The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-01-10
THr OPEN DOOR N CHINA.
The Greatest Diplomatic Triumph
Ever AehinHad ~ This Country.

The Greatest Diplomatic Triumph
Ever Achieved BY This Country.
ST. Louis eIobe-pemocrat: Some Of
the washington oaicials are calling the
victory which the United States has Just
gained In the Chinese matter one OF the
greatest Of the diplomatic trIumphs OF
the age. They are unquestIonably corr
rect in this Judgment. The United
states recently asked the great powers
which have spheres Of influence In Chi
ma, or which have been endeavoring to
create such spheres, to give assurances
that all citizens Of the United States
should continue TO have the same prtyi-
leges in Chinese trade that the citizens
OF these particular nations possess. Ver-
bal promises were at once given by
those countries that the rights Of Amer
leans would not be disturbed. These
were not deemed to be suficlent, and
written pledges were asked for. The
government has been informed by reps
resentatives OF all those nations that the
United States terms win be complied
with. When these guarantees are
received, and 1t 10 probable that all Of
them viii be on hand soon-the Ameri-
can government win have achieved
diplomatic victory which viii make the
year 1889 notable in our annals.
There were some vague reports,
which were circulated rather indus
triously by the political enemies Of the
administration, that Russia had re-
fuaed. or would refuse, to furnish the
writien guarantee. These reports,
happily. have now been shown to be
erroneous. The Russian ambassador,
Count Cnssini, recently told Secretary
Hay that the st. Petersburg govern.
ment would comply with the request Of
our authorities, and one of the other
ofiicials Of the Russian embassy haS
lust stated the position OF his POLITICAL
siperiors with more fullness and ctr-
clnstantiallty. He declares that rs
to China, or any part Of H. Russia 10
ready to guarantee to the merchants OF
the United States the came commercial
rights as she may obtain for her own
people. Russia will go as far as any
other nation In this guarantee to the
United States" This Is decisive on the
one point In question, Russia VIII taKe
steps In siding with France ana Ger
many in according to Americans IN that
part OF the Chinese trade which may De
within their own sphere OF influence tne
same rights as are enjoyed by the hus-
slams. Germans and French, respective
w. or course. England could prompts
" make a pledge Of this sort, for Eng
land asks no special trade privileges Tor
hoVs 0Xv0 NftiRRnA anywhere,
This Diplomatic victory OF the United
States will have beneicent physical as
well as moral consequences FOR emma
and the rest Of the world. It was the
apparitlon Of Yasco de Cana in the
service OF Portugal. rounding the Cape
Of Good Hope to India IN 1887, ana OF
Magellan, In the service OF Spain, cross"
ing the Pacific from the American con-
tinent in 1921 for the same goal, that
frIghtened Papan. China and other ASH
atic countries, and closed them to out
side barbarians" Forty-hve years ago
Commodore Matthew Balthralte Perry,
on the deck Of United States shlp1oi-
war dictated to JaEan, still hermit
nation, a treaty Of amity and commerce
which, as followed in later years, by
like conventions with other nations,
opened Japan to Intercourse with the
rest Of mankind, and started her on tne
road to that moral and material ad.
vancement, which. in 1888, has placed
her in the list Ga the worlds great
states. To-day America, standing at
the open-swinging portals OF the. new
age, has. In relation to China, achieved
a triumph Of vastly greater service to
itself and to civilization, and Will give
an opportunity to the Chinese TO ulti-
mateiy have share with the japanese
in the designation Of the yankees OF
the East"