The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-27
i'm Favor OF Developing Our
Trade with the Nations Of
the Orient.
CHINA A BATTLE GROUND
ON WHICH EUROPEAN POWERS ARE
CONCENTRATING EFFORTS.
No Reason, Mr.. DENLY Says, why the
United States Should Hold Aloof-
The EIdOrado of Commerce.


two members and guests of the American
Asiatic Association sat down to the second
annual dinner of the organization at Del
monico's tonight Among those who sat
at the table arranged for the guests of
honor were Senator John McLaurin, of
South Carolina; Jutaro Komura, minister
from Japan; Charles DENLY, exUnited
States minister to China; WI Ting Fang.
minister from China; Cornelius N. Bliss,
John Barrett ex-minister to Siam, and
Brayton Ives. The English and American
colors at the head of the table were the
only decorations.
Letters of regret were read from Presi-
| dent Mckinley, Secretary of State John
Hay. Secretary of the Treasury Gage, Sem
ators Beveridge, Lodge and Aldrich, and
Morris K. Jessup, president of the Cham
| Der of Commerce.
The toasts and the speakers were as fol-
| lows: 1.-THE President of the United States"
| Charles DENLY; 1.-The American-Asiatic AS
| sociation,' Everett Frazer; China, the
Greatest Potential Market in the World"
| WI Ting Fang; Japan. the Pioneer of
| Asiatic Progress Jutaro Komura; 1.-THE
South and the Open Door in the Far East"
l JOnn l.. McLduTlH, slope anu
| the Asiatic Trade" Hon. Addison c. Fos-
ter: 1.-THE Paramount Interests of the
| United States in ASIA" John Barrett. Min
lister WI Ting Fang wore his brilliant ORR
entail costume of silk, embroidered with
| heavy gold braid and decorated with Chi
nese characters. The minister from Japan
| wore full evening dress, after the American
| model.
| Ex-Minister DENLY was the first speaker.
| He said in part: 1t is plain We should not
| stand idly by and see hostile camps es-
| tablshed in China under the plea of lease
holds, If the lessees intend to make us pay
| greater duties than our treaties provide for.
Russia might lease the whole of Manchuria,
England might lease the Yangtse valley,
| Germany control China, and France the
| south, and entirely ueprive us of the most
promising market of the globe. Why, in
| this day and generation, should our infiu-
| ence end without our boundaries? Why
| should men, the carriers, the farmers, the
manufacturers and the merchants, be told
| that their activity, that their energy. that
| their talents, should not be employed in de-
veoping our trade in foreign countries as
we'll in our own?
NO TIME TO STAND ASIDE.
eve are a great nation and it is not for
| us to stand aside, like poor boy at
| frolic, when international questions are on
| the tapis. We should intervene in any
question in the subject matter whereof We
! are interested. We have as much right to
| intervene in Chinese matters in behalf of
our missionaries and merchants as we had
to intervene in Venezuelan affairs. We have
| just as much right to preserve and save
| our trade rights in China as England has.
| has to protect its own. Why should Eng
| land and Russia and France and Germany
arrOgate themselves the control OF Asia?
| We are the closest to China of all the great
commercial nations except Japan. We have
| done more TO open 1t to civilization than
any country except England. Our trade is
next TO Englands. Our population in China
| is next to Englands. By what right shall
other nations step in?
"A new era commenced in China in 1898
when Germany, without saying so much as
| good morning, sent battalion of marines
| to land at Kiao-Chou, in the province of
| Shan-Tung. and TO take possession Of some
300 miles of territory in that locality China
| wanted to resist the invasion of those ma
| rines, but she was persuaded by Russia to
make no resistance.
| Russia herself demanded of China the
| cession of Port Arthur and Talien-Wan
| and a large strip of adjacent territory
| Russia claimed that it was absolutely nee
eSSary for her to have an outlet for her
great Siberian road. Vladivostock, which
| is the terminus of the transcontinental
| route, freezes four months in the year, and
/ Russia insisted that il was essential that
| the terminus of the line should be on the
| open sea.
France then demanded cession of ter
| ritory on the mainland in the south, and
| England not to be outdone by her sisters,
/ demanded and received 400 miles of ter
| Titory around Hong-kong and the fortress
! of Wei-Hai-Wei, and nearly 300 miles of adj
jacent territory on the mainland. Italy has
| put in claim for like concession. 1t is
| to be presumed that other nations will do
/ likewise.
| THE building of the Siberian road is
probably destined TO change the course of
| travel now existing in the far West When
| a man can go from st. Petersburg to Pek-
/ ing in twelve or fourteen days in Sleep
| ing car it is not likely that he will take
a trip around through the canal, or that
/ he will travel in the other direction, cross
two oceans to reach China
BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA.
These events. followed by our own ac-
| QUESTION OF the Philippines and Guam. and
a part of Samoa, create the beginning of
| a new and remarkable era. The Eldorado
| of commerce lies before us in the far East.
| Our own trade has recently been going
| up by leaps and bounds. We sold to China
twice az many piece goods in the past
year as we sold in the year before and
4 the Oh the current year VIII snow
| still greater sales. Develop Mines send
| goods into the interior and the Chinaman
will buy.
Look at China as she stands to-day.
| She has seen all the nations of the East
| rise. reign and disappear. She counts back
| SIX thousand years OF written history.
Amid the fall of empires she stands firm
and solid. She has area of over 1000.
| 600 square miles. She has population of
| which. during my time at Peking, was es-
| tinlated by competent scholars TO be 800 Co.,
| 600. She is awaking to-day from the sleep
| OF centuries Her foreign trade amounts
| TO only $3.50 600. eco. or not quite 81 a head.
| This trade will before many years reach
| 500 000. 000. a majority Of the new cotton
mills established in the South are exclu-
sively supplying the Chinese trade.
| While l have nothing to say with regard
| TO the establishment OF a permanent diplo-
/ matte corps, | do honestly believe that we
should have civil service applied to cur
! consuls. at least in the,East Ii would be
desirable also to establish at Shanghai a
| museum or exhibition room, in which could
| be shown specimens OF the various goods
| manufactured in America.
When the insurrection is over Wiz
discuss what TO do with the Philippines
| Meantime we will give 70 the F'ilipinos as
! free a government as the sun shines on
/ We will educate the children. divorce the
| church and state, reform abuses, es:ab-
| lish free municipal and provisional gov
1 ernments. enfranchise the press and make
personal freedom the inalienable brtnrjght
| of all the people. hope that soon the in
surrection will end and that NOBODY will
| have occasion to enter any question as to
| the consent OF the governed. WHAT then
fell lei