The times., 1899-03-09
NEGOTIATIONS MAY Be
TRIED With China
Senator Davis FayOrS Secur-
ing a Port in That Country.
The United States Would Ask for a
Tract Of Land.
Growing Opinion That This Govern
ment Must Protect Its Inter-
csts in the East.

There are excellent reasons for believ-
| ing that the Cabinet is not nearly so much
| unit on the question OF ltaly's seizing a
port in China as might be inferred from
Secretary Hays interview published yes
| terday morning. 1t is said that at least
one member of it goes further and. like
Senator Davis of Minnesota, favors the
| United States taking vigorous care of its
| interests in the Far East, and believes that
| negotiations with China should at once be
| opened with view to securing the cession
| of a port for the United States before they
are all snapped up by European nations
The argument is that if this country does
! not soon take some action 1t will speedily
be excluded from China altogether. Great
| Britain. Russia. France, Germany and
| Italy have all secured ports along its coast.
| and before long the various claims will be-
| come contiguous. shutting out Uncle Sam
from the interior altogether. The chief
| value of the Philippines lies in the base
they furnish for American trade, and If
this latter is taken away very much OF
| their value will be lost.
1t is further argued that. as a matter
OF Justice to the Chinese. the United States
should acquire a port in tneir territory
The United States. Great Britain, and Ger
many are the only nations in the world that
have liberal ideas and that believe in justice
toward their subjects. If China all falls into
the hands of the European nations yoke
of tyranny will he fastened upon the shoul-
ders of the Chinese which tney will be un-
able 10 shake off for years. perhaps for CEN
turies How much better. it is argued.
would be the mild and just rule of the
United States to that of military despotisni
Further the United States would always
permit the government OF interior emma
free access to the sea over its territory, a
r;uht hat will certainly lose If the
process of partition continues mucn longer.
OF course there is no proposal to acquire
Chinese territory by force and arms as
France and Italy have acquired it. Things
would be done in quite a different manner.
The United States would ask for naval
port and a small tract of land. where an
American town could be built up and po-
Iced on American methods. In return
for this it is proposed that it should accept
a ninety-nine year lease and protectorate
over a tract OF land stretching for so many
hundreds of miles along the coast and so
far into the interior, assuring CHINA that
she shall always enjoy special rights OF
travel over it and that no other foreign
nation shall encroach on any part OF it,
The open door policy. it is said, IL II
could have been carried through. would
have obyiated the necessity of all this.
The Chinese Empire would have been
maintained and the United States would
have had the same privileges as other ma
tions in trade with that country But now
that this has been abandoned by Great
Britain and the other nations are indulg-
ing in a game of grab. with the intention
of shutting out the United States, 1t IS
argued that there is nothing else left tor
this country to do unless it desires TO see
China obstructively occupied and itseil
shut out from all Chinese trade.
The United States it is argued, IS very
far from being possessed of mere ao-
stract interest in the future Of China Hei
: trade with that Empire is second only II,
| inheritance TO that of Great Britain. and
superior TO that OF nearly all European
countries put together. She is Just as
likely 10 be injured. economically speak
ing, by any partition of China, as any Eu-
: ropean power, and it is therefore mat
| tor of supreme Importance that the course
OF events at Pekin should be caretuily
watched by diplomats OF trained skill
who have already qualified themselves foi
the task b. personal experience ot oriehtl'
, statecraft.
, II as seems TO be written in the book
of national fate the celestial but unpro-
gressiye Empire is to be opened up TO CIV
iIization, gridironed with railroads. and
made a great centre of modern industry
| and progress, the United States can teke
4 hand in the struggle for supremacy. "lth
every prospect of success 1t can meet
this sort OF competition without difficulty
il it will properly utilize natural resources
and advantages. few months ago an
American firm underbid all competitors
} and furnished the material for a railway
in India and it can repeat this perform
ance indefinitely in China, and every othei
7 quarter of the world. American made ma
chinery and inventions. as well as Ameri'
!, can agricultural products, are hndlns
nd "a
I gued that they should be on hand in China
| 100. But they cannot be If Europe divides
the entire Empire up, as it seems to in
tend TO do.
The total trade of the United States will
r China is now more than S3OUOO.OOu veal
and is rapidly increasing. Intll recent!
this country had free access to all the opeI
ports like other nations, but II Is the POI
icy of Russia Italy and France t'
: monopolize trade wherever they can. ant
= particularly to shut out England. Wher
S ever this happens the United States SUI
< fers the same England, although II Il
= not the rival of any European nation ant
1 has not until very recently interfered IL
the politics of the East.
e There is however, a better reason 10
q Russia TO close the ports she controls
t against the United States than agains
r England. because this country competes di
|, rectly with her in breadstuifs and petrol
,, cum which are two of the chief articles o
e import into China. Tank steamers brint
G millions of gallons of Russian petroleum
d from the Black Sea, and when the Siberian
= railway is completed China will furnish
s market for The immense amount of bread
r stuffs that may be grown on the plains o
S Siberia
= Russia is now attempting to divert th'
trade of ~. 900, 600 people in Nieu Chwani
o to Port Arthur which is entirely unde
e Russian control. and will probably b.
e closed to the trade of other nations. Th
United States will have To suffer with tn
J. rest. and instead of sharing In the In
: crease Of Chinese trade it will lose wha
= IL has The same results will follow th
= occupation OF other ports by Russia, Italy
& and Germany. and it is agreed that |
will soon become necessary for Presiden
Mckinley to assert the rights and dignit,
of this Government If he wishes to pre-
serve our commercial relations in the East
= II is not thought the President will taxi
any important action at present. Stat
E, Department official said yesterday: 'Whel
the little faction of Filipino rebels is pu
: down and peace is restored there it seem
II very likely that some steps may be taken
/ If the Republican party declares for ex
d pansion in its next national platform a
ID il Is very likely to do. stranger things will
Is have happened than that the United State
e should negotiate treaty with China for
naval station and protectorate.
c Events move quickly in the East.
e year ago no one would have believed tha
d there would today be 10000 Americas
= troops in the Philippines. Yet they ar
IF there. and detachment of them may b
in China before very long and be ther
y under the American flag
n THE GRIP CURE THAT DOES CURE