Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-06-22
THE CORVALLIS GAZETTE,
FRIDAY. JUNE %, 1900.
AMERICA IN CHINA.

tracing the attention of the
world. One of the London
papers, for example, says the
Globe-Democrat, has an article
entitled ''President McKinley's
Opportunity" in which it says
that this country can act with
more moral effect in China than
can any of the great nations of
Europe. 1t remarks that Eng
lands movements are regarded
with so much suspicion by Rus
sia that serious complications
might arise if a force of British
troops should be landed near
Pekin. The same is true of
Russia, it says, ''but the United
States has traditions of friend
ship with Russia, and a commit
nifty of interests with England.
It's action, therefore, would not
encounter the hostility of either
power" This is a chance, it
remarks, for the United States to
preserve the open door which
Secretary Hay has obtained, and
adds: "America's opportunity
has come. Will she be equal to
it or will she let it slip from her
hands and lose her vast poten-
tialities of trade in Northern
China"
All this is true of course.
America can take the initiative
in China with more effect than
any other natioA. 1t is known
to the world that this country
asks no territory in Asia. 1t
wants no spheresof influence in
China, or any other part of that
continent. Americas action in
China would arouse no jealousy
among any of the nations which
own Or seek territory in that
quarter. Moreover, the United
States is onaterms of friendship
with all other countries. The
traditions of friendship with
Russia" which the British jour-
nal mentions are as powerful to-
day as they ever were. The
country has traditions of friend.
ship with Germany, France,
Italy and all the rest of the coun-
tries interested in Chinese affairs
also, for the cordiality which has
existed between the United
States and England for the past
two or three years has pretty
well extirpated all remembrance
of the earlier hostility between
the two countries. So far as re.
CARDS the attitude of the rest of
the great nations towards the
United States, there is an era OF
good feeling for this country all
over the world.
Yet the action of the United
States in China will be entirely
independent of that of all the
other nations to the extent that
there will be NO formal compact
between this and any other coun-
try. The purpose of the admin
istration at Washington On this
point has been made tolerably
plain in the past eight or ten
days. At the end of The Hague
conference of 1899 the American
delegates, in signing the agree
ment, made Ithe declaration that
nothing contained in this con-
vention shall be so construed as
to require the United States of
America to depart from its ira
ditional policy OF not entering
upon, interfering with or en-
tangling itself in the political
questions or internal administra-
ton of any foreign state" This
disclaimer on the part of the
United States will apply to China
as we'll as to Europe, for United
States intervention, in the shape
which it may take, will be for
the purpose of giving the protec-
ton to its citizens which the
Chinese government virtually
confesses its inability to afford.
The United States will enter
into no entangling alliances with
any European nation or nations
on the Chinese or any other
question. 1t declined England's
invitation for a joint action in
1923 against the holy alliance,
and, III the Monroe warning TO
that coalition which was issued
in that year, established policy
of independent action which will