Evening star., 1903-07-23
THE CHINESE EMPIRE
PROGRESS OF THE PARTITION OF
THE ANCIENT LAND.
Portugal Started It in Sixteenth Cen
tury-Several Great Nations
Engaged In It.

According to WI Ting Fang. China has
maintained the autonomy of her institu-
tions for 1000 years. shown by authen-
tic history; she has witnessed the rise and
fall of Egyptian. Persian. Grecian and
Roman dynasties: she Is the survival of the
fittest of ancient nations. The great prob
lem today among nations IS the Chinese
question Of partition and division Of the
empire. The encroachment by modern ma
tons upon Chinese territory the last few
years has been one of aggression and con-
quest and acquisition of territory. All ma
tions except the United States have not
considered the gravity of the situation and
the potentiality of that empire If once de-
veloped and brought within the. pale Of
modern activities.
According to the last census and estimate
China has 426. Al. 600 people, or five times as
many as the United States: Chna's area.
including her dependencies. Is APIS, 4O1
square miles. which approXimates the area
of the United States and her new posses
sons. Now if the combined nations of the
United States. they would be repulsed and
cast into the Atlantic and the Pacific
oceans. The United States can defend her
self against the world. China has five times
more people than the United States. includ-
ing territory appurtenant. Then. when
China becomes aware of her danger of dis
membership. can she not by the sheer num-
Der OF her soldiers repel this invasion?
The First Seizure.
TnI: exploitation of China was begun in
1881 y Portugal, which seized the Island of
S1act near CantCn. Then in 1872 England
exlen led her civiizng method by compell-
ing I hina to open her ports to the intro
ducu, n Of opium and incidentally other
art1cn of commerce. For this encroach-
nlent England compelled China to cede to
her til Island of HongkOng and pay a large
cash indemnity. About this time the
called evangeliZation of China began; the
missOa aary entered the empire with open
Eible and the merchant with a cargo of
Idols. warranted not to warp or tarnish in
any Cl mate, and the war between the mis-
SionarI and the seller of idols has been
waged ever since with varying success. The
statistics as given by the United States
show $1,000 Protestant and l.HD,ND Roman
Catholic converts. But as to the number of
cargoeS of idols imported the tables are
silent. The converts are from the lowest
caste AS General Chaffee has said. the
educated Chinese never express any desire
to embrace Christianity. nor take any inter-
est in this religion. Their religions are
sufficient and adapted to their civilization
and environment
But 1t is not the object of this article to
discuss the religious phase of the Chinese
empire. So let the spiritual invasion of
China rest and turn the investigation to the
physical invasion. After the war between
Japan and China in 1SaJ Japan obtained the
Island of FOrmOsa. lying ninety miles off
the coast of central China. This acquisition
of territory was in settlement of war in
demnty. and therefore wholly legitimate
under the rules of international law. But
other modern nations seized territory upon
the merest preteXt without law or equity.
So on November /. 1897. Germany seized the
port of Kiaochou on the northeastern coast
China asserting q this
was the desire to obtain satisfaction for the
murder of two German missionaries on No
venber l of that year.
Long Lease Secured.
This port was held by German warships
until a treaty was forced from China by
which the port and adjacent territory were
leased to Germany for term Of nlnety-nlne
years Germany being given the right to
land troops, construct Qualifications and es-
tablish coaling and naval station, and
German subjects having the right TO con-
Struct railways. open mines and transact
business in the rich mineral and agricul-
tural province of Shantung. in which the
port of kiaochou is located. the Chinese
vessels having the same privileges in this
port that the German government might
decide to give to other nations. In the an
nails of history 1t Will be hard to find more
unjust aggression and invasion than this
act of acquisition of territory by Germany.
not be deprived of this opportunity of self
ACKNOWLEDGMENT by invasion. So on Decem-
ber -. 1897. Russia obtained permission, by
the force of diplomatic dureSs, for its naval
squadron to winter at Port Arthur, on the
Liaotung peninsula. which it had in con-
certed action with Germany and France in
1S!1J required Japan to abandon. This was
not enough to satisfy Russia. Therefore,
by the diplomacy which is known to mod
ern nations. an agreement entered
into between China and Russia on March
p, 1898, by which Port Arthur and the ad-
jacent port of Talienwan were leased for d
term of twenty-five years to the Russian
government the treaty to be subsequently
extended by mutual agreement, which
means by the will of Russia. This lease
includes 800 square miles of territory and
all harbors between Port Arthur and
Talienwan. the harbor of Port Arthur and
part of Talienwan to be for the sole use
of Russia and Chinese men-of-war Russia
to have the privilege of extending its
Trans Siberian railroad line through Man
churia to Port Arthur and Talenwan and
to protect the same during and after its
construction by Russian troops. This
placed Russia at the entrance to the Gulf of
Pechili. leading to the capital Of China.