The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-15
LORD BEREsFoRD's MISSION.

Rear Admiral Lord Charles Beresford.
who arrived in San Francisco recently, and
who will be in Chicago in few days, comes
to this country on a curious and interesting
mission The word mission is used advisedIy.
for whether Lord Beresford is clothed by
the British government with diplomatic
powers or not he has come on specific bust
ness and, doubtless. has an understanding
with his government as to his line and
mode of procedure. The object of his visit
is to explain and popularize the idea of
joint British and American action in estab-
fishing what is now known as the open
door policy in China and the East Osten-
sibly he comes as the representative OF
the Associated Chambers of Commerce of
England, and he will appear before the
Board of Trade in Chicago and the Cham
Der Of Commerce in New York before going
TO Washington, but his real object is to
reach the people through the press. The
promptness with which he submitted to a
newspaper interview on his arrival in San
Francisco shows that he understands this
American method of reaching the public.
The interview was published in the Journal
a few days ago. but it gives such clear
explanation Of the open-door policy that the
main points are worth reprinting. Lord
BeresfoTd said:
1t means simply that, instead of spheres
of influence which means the breaking up
of the Chinese empire, that England, Amer
lea, Germany and Japan shall. by agree
ment. maintain free and equal commercial
Ffil fa,a all nr.f-r
the spheres of influence policy is allowed
to be adopted Russia will, of course be-
come all powerful in the north, France in
TIE south. England, of course, cannot get
everything, Germany will get what she can,
While America will probably get nothing.
for though | think she IS destined to be a
great trading nation in the Orient, greater
than Great Britain or any other country,
her interests there are now comparatively
slight. and in the scramble it is not likely
that the American people would feel their
interests demanding a struggle for a portion
of it at this time. But with the open
door equal opportunity for all nations. her
commerce is bound to grow. With the
spheres of influence, Of course, Russia would
put on preferential tariffs in the regions she
dominated and France would do the same in
her territory / don't know whether Ger
many and England would or not Thus
America would be cut out altogether. or
practically so. from the China trade and
England from all but that she domino ted.
So that America really has more interest in
the open door than England has.
From this it will be seen that the open
door policy advocated by England relates to
the extension of trade and the exploitation
of commercial advantages on a footing of
equality for all nations. while the spheres of
influence policy. adopted by Russia, con-
templates closing the door in China against
everything but the territorial and com
mercial advantage of Russia. Whether this
is the real tendency of the Russian policy
or not, it is the British view The question
is an important one to the United States,
for, no matter what may be the outcome Of
the Philippines matter, there can be no
doubt that the near future will witness an
enormous development of our trade with
the East. Lord Beresford thinks that, under
equal conditions, the United States will have
larger trade in the Orient than even Great
Britain. and that she has, therefore, more
interest in the open-door policy than Eng
land has. However this may be. the United
States ought to be opposed to any policy
that would restrict or retard her trade with
China.
An interesting phase Of Lord Beresford's
visit is that ne is a thoroughbred freshman
and representative of one of the oldest and
most arstocratic families in Ireland. He
traces his ancestry back more than seven
hundred years through a line of Lords
Beresford, every one of whom was a pure
hlooded Irishman. 1t is not unlikely that his
selection for his present mission was due in
part to this fact in the hope that he could
successfully combat what Englishmen
imagine is the main source of opposition in
the United States to an Anglo American
alliance, namely Irish hostility to England.
Probably this feeling is overestimated, but
from a British point of view it may have
seemed worth placating. and Lord Beres-
ford, who unites the characteristics of a
thoroughbred Irishman and distinguished
British naval officer is a suitable person to
do it. He should have a cordial reception
and friendly hearing, but he will not find
the American people disposed to enter into
any other kind of an alliance with England
than one of friendly feeling