The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-31
FUTILE DIPLOMACY.


Secretary of State John HAY has sub-
mitted to congress the correspondence
with other governments respecting the
maintenance Of "the open door" in
China. Secretary Hay first sets forth the
substance of the agreement to which each
OF the foreign powers addressed was ask
ed to subscribe or to make a declaration
embodying the following provisions:
Il That It will in no wise interfere
WIN any treaty port or any vested in
terest within any so-called sphere of In
SeFest or leased territory it may have in
= That the Chinese treaty tariff of
the time being shall apply to ali mer-
chandise landed or shipped to all such
potts as are within such spheres of in
tefest tunless they be free portsO, no
matter 10 what nationality 1t NAV belong
ana mat duties so leviabIe shall be col
1eCIeu ny the chinese government
j. That it Will levy no higher harbor
uues on vessels of another nationality fire.
Quentlng any port in such sphere than
sudu De levied on vessels of It's own ma
tlonality, and no higher railroad charpes
over lines built, controlled. or onaro3eS "a
NIhlh IT'S sphere Oh merchandise belong
rs ~ cllIzehs or subjects of other ma
! ts0ibIarlJies transported through such
sphere than shall be levied on similar
Llefcnandise belonging to its own ma
tionals transported over equal distances ;,
Inc powers addressed We're Great Brit
ain. France. Germany, Russia Italv and
Japan, and they have all REPLIED tho last
10 be heard from being Germany. which
dld not communicate It's formal ansuar
uiluI Feb. 10 of this year. The renIv oP
Italy was received on Jan. Z and WA
given after the Italian government had
been assured by our state department.
tha5 all other powers had given a favor
able reply Yet it was forty-three davs
later before the reply Of Germany yaa
recetved-but that is a dIscrepancv which
may be left to the diplomatic conscience
of the facile John Hay.
The replies are all similar In tenor "r4
the other powers are willing to make such
declaration. why we are but not unless
the thing is unanimous" In the Russian
reply however, the attention of the
tnlted States government is drawn RI tho
TACT that 'as to the ports now openad
or hereafter TO be opened to foreign com.
merce by the Chinese government. and
which lie beyond the territory leased IN
Russia. the settlement of the question oF
customs duties belongs to China herself Z"
IhlS statement is similar to the state.
ment made by the Chinese ambassador
at Washington several months ago. That
gentleman then said that before thara
could be any settlement OF this .on.n
door question China might have some
thing to say, and that up to that TINA
Chia@ had not been addressed upon the
subject by the state department.
The value Of all these assurances oar
only be ascertained when put to a real
test The declaration by these govern
ments that they are willing to enter into
such an agreement as Is pronoaad ~,
secretary Hay Is not exactly the sauna
thlhg as entering into an actual b,ndtne
agreement. Secretary Hay has led bis
horses to the water; that is sometime
OF course. But he has now to disn,av b,s
ABILITY to make them drink. AS the
u 1 0 has heretofore pointed out II 70
not probable that these powers will
abandon any exclusive privileges thew
may enjoy in their respective "sphares 90
influence in China, merely to oblige or
10 please Secretary Hay and the United
states government They will certainly
expect a consideration of some kind for
their abnegatlon. and as soon as Secretary
Hay has ascertained the nature and valus
OIL the consideration the United States
VIII be expected to give for the conces,
sions asked. then. and not before wiz,
the tue value of his diplomatic Iabors be
known.