The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-07-01
with China shows that the American gov
eminent has all along pursued a cons1s-
tent course of non-lntervention In Chinese

with China shows that the American gov
ernrnent has all along pursued cons's-
tent course of non-1nterv ton In Chinese
affairs.
BY an act approved March 3, 1913, Con
sress placed $4,000 at the disposal or the
President to enable him TO establish tAe
future commercial relations between the
United States and the Chinese Empire on
terms of national. equal reciprocity. Caleb
Gushing was appointed envoy eXtraorui-
nary, minister plentpotentiary and com
missioner TO China. and by July 8, lS4+, ne
had concluded an agreement by which the
five ports then open to the British were
opened also to the trade and the residence
of American citizens. Duties OF i1ngort
and export were also prescribed, and 1t
was stipulated that the duties required CT
the United States citizens should not be
higher than those required OF the people
Of other nations. The citizens of the
United states were also exempted from
the action of the Chinese criminal law. If
they committed crimes they were to be
tried and punished by the Uuited States
cUnSuls according to the laws Of the United
States. Before this exclusion had been the
rule though the United States had con-
slIlate at Canton. and some American
merchants resided there. In 1858 the United
States shared in the benefits embraced in
new treaties forced from China by Great
Britain and France. These nations had
sought and gained the right Of diplomatic
representation at Pekin, religious freedom
for foreigners, entrance to new ports,
lower duties on domestic produce in tran
sit to the coast, suppression Of piracy and
the extension of these privileges and
rights to all civilized nations. When Eng
land was endeavorgng to force these con-
ccssions she sought to persuade the
United States to assume what was termed
"more positive ATTITUDE toward
China" meaning some show OF arms. out
the United States while ready to Co
operate peacefully in influencing China
declared an unwfllingness to increase our
naval force there for aggressive purposes
In June, 1861, Arson BurlinSame was sent
by the United States as envoy eHtfaordl-
nary and minister plenipotentaTy 10
China. with instructions to make an effort
to substitute fair, diplomatic acaoh 1oi
force.
The desire of the United States was
to- see established and maintained IN
China a strong central government able
to enforce its treaties and preserve natlVe
autonomy In 1868 it was enabled to con-
clude q treaty, having as its basic prlhcl-
pie the recognition OF the sovereign au-
thority Of the Imperial Government at
PcLin over the people Of the Chinese ElA.
nire and over their social, commercial
and political relations with the western
powers Since that treaty the United
States has consistently pursued policy
of cooperation, based upon the independ-
ence Of China and an open door TO com
merce. In 1899 our government gSlneo
from France, Germany, Great BrltalH'
Tta:y, Russia and Japan a written declara.
lion promising that in their individual
spheres OF influence the commercial IN
tarests of our people would be preserved
in their entirety, that no exclusive rights
would be demanded for their own Gu
zens that ports open at present VIII re-
main open and that ali new ports they
NAV hereafter open shall either be free
ports or the only customs col!ecteo
shan be those provided for by the treaties
with China in force at the time, that no
higher harbor dues on vessels or ralIroao
rates on merchandise shall be required
of subjects OF other powers than OF 1heiL
own. Such is the so-cal!ed "open-door
in China, which the United States has re-
Gently been able TO secure.
POSITION OF INFLUENCE.
That the United States now occupies
q position of recognized influence ana
mower in the settlement of Chinese ques-
lions is revealed by the fact that her
good will and support are SO eagerly
sought by the leading contestns nauons.
Tapan, a young republic is seeking the
favor of the American Government IN
order to win its help in preserving ASA
intact and repelling further foreign en-
croaChments. England the mother coun-
try. points to kinship of race and 1nstltu-
TONS declaring herself the staunchest'
best friend the United States mas ever
had. and invites the American nation TO
cooperate with her in the policy Of de-
yeloping, not destroying, China. And
she ADDS. If one reads ner thoughts cor
rectly: Should the partition OF the I'm
11ire ever come, would not the united
States prefer to see a democratic. tree-
COrn-lovfng, Christian Auglo-SaNon civil
ization predominant, rather than an alb
solute despotic, Graec0-Catholc, SlaVonc
civilization? Russia. too, is an earnest
suitor for the hand of the Union. The
Russian Slav earnestly declares that
he has always been a better friend Oh
the Americans than the Englishman, and
to nrove Il ne points first to Englands
record in the revolutionary war the war
of 1872, and her neglect and oppression
of the struggling colonies, and then cites
in favor of his own country, the far PRICE
at which Alaska was coded to the United
states (ST 2l9.C0Ql and the moral support
given the Union cause by Russia in 1863,
when the presence Of &, squadron OF lVe
of her vessels in New York harbor kept
ENGLAND from recognizing ana aldlng the
(.onffjeracy. He asserts, too, that au-
tocratic rather than republican ideas Of
government Will best succeed in ASIA
that the United States has been under
the tutelage Of England too long already
and that the American nation has more
TO gain in Asia from supporting ftusSIfi'
a country occupying such cohFoihhS
position on the continent thah from more
remote England.
inns if appears the United States may
be able, and may be called upon in the
future, to decide whether the Slav or the
Anglo-Saxon shall rule in Asia, and, too,
whether China may be dismembered or left