The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-07
RELATIONS WITH CHINA.
On More Satisfactory Footing Than
Ever Before.

The signing Of a new commercial
treaty with China, which took place at
onangnal on the 8th of October, is a
cause Tor satisfaction. This act, the re
result of long discussion and negotia-
ZION, places our commercial relations
with the great Oriental empire on a
more satisfactory footing than they
nave ever heretofore enjoyed. IT pro-
Vfdes not only for the ordinary rights
and privileges of diplomatic and consul
lar officers, but also for an important
extension of our commerce by increased
aaclllty OF access to Chinese ports, and
Tor the relief of trade by the removal
or some of the obstacles which have
embarrassed it in the past. The Chi
nese government engages, on fair and
equitable conditions, which will proba-
ply De accepted by the principal COM
merclaI nations, to abandon the levy of
l1ken' and other transit dues through
out the empire, and to Introduce other
desirable administrative reforms Lar
ger facilities are to be given to our citi-
zens VINO desire to carry on mining en-
terprises in China. We have secured
for our missionaries a valuable privil-
ege, the recognition of their right to
rent and lease in perpetuity such pro-
perty as their religious societies NAV
need in all parts of the empire. And.
what was an indispensable condition
for the advance and development of our
commerce in Manchuria, China, by
treaty with us, has opened to foreign
commerce the cities of Mukden, the
capital of the province of Manchuria
and Antung, an important port on the
Y alu river, on the road to Korea The
full measure of development which our
commerce may rightful1y expect can
hardly be looked for until the settle
ment OF the present abnormal state of
Things in the empire; but the founda-
ton for such development has at last
been laid.
Consular Service.
I call your attention to the reduced
cost i'll maintaining the consular SER
vice for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1908, as shown in the annual report of
the auditor for the state and other de-
partments, as compared with the year
previous. For the year under consider
alton the excess of expenditures over
receipts on account of the consular SER
vice amounted to SIG, 125.12, as against
$96,97Z50 for the year ending June 60
1902. and $147, 040.16 for the year ending
June 80, 1901. This is the best showing
in this respect for the consular service
for the past fourteen years, and the re-
duction in the cost of the service to the
government has been made in spite of
the fact that the expenditures for the
year in question were more than $40, 900
greater than for the previous year.
Free Delivery.
The rural free delivery service has
been steadily extended. The attention
of the compensation of the letter car
riers and clerks engaged in the postal
service, especially on the new rural free
delivery routes. More routes have been
installed since the first of July last than
in any like period in the department s
history. While a due regard to economy
must be kept in mind in the establish
ment of new routes, yet the extension
of the rural free delivery system must
be continued, for reasons of sound pub
lie policy. No governmental movement
of recent years has resulted in greater
immediate benefit to the people of the
country districts. Rural free delivery,
taken in connection with the telephone,
the bicycle, and the trolley, accom-
pIishes much toward lessening the iso-
lation of farm life and making it
brighter and more attractive. In the
immediate past the lack of just such
facilities as these has driven many of
the more active and restless young men
and women from the farms to the
cities; for they rebelled at loneliness
and lack of mental eompanionship. It
| is unhealthy and undesirable for the
cities to grow at the expense of the
! country; and rural free delivery is not
| only a good thing in itself, but is good
because it is one of the causes which
check this unwholesome tendency to-
wards the urban concentration of our
population at the expense of the coun-
| try districts 1T is for the same reason
that we sympathize with and approve