAL RESOURCES.

aud Janon-These Nations Must Ala
III. CbineSe-Nntive Soldiers Need
Foreign omcers-The Opening Up
of the Empire should lie Peaceful.
Chicago. Feb. 1S.-Lord Charles Beres-
ford was tonight the guest of honor at a
BANQUET given by the Commercial Club,
AT which 800 of the leading business and
professional men of the city were pres
ent
The banquet was one Of the most ele>
giant affairs Of the kind Chicago has ever
seen. and the visitor was given a welcome
such as has seldom been extended to any
visitor
When the distinguished Englishman rose
TO make his address he was for a moment
overcome by the cheers that greeted him
He recovered quickly, however, and bow
ing repeatedly in acknow .edgement of the
warm welcome extended to him, spoke,
as follows:
May l say that as far as l am person
ally concerned, l am totally Unofficial. 7
have nothing Whatever to do with the gov
eminent. But it is impossible in these
days for any man who takes up thar
question not TO recognize that his great
country and our country are inseparably
connected in all questions of trade ana
commerce.
Il came. also, this route so as to get
the opinion of the Chamber of Commerce
of Japan and l was amazed to find the
immense interest that the japanese nation
as a whole takes in the question of the
en- slgrrs ~
Has Enormous Resources.
Now, with regard TO China, what did
i find in China? May I say here that
l suppose you ask me to speak because
have just come from China and have done
my best to find out all l could with ref
erence to the resources of China and the
position of China with regard to the fu-
ture development Of that country. ] found
that the natural resources Of the country
are simply enormous. They are perfectly
incalculable. The possibilities of trade OF
the future are limitless Whatever the
government of China says, whatever the
feeling of the Chinese people may be. one
thing is absolutely certain, that China will
be opened up.
"China is certain to be opened up in the
near future by railways. Now. how e
China 10 be opened up for the benefit of
all nations, for the benefit of the Chinese
themselves and in the interest of civiliza-
ton and humanity, but more than all, how
is it to be opened up in a peaceful man
ner with regard to the claims and wishes
of ell nations?
China Should Hold Open Door.
MY suggestion is this First and fore
most, il is necessary for commercial enter
prise and industry and investment that
China should hold the open door all
through that empire. The open door means
merely that the treaties as they exist at
this moment should be held to and not al
tered. The existing treaties are that no
is to annex territory; no country
Is to have sovereign rights in China The
open door means as you know. a fair
field and no favor. to all nations. That
policy 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 keep this door open?
Il came to the conclusion that the op-
portunities for great trade in China are
Germany. Japan and Great Bri-
tain. My suggestion was that there should
be some sort of commercial alliance or
commercial understanding between these
countries. Why do 1 put In those four
countries and leave out Russia and
France? l don't want TO be discourteous
to any nation, and never am, but look
upon this from a business point of view
and why, when Russia and France have
a.
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 1 have mentioned possess? Those
four countries are also the four countries
that do not wish TO have any territory
whatever. What they want is simply
commercial freedom. don't want to say
anything ungraceful about France and
Russia, but in the past, history has shown
us that they are countries which like ter
ritory. don't blame France and Russia
a bit No country ever conducts a policy
of that character without it being con-
veyed to the minds of that country that
what they do is for the benefit OF their
country
Maintain Its Integrity.
Now the first essential for the open
door would naturally be 90 keep China in
it's integrity and the next essential must
be that essential upon which every coun-
try exists at the present moment, which
is an 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 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 10 protect that trade and
commerce, and for the life of me can see
nothing that can occur TO hinder
them / saw myself signs of internal
disturbances. but do not rest there
May / tell you ! have seen everyone of the
important men in China, barring two, and
those viceroys themselves have told me
they were afraid of disturbances.
Must Help the Chinese.
1T is not a question of what the foreign