The Washington weekly post., 1900-09-11

Port Arthur. but they agreed TO return Il
10 China. and the very next day after IL
was taken over By the Chinese-Nay 81.
isss-they delivered up the arsenal and
fortress 20 the British 1t was taken IN
der a nominal lease. but that lease will
no more expire thar will that OF the rail-
road the Russians are building across
Manehuria.
Great Britain's sphere.
Owing 10 the fact that Germany
through its occupation of the port of
kiaochau. claims the right OF pre-emption
tn the province of Shangtung Gin which
Wei-Hai-Wei is situated). the British can
have nothing more here than military
and naval base; but that II all they need,
for in addition to Hongkong and Kowlss,n
on the opposite mainland. they have put
forth claim 10 sphere" comprising
nothing less than the entire valley and
drainage basin of the Yang-tse. a river
nearly the size and volume of the ANA
zon With characteristic assurance, this
British sphere" was kindly defined 20
the tsung II yamen by Sir Claude Macdon-
aid as not only the Yang-tse region, but
the provinces adjoining the Yang-tse.
That was all. John Bull would not insist
upon taking in the whole of China-oniy
little matter OF region 000.0o0 miles IN
area, with about 100000 inhabitants.
That was his sphere" and IL he were
granted that, with the exclusive pTivi-
leges OF trade, &c, in addition to what
he already held and might perchanee pick
up on his cruises along the coast, he
would be satisfaction awhile,
To revert to the German claim of a
sphere" extending inland from the port
OF Kiaochau, which Germany violently
seized in 1888. her intentions may be in
ferred from the Kaisers appointment of
Count Won Waldersee as commander of
the allied armies and the dispatching Of
thousands of soldiers Chinaward. She
seized port two years ago in reprisal for
the killing Of a missionary, wrested a
railroad concession for the death of
soldier. and now that her Minister has
been murdered nothing less will satisfy
her, probably, than-the province Of Shang-
tung as an exclusive sphere, If, indeed.
she stops short of the adjoining Pe-chi-li
and the capital.
The French lay claim to all south China
as their own particular sphere, because
forsOoth 1t adjoins their possessions N
Tonquin, and they already hold as their
own the port of Kiungchau. in the island
of Hainan, perilously near to English
Hongkong. In fact, France has pushed
her engineers and surveyors so far inland
that they have met and quarreled with
their British rivals at the head OF naviga-
ton on the Yang-tse, 1,75o miles from its
mouth.
The Peril of Occupation.
1t is in this possible overlapping Of III
val spheres and consequent clashng of
interests that the peril OF occupation lies.
This the Chinese diplomat may be trusted
to promote in the forlorn hope that he
himself may pick up a plum or two that
may be dropped in the scuffle. Herein lies
his only ehance,it would seem,o Of obtaining
a portion OF his own territory. for In addi-
ton TO the spheres already outlined there
is another country or two to be reckoned
with. Japan, which secured the island of
Formosa by treaty, has made il manifest,
by landing troops at Annoy, that the main
land opposite will be considered as her
sphere IN case OF division of territory
while ii is so well known as to be looked
upon as foregone conclusion that If
Manchuria remain in the hands of Rus
sia, Korea will revert to the Japanese.
Not that Japan desires Korea above all
things else, but that she would not want
such an admirable stategic territory 10. go
to any one else
1t would appear, then, that If the United
states were TO engage in the scramble for
territorial spoils she would be confined to
very restricted area and that a selection
OF port and province would be a case of
"Hobson's choice" In point of fact. but
one coast province remains unappropri-
ated-Che-kiang, lying to the south of
Shanghai and the Yang-tse River mouth.
1t has at least two fine cities-Ningpo and
Wen-ehow-and if British professions of
friendship count for anything, the Brit
1sher would be made supremely happy ny
having the Yankees as his neighbors.
There is one objection to its acquisition.
even if there should not arise that in
superable one of popular protest against
1t In the States, and this is thai Italy
considers 1t already hers through prior
claim, entered, but not allowed by China.
a year ago. 1t is hardly worth white going
to war about it, anyway, and If sober sec
ond thought prevail with the other powers
tney VIII heed the warning convened i'm
that quaint Chinese proverb, THE hicner
a rat ereeps up cows horn the narrower
he finds it,
FREDERICK A. ODER.