The San Francisco call., 1905-08-30
Burden Really Falls Upon
British and German I'M
pOrters of Merchandise
From the United States
PEKING GOVERNMENT
GUILTY OF DUPLICITY
Making No Sincere Attempt
to Check the Movement,
Which Is a Failure De-
spite Official Conniyance

PEKING. Aug. 29-The American boy
colt almost overshadows the peace nego-
tiations as a topic of interest in China.
Accounts reaching Peking from trading
centers indicate that the movement at
tanned its greatest strength early in Au-
gust and since then has been decreasing.
Nowhere, except in Shanghai, has Ameri-
can business received a serious bow.
The boycott would have been equally sue
cessf,il at Tientsn, which is a distribut-
ing market for American goods, second
only to Shanghai. except for the deter
mined repression of Yuan Shi Kai, who
is almost the only Chinese Viceroy really
ruling his own province.
The Peking Government, in response
to Minister Rockhills representations,
issued Instructions to provincial officials
which read well, but which the officials
construe with the belief that the Govern
ment sympathizes with the sentiment in
favor of the exclusion of American goods,
although obliged formally TO oppose the
method of its expression. Several minor
officials are implicated in the movement
at Shanghai, and its leader holds the
rank of Taotai The Government. might
punish them by depriving them of honors,
according TO the Chinese custom, II 1t
were in earnest.
Many important merchants who en-
L
scheme, but IL has passed beyond their
control into the hands of agitators, the
ma joritys- of whom are students, many
recently returned from Japan. and some
from America, who relate at meetings
and describe in newspapers lurid stories
of outrages al the hands of American
immi grafton officials.
| The agitators are active principals In
the central and southern cities. They
| hor iOip oil doy nd !, a
! Chinese students and merchants be ad-
mitted to America as freely as those of
other nationalities and are now demand
| ing the unrestricted entry of all Chinese.
They argue that If this movement sue
ceeds the same coercion may be employed
| against Canada, Australia. Java and all
countries In which Chinese live.
The native newspapers. which have be-
come influential only since the Boxer up
rising and the number whereof is multi
| plying are q powerful factor in tanning
! the agitation.
The best informed foreigners believe
| that the boycott has passed its climax
| and will gradually subside, that the ces-
sation of orders for American goods are
merely temporary and that decrease OF
| orders now will result in a corresponding
increase later In the year.
| The end of the RuSso-Japanese war by
| opening Manchuria would give great
impetus to American trade That country
! practically has been closed to imports
| throughout the war, largely because the
armies monopolized all means of trans
| portation.
Most American products sold fn China
are handled by British and German firms
on commission, and the bulk Of the losses
falls upon them.
| What is considered the greatest sig
nihcance of the boycott is. the, possibility
of future use OF this method of coercion
IL the first attempt succeeds. The guilds
which launched the movement are form
ing a permanent organization and have
plenty OF funds. to send orators about the
country and sow circulars broadcast
They boast OF receiving many contribu-
tions and messages from American sym
pathizers. Proportionately as the first
boycott succeeds the weapon may be ex
pected to be employed against any Gov,
ernment that offends the Chinese.