Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-23
Rich Chinese Province That Might
Have Been Ours.
A PETITION TO THE PRESIDENT
Quite Possible That 1t May Yet
Be Presented.
WHY IT WAS HELD Up
Copyright, 1901. by C. NJ. walEer.l

Copyright, 1901 by c. VI. walkerD
Written for The Evening star by Guy Morrison
Wslh-r.
While the powers are plotting and plan
ming, each for it's share Of the vast Chinese
empire, should the partition Of the empire
be the outcome Of the present uncertain
conditions. there Is one great province of
China, which, unknown 10 the other pow
ers. is only waiting the chance to become a
part Of the United States. This is the
sea-Coast province of Fukien. with a pop
ulation of 22.C,0.UoO people. rich cities and
great and growing commerce. Such has
been the feeling Of the people of the
province toward the United States that
formal petition for annexation was once
prepared. scaled and signed for transmits
sion to the President. but was withheld at
the advice Of an American missionary who
told the petitioners that their prayer would
be uuavaiiuS at that time. The matter
was held IN allegiance, and is to all intents
and purposes. In that condition today.
40 Tlrc" of history as important as this
Is Kept secret without the most potent of
Reasons. In TINS case the reason is not
far To seek. The petition was practically
the first step in the act of secession. Had
II b"g"n" known To the ruling powers of
tn. empire. not only all those prominently
mi Heated but thousands of suspects.
would hay" been beheaded. Human life is
cheap in China. Fukien would have been
dreuched in blood.
Changed Conditions.
Conditions are changed now. A leading
spirit in tho moyement-the man who to-
day would be the first to suffer. has suf-
fer'd the penalty Of his straightforward
and courageous patriotism. Standing for
what he believed to be the empires only
hope radical reform, the brave and bril-
at I ivgyr
b~hcadrd by order Of the empress at the
time 0fsthe famous coup d etat of 1898,
whom he was but twenty years old.
OF the other chief petitioners. all are
now in position of safety from identifiCa
ton and the petition itself is where it may
be AT any time presented to the President
and Congress of the United States: but
where no official Chinese hand can dis
cover its hiding place. So 1t is that now
for the first time the story of the Chinese
province that wanted to join the United
States can be told.
After the War With japan.
It was shortly after the collapse Of the
imperial arms in the war with Japan that
thu movement for the annexation of Fukien
To this nation was inaugurated. China lay
helpless at the mercy of her conqueror
and the powers We're tearing at her like
JackaIs. Corea had been taken from her
ana set up as independent power. for
the control Of which, however. both Rus
sia and Japan were eagerly striving. The
great Island Of FOrmosa had been given to
Japan, but the mainland had been saved"
u the empire, though at a heavy monetary
cost, by the intervention Of powers who
had proved even more rapacious than ia
pan Russia had secured Port Arthur, the
Gibraltar of China. Germany. on a mere
pretcNt. had seized Kiao Chau and was
driving the population from the seized ter
ritOry. dispossessing people from homes
some of which had been held in their fami-
Hes fhpuSaul
hat Increased her claims in south China
and England though she had not aided in
relieving China from the demands of ia
pan. nevertheless felt justified in accept