The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-07-06
HAH,S "OPEN DOOR" A HUH
s., RUG

t'had compelled the great powers Of
Europe to accede to his proposals for
maintaining the integrity of the Chi
| nese empire. The door Of that enor-
nous market was to be open freely
| and forever to American trade. A
| notable achievement-if it were only
| true.
But it now appears that the admin
istration has been deliberately fool
ing the people. in this as in so many
| other important matters. Still more,
| it would seem that the trained diplo-
mats of Europe have been, as the
boys say, making monkey" OF Mr..
McKinley's secretary of State. Atany
rate the "Opeu Door" in China is a
hoax, delusion and snare. The door
is not open to American trade. Prob
Iably.it never will be, at least under
the famous McKinleyHay-C Chamber
lain imperialistic bluff. Mr.. Hay has
sold our honor and our freedom as d
nation to his English friends without
getting even a mess of pottage in re-
turn.
The exposure of this humbug is due
to an entirely reputable English pc
riodical, the National Review, the
current issue of which contains an
article by member of parliament,
Mr.. K. A. Yerburgh, Count Moura-
vieff's Triumph" Count Mouravieff
is the Russian foreign minister, with
whom Mr.. Hay did business. 1T
would appear that the Russian used
our talented secretary OF State for his
mirth, yea, for his diversion. The Re
| view is not now unfortunately at
| hand, but q review of Mr.. Yerburgh's
article by the NelD York Sun, an ultra
Republican imperialistic organ, tells
the story without suspicion OF anti-Mc-
kinlEy bias. The Sun says June 10 }
On March 80 MIR. White, then our
I charge d'affaires in London, informed
| Lord Salisbury that all the other pow
ers had given the desired assurances
and that, accordingly, EDgland's pre-
visional assent would be regarded by
| our government as final and definite"
| A very different conclusion is reached
| by the London National Review,
| which maintains that Russia has by
| no means assented to the proposal
made by the United States, and that,
| consequently, all the conditional
| agreements secured from other
| European powers and from Japan
fail to the ground.
This is question of capital impor-
tance, and we ought therefore, TO note
carefully the grounds of the opinion
formed by the National Review.
These grounds are set forth partly in
an article contributed by Mr.. r. A.
Yerburg, NJ. p, entitled Count
Mouravieff's Triumph" and partly in
the Introductory article called "Epi-
sodes OF the Month";" which is known
to be written by the editor of the
periodical. The assertion that Rus
STA has failed to comply with the re-
quest OF the United. States is based
upon a comparison of our proposals
with the answer returned by the Rus
sian foreign Office.
Let US mark the precise terms of
our proposals. They will be found in
the letter addressed by Mr.. Choate
on Sept. 90, 1899, to Lord Salisbury.
Mr.. Choate expressed the desire of the
United States that her ma jesty's gov
eminent would lend its support in the
effort to obtain from each Of the vari-
GUS powers claiming spheres of in
terest" in China declaration to the
following effect: First, That it (the
asserting power) will in no wise il
terfere with any treaty port or any
vested interest within any so.called |
sphere of interest. or leased territory
itmay have in China. Second, That |
the Chinese treaty tariff of the time |
being shall apply to all merchandise |
landed or shipped to all such ports as
are within such sphere of interest
(unless they be free portsD, no mat
ter to what nationality it may belong,
and that duties so leviableS shall be
collected by the Chinese government.
Third, That it (the asserting power
will levy no higher harbor dues Oh
vessels of another nationality fire.
quenting any port in such sphere
than shall be levied on vessels of its
own Acknowledgment no higher rail
road charges over lines built, controll-
ed or operated within its sphere on
merchandise belonging to citizens or
subjects of other nationalities trans
ported through such spheres than
shall be levied ON similar merchandise
belonging to its own nationality,
transported over equal distances"
1t will be observed that the mat
tiers as to which our State department
requested assurances fall under the
three following heads: First, @ hinese
treaty tariffs, harbor dues, and treaty
ports; secondly, railway rates, and,
lastly, vested interests. What is
meant by vested interests" will be
manifest when we recall that British
capitalists have been authorized to ;
construct the Newchwang railway,
which runs through a part of Man +
churi that Russia regards as be-
longing to her sphere of interest"
Now Their, let us see whether our t
three proposals were accepted by the
Russian foreign office. In his note to t
the United States minister at ST.. q
Petersburg, delivered on Dec. IS, 1899, /
Count Mouravieff said: I'm SO far as
he territory leased by China to G
Russia is concerned, the imperial gov t
has already demonstrated its