The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-11

"But WHY" I persisted.
DO YOU know what our Chinese notion
OF government is?"
Il haven't seen any Chinese government
YET. Your government was out when we
called at Picking TO pay our respects"
That was rude. 1 knew 1t as soon as |
had said it. But Yang. who never allows
himself to become rufied. merely opened
the Sits over his eyes a .ittie. took a fuller
look at me. and then lapsed into his normal
conversational squirt
I'VE believe I'm China resumed Yang.
s.that Il is exactly a governments business
e. look out for the individuals interests.
That is the only excuse a government has
for being. When our government doesn't
look out for Us We make a change in our
rulers. That doesn't happen very often"
AMERICA A BABY NATION.
you Americans have much TO learn Of
what government means. You are chill
dren. babies. in that branch Of learning.
Here in China we have had four thousand
years Of experience in government. All
OF the questions that are still troubling
you younger pations we have settled here
long ago. Our experimenting was done
thousands OF years ago. We have done
with experimenting; our problems In gov
eminent are solved. You laugh ct US. be-
cause we are so slow to change. Yet If
you had spent four thousand years In
learning. would you take the word of the
first small boy who came along that you
were wholly wrong?
mo. we do not care for a change in our
form of government, nor in our social con-
ditions. Our money question was solved
centuries ago. and there is nothing in that
Vet xTn
admit that we do need change in some re-
spects. That is, we who buy and sell adj
NIT il. 1t is only the literati, Cur office
holders learned in the old lore and caring
nothing for the new, who do not want
change Of any kind. We who toll and
raise the taxes and tribute rice and carry
on the business OF the empire. know that
we want some business changes-that is.
those OF us who have been in the outside
world know it. w. realize that China is
the greatest unexpected market in the
world. You Of the outer world have much
that we need. We have much TO give you
IN return. We have been much surprised
that the Americans, until very lately. took
no interest in securing a part of this great
market.
Just a little while ago, as we Chinese
AL(hOA LAAACs LIZ Ill NAILS 94aaCAAy ~
came awake. Then your men came over
here, looking in earnest for the conces-
Eions for always and mines. We want
the railroads. for we cannot move all our
great commerce down to the sea without
your engines and cars. We want your
machinery. for then our mines will become
worth ten, twenty times as much to us,
and we shall have more money to spend
for the goods that other nations send TO
us. We wanted the Americans to supply
these railroads. We wanted you to sell
Us the machinery for our mines, and teach
US how to use the machines. We thought
you were going to do 1t. You surely made
US the best bids.
III CHINESE SURPRISED.
How greatly we were surprised when
we saw Americans fail TO get the conces-
sions! We asked those of your men who
were among US why it happened so. They
grew angry and said that their government
at home had gone to sleep; that the gov
ernments OF Europe were much more
awake. Then we began to see 1t in an
other light. We realized that the United
States was not as great a nation as we
had believed. America was afraid of Eu-
rope-too afraid TO demand the things that
belonged to your people. We were sorry.
yet we could not help laughing behind your
backs. You Americans had claimed to be
30 great-you were nothingl We began to
understand that America, whom we had
trusted. was too weak to help US against
Europe. whom we had never trusted"
But what did that have to do with start
ing the Boxer outrages?' 1 persisted.
Said Yang: "I am coming to that. When
we saw how weak your country was our
hearts began to fail US. We knew that
Europe wanted to steal our country and we
saw nothing TO serve us as a shield. Then
your country began to get very nervous.
Your government at Washington sent out
anxious notes to all the countries of Eu-
rope asking them to pledge themselves
that China should be permitted to keep her
own government and that the trading priv
fleges Of all nations should be alike. That
set US to thinking. You foreign devils have
always helped each other against US. You
know better what each is doing than we
could hope to know. But We are shrewd,
and we know how to suspect. When we
heard that your government had sent that
note to the governments of the other coun-
tries we understood that your government
knew better than We how Europe was pre-
pairing to divide this empire. We knew
n That we must uSnl TOT Ire. Until then
the Boxers had amounted TO little. Their
ranks began to swell. Before long the
Boxers numbered millions of men who were
pledged to die to save China. Our Of
hcials began to join the Boxers. Our bank
ers and other rich men supplied them with
money"
"Ycu contributed. of course?" 1 innocent
~ asked.
DIR NOTE To THE POWEpS
Yang's eyes closed. but without showing
any other signs or irritation he went on:
A I have said, it was that note from
your government to the other governments
that opened our eyes. That is why / say
that your American government is at fault
for the starting of the Boxer troubles. 1
know what l am saying, for / have often
talked it over with my friends from Shan
81. and they are men who, like myself, have
travelled. even as far as &
But hasn't this fighting shown you how
hopeless IL Is for China TO hight the rest of
the world?' / suggested.
NO We have only learned that Wa