Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-10
No SPHERE or IyFLiENCE.

NO SPHERE or INFLUENCE,
1T is said that the friendship of the
Chinese government for the United
States is 80 cordial that sphere of in
fiuenco" might probably be obtained for
the asking. That government, it is
stated, recognizes the evident purpose
of the eXclusionist powers TO carve UP
the country at their own will and appre-
ciatcs the more liberal political and eco
nomic policy of Great Britain and the
United States The administration,
however, says the Washington CORE,
spondcnt of the New York Journal of
Commerce, hesitatcs to take an aggres-
sive position because of the doubt
whether it would be sustained by pub
lie sentiment. The secretary of state, IL
is affirmed, is much more alive to the
importance of q resOlute policy in China
than some of his predecessors, but
President Mckinley does not wish to go
too far in advance of public sentiment.
"The United states" says this CORE.
spondent "is not likely to ask or ac>
ccpt any privileges which will involve
tory by American troops under present
conditions" but "if the time comes
when the cXclusonist powers throw off
the mask and undertake to carve China
into a group of principalities of their
own, American public opinion muy be
sufficiently ripe to join Great Britain In
II policy such as Great Britain has
adopted in Egypt" 1t is said further
that the feeling at the State department
is that it would probably require spc-
cific cause of irritation with some one
of the cXclusionist powers to arouse the
American people sufficiently to the i'm
portunce of our commercial interests III
China to permit aggressive action. 1t
is asserted that from the administration
point of view it is for the interests of
the United States that matters should
not be brought to a crisis in China so
long as such an event can be delayed in
order that there may be time for
American public opinion to ripen regard
ing the importance of our interests in
the east.
We very much doubt whether Presi-
dent Mckinley or Secretary Hay have
ever seriously thought of what is here
suggested. We believe that neither Of
them is in favor of the United States
making any change in its attitude to-
ward China and that they would dis
countenance any aggressive action Oh
the part of this government looking to
I.t in in in ha n
influence" The recent declaration by
our government of Il position of 'disin.
terested neutrality" in regard to Chi
nese affairs appears to fully warrant the
opinion that this Administered ton does not
contemplate any new policy in respect
Il logical result of expansion, that there
will sooner or later arise a vigorous agi-
tntion for a policy of territorial az,
grandzement in the Chinese empire. II
is not to be supposed that the expansion
hunger will be appeased by our posses
sion of the Philippines. When we have
enforced our supremacy in the archipel-
ago there will arise a demand for ter
ritory in China, as being necessary to
the extension of our trade and the pro-
lection of our interests there. The COM
mercial influence will be armyed in ru-
vor of this and everybody knows how
powerful that is. That this is to be q
question in the not very remote future
we think there can be no reasonable
doubt and while public sentiment is
now overwhelmingly opposed to any III
reference by the United States in Chi
nese affairs there is no certainty that
it will be so a few years hence, unless
the expansion policy should prove Sc
rious burden.