Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-08-02
CHINA
AND THE POWERS.


The boxer uprising against foreign
ers in China has spread and many
more lives and much more property
have been destroyed. The situation in
the celestial empire, as China is called,
is much like that in India at the time
of the great mutiny in 1857 when
many Europeans were killed by ma
tives and their property destroyed,
explains the Little Chronicle of Chi
cago in a very clear fashion. The
Indian mutiny. however, concerned
only one nation, Great Britain, while
the Chinese uprising affects all the
great powers of Europe, Great Britain,
Russia, France, Germany and Italy;
one Asiatic power, Japan, and one
American power, the United States.
On account of it's commercial i'm
portance. European nations have been
trying for long time to establish
what are called spheres of influence"
in China. A sphere of influence" is a
section of country which, although it
remains under native government, is
largely influenced in trade and friendly
relations by some one foreign power
Hence in China there are Russian
British, German, French, japanese and
Italian spheres of influence" The
United States has never set up any
special sphere but always has
claimed the right to trade with all Sec
tons of the country on the same terms
as all other nations.
In spheres of influence" in China,
Russia has a great advantage over
other foreign countries. Under a
treaty she holds ninety-nine years
lease of immense possessions in the
Liao-Tung peninsula which gives her
Port Arthur--a strong naval base-and
the entire district of Manchuria in
Guiding Kisin and Shen Kiang. Rus
STA can bring troops into this district
overland from Siberia, and with her
navy in control of Port Arthur she
could hold possibly all the territory
north of the great Hoang-Ho River.
From the -Kiang river to
the West river on the south, the coun-
try would fall under the control OF
Great Dri7f,in which owns the island OF
Hong Kong and is strongly intrenched
on the Kow Lung peninsula just op-
posite. She also has a naval base al
Wei-Hai-Wei, opposite Port Arthur
where she can watch Russia whose in
fuence with the Chinese government
is greater than that of any other
foreign power. In addition to these
points of vantage Great Britain, I'M
der an agreement with Russia, claims
the -tse-Kiang valley as belong
ing to her sphere.
Frances sphere of influence is in
southern China. She holds the island
of Hainan and controls the port of
Kwang- CHAIRMAN. Germany has the
province CT Shan Tung, except the
point of the peninsula Wei-Hai- wei,
where the British are located. Japan
has the island of Formosa, won in her
late war with China, and she looks
with longing eyes at the province of
Fu-Kien, just opposite. Italy makes
claim to San Nun Bay on the coast of
Che-Kiang province, but her claim has
never been allowed.
The Christian missionaries have
done a great deal to help establish
these spheres of influence by creating
better feeling between China people
and foreigners. A very large number
| of the Chinese, however, have always
opposed any concessions to foreigners
and have always hated the mission
aries for trying to convert the people
to Christianity. This is the class of
Chinese of which the boxer society is
| formed.
The outbreak on the part of the
boxers has made 1t necessary for the
foreign nations to send warships and
troops to China to protect foreigners,
and those already there and on the
way number about fifty ships and
10000 soldiers. In the meantime many
foreigners have been killed and much
foreign property has been burned. In
what way the foreign government
will make China pay for these lives
and this property cannot now be
stated. Some of them are anxious to
own the land in their spheres OF in
huence." and more, too, and it may
be that when foreign troops take
possession of the country where the
boxers are now, and have restored or
der. that they will be kept there TO
hold the country for their respective
governments.
Or, the foreign nations may decide
to divide the entire country among
themselves and carry out their deci-
sion with their armies and navies.
There is one reason why this may not
be done, and that Is the probability
that they cannot agree what share
each shall have. The United States
also stands in the way of division
OF the Chinese empire. At the pres
ent this country has the same trade
privileges as other nations. II the
country were divided among the other
nations, Russia, Germany and
France would want their home coun-
tries to have the advantages OF the