Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-07-10
THE CHINESE Rnrcorr.

The action taken by President Roose-
welt for a less rigid enforcement Of the
Chinese exclusion act was expected to
have the effect Of checking the move
ment organized by the merchants Of
China against American goods, and the
order issued by the Chinese government
against the boycott appears to have had
to some extent the desired effect. But it
Is not to be supposed that the movement
has stopped or is likely to do so until the
Chinese are better assured than at pres
ent that the exclusion law will not here
after be ms harshly enforced as it has
been for several years.
The president of the Chinese Reform
association, now in this country, says the
action Of Mr.. Roosevelt is not wholly
satisfactory to the Chinese people, who
are rapidly becoming more and more
enlightened and will insist upon being
treated exactly I'm the same manner as
the most forward nations, or the boycott
which has been declared against Ameri-
can goods will spread and be rigidly en-
What a great many of our people seem
not to understand is that China is NOV
ing and that her people are becoming
more enlightened in regard to the rest of
the world and the important part they
are destined to play in world affairs
They are beginning to have higher APP
probation of themselves and quite natur-
ally to expect better consideration than
they have been getting from others.
Europeans in China who are careful
and intelligent observers note that all
the way to the western border Of the en-
pire the people have been stirred in a re-
markable degree by the events of the
war. The remarkable success of Japan
has inspired the Chinese and LED them to
believe that they too may accomplish
great things if they will reform their
methods and emulate the example of the
japanese in the adoption of western
methods. The imperial edict ordering
that schools be established in all the
larger towns for instruction in western
learning and science is being carried rap
idly into effect. 1t is stated that in
scores Of cities throughout central China
large buildings have been secured or are
being built for the purposes of these
schools. The high military officials of
China have come to recognize the fact
that under the old policy the country will
be left hopelessly behind Japan. They
are therefore in favor Of reform and anx-
ious that the people should acquire all
the helpful lessons that the Occident has
to teach them.
Thus with steadily growing interest
the people of China, for centuries in iso-
lation and Indifferent to what was going
on in the outside world, are giving atten-
ton to western ways and becoming i'm
! bued with ideas to which hitherto they
have been utter strangers. Their diplo-
matte representatives in foreign lands,
their students and their travellers have
carried to them Information which has
caused an awakening and the work of re-
form already begun will go forward, as
surfing in the coming years great
changes. The China of today will not
complacently submit to treatment which
ten years ago it stood with little or no
complaint. 1t has come or is rapidly
coming to sense of it's Importance and
its rights as a nation and it intends to
demand just and respectable considera-
ton. The country that wants it's trade
must treat it fairly. The feeling in
China at present is that this is not being
done by the United States and in conse-
quence her merchants have entered upon
policy of retaliation which probably
will be adhered to until the cause of it is
removed.