Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-02-08
OUR TRADE
IN THE ORIENT.
Gen. lanes \. Wilson ON "Ameri-
can Interests in China
CHINESE DESPERATELY POOR
settlement OF the Present Difficulties
WIN he Whatever the Powers
Shall Demand.

New York. Feb. Sat a meeting Of
the chamber Of commerce, Gen. James
II Wilson. upon the invitation Of the
executive committee made an inter-
esting address on the subject "Ameri-
can Interests in China" President Jes-
sup introduced Gen. Wilson, who spoke
in part as follows,
There are many interesting aspects
in which we may look at the crisis in
China. The whole Of the progress Of
China. from the time Of its first vista
ton Of Europeans down to the present
time. has clustered around and been
promoted by trade and commerce. 1t
has been broken in upon by wars, but
each one Of these wars, not excepting
the Infamous opium war had It's origin
In the commercial spirit and in the de-
termination Of foreigners 70 force trade
upon China. The present war the late
war the Boxer revolution. In meas
ure, may have been also due TO the
same cause and to the same pressure.
The people Of China, you must under
stand, are desperately poor Their per
capita output is, perhaps less than
that Of any civilized nation In the
world. But the American the English,
the French and the Germans-all ma
tionaltles-haYe been pressing upon
them for trade The poor people them
selves have not known what was the
matter, why they were In this dis
tressed condition. why things seemed to
be so bad with them, why they were so
poor; and, knowing that they were poor
they have not appreciated why foreign
ers We're so eager TO establish CONNER
clal and closer relations with them. l
will not undertake to dwell upon the
causes OF that poverty or Of the
changes that have been brought about
in China, but | say to you, compre-
hensively, that the cause Of the dlfi-
Guilty IN China Is the distressful condi-
ton which has surrounded the people
and In their anxiety to find some cause
Of explanation Of It, they have taken
the first thing that presented ITSELF
THE PRESENT DIFFICULTIES.
Speaking of the present difficulties in
China Gen. Wilson continued;
There is going to be a settlement Of
these difficulties and that settlement Is
going to be exactly what the foreign
powers agree among themselves they
are going to demand; for there Is no
organization, no power, no government,
no means OF resisting the foreign de-
mands and the Chinese are going TO
yield exactly what Is asked of them,
and If all hands agree they will get eX-
actly what will be asked They have
pretty well made up their minds and
the demands have been published to
the world, and they will be yielded TO
not only because the Chinaman must
yield, but because the next step which
would be taken If he did not yield Is so
fun Of danger In the direction which
Mr.. Hewitt intimated awhile ago, of
universal war. that the foreigners
themselves will be slow TO undertake to
innict any other terms upon the chi
nese than those that have already been
demanded. In my judgment the whole
of China Is now open and Will be open
for commerce because the first propo-
sltion that the nations viii lay down
after they have settled the indemnity
for the past trouble. will be a demand
of assurance that there are to be no
troubles in the future and perfect free
dom of trade and everybody who has
got a concession or thinks that he
would like 10 have a concession, had
better get out for it just as soon as he
can"
Cen Wilson then spoke somewhat at
length on Chinas payment Of lndem-
mites Continuing he said;
NO TERRITORY WANTED.
81 do not take the slightest stock In
any effort TO acquire territory on the
continent Of Asia II Is not necessary.
We have never got any business out
there on any other principle than the
plain, simple principle on which you
gentlemen do business with each other
II YOU cannot furnish goods of a better
quality or at an earlier delivery, or at
q lower price you do not sell them.
1--WE being the closest Of all the ma
tlons TO China, with straight route
over, there Is no reason In the world
why with the open door for which our
administration is standing so strenu-