Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-12-02

ambassador PUBLICLY decla1mfng against the
modern Monroe doctrine as grossly unfair
to his countrymen in South America, and
challenging American editors to joint de-
bate with him upon this subject? And what
would we do,to the representative of gem
une foreign power who interfered thus Of
fensvely and insultingly in our domestic
affairs? Hustle him out of the country In
short order
In this matter are not treating Mr..
WI as we would the representative of any
foreign nation, and in other. respects We
have not treated his country as precisely
on the same footing with the great powers.
The reason Is simple and easily stated.
China is not great responsible power en-
titled to the treatment demanded or capa-
BILE of meeting the obligations which would
accompany 1t. The disclosures of the
Boxer riots and outrages have only brought
conspicuously to the attention of all the
world what was generally believed before.
National spirit, the soul of a nation, is
lacking among the Chinese There Is hate
instead of sympathy between North and
South China War affects only the section
where it is waged. Japan whipped only
North China, the southern provinces re-
naming Indifferent. and millions of China
men being today ignorant Of the war with
Japan. In the Boxer troubles, when the
foreign powers were moving against the
Pekin government. China virtually disn-
tegrated and the viceroys of certain prov
inces entered into peace agreements with
the nations whose armies had chased their
emperor from his capital, and occupied Pc
kin. A hated Tartar dynasty rules the
Chinese people through Tartar soldiers
quartered In various Chinese cities. The
emperor Is prisoner and tool Of the en-
press dowager, and the empress dowager is
controlled by threats and brides of Russia,
AMI her fears of the secret societies.
The nominal Chinese government governs
neither the people of China as nation nor
the foreigners and strangers Swithin its
gates.
So when Minister WI poses as the repre-
sentative of a great nation, and in that
capacity threatens loss of American trade
with China If his countrymen are ex-
cluded from our borders he causes only
a smile. Why this very trade which he
represents as endangered has grown up
almost entirely since the day when
with an apparently brutal disregard
of China's treaty rights the original Geary
law was enacted Is China's position as a
power better now than it was then? Is
China's disposition to resent such treat
ment keener now than it was then? If
trade-increasing affection was born in the
Chinese after this exclusion in an offensive
manner from the United States, will 1t not
survive the mere continuance Of the exclu-
sion law, to which both peoples have grown
accustomed?
The Chinese government has never per-
mitted even the massacres of it's people as
in Manila and Batavia to interfere in the
slightest degree with it's trade relations
with the Spanish and Dutch murderers.
In the recent disturbances and negotia-
tions the American republic has proved it
self to be practically the only power which
did not desire to carve from China slice
of its territory, and it's influence and ex-
ample are largely responsible for the fact
that China is not today dismembered, and
that it continues nominally among the DOW
ers.
Chinese gratitude toward a preserver
might be expected to prevent the loss of
trade which Chinese resentment toward
murderers did not suffice to destroy. But
China is only a sham as a nation, and net-
Their gratitude for preservation nor resent
ment at exclusion will have any material
effect upon its trade with America.