The San Francisco call., 1905-08-20
RELATIONS
ARE GROWING
STRAINED
United States and
China Near a
Rupture.
Boycott Trouble Stops
Miss Roosevelt's
Peking Visit.
Canton Hankow Railroad Con.
.ceSsion May be Sold
Back by Morgan.
Special Dispatch to The Call

| CALL BUREAU, POST BUILDING,
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19.-Relaions be-
tween the United States and China are
rapidly becoming acute of interest to the
diplomatic corps in Washington. While
not actually strained" it appears likely
that they may become so by reason of
the representations recently made to
China by this Government concerning the
boycott. against American products
1t seems plausible, furthermore, that
this may have been the Presidents rea-
son for objecting to the proposed visit of
Miss Alice Roosevelt to Peking. While
there seems to be no imminent danger OF
a repetition of the Boxer trouble such
| as threatened all the foreign legations in
Peking several years ago, the present
time does not appear to be exactly op-
perfume for visit of the Presidents
daughter to Peking, where, as announced
in Cali dispatch, she was to be received
by the Empress Dowager Of China.
President Roosevelt is anxious to have
daughter shall visit Peking at this time.
but that she will return to the United
States with Secretary Tafts party.
When shown to-day a report from Pc
king that China had been informed by
the United States that all negotiations of
any new immigration treaty would be
entirely suspended until after the boycott
had been raised and that the United
States would hold China responsible for
any loss sustained thereby, Mr.. Adee,
Acting Secretary of State. said he knew
of no such notification. There is reason
to believe. however, that representations
approximating those reported from Pc
king were recently made. The negotiation
of the new treaty has been at standstill
Gin fha
lister rejected what the State Department
considered the most liberal form of treaty
1t could sanction. Mr.. Rockhill hoped to
take up the negotiations at Peking, but
has not done so yet
President Roosevelt has thrown his
influence against the contemplated sur
render to China of the concession for
the construction of the Canton Hankow
Railroad now held by the China-Amer-
lean Development Company, controlled
by J. P. Morgan. complex situation
has thus been developed. for one Of the
last acts performed by Elihu Root be-
fore he became Secretary of State was
the drawing of a tentative agreement
for the surrender of the concession for
81, 900, 900. Mr.. Root was then acting
as lawyer for Morgan. That financfer
is under no obligation to stay the deal
because of Roosevelt's views, but a
conference between the two at Oyster
Bay recently had a marked temporary
effect on the situation. In certain
quarters it is being asked: Is President
Roosevelt trying to hold up the sur
render of the concession in order to
bring China to time In the matter OF
the anti-American boycott?
China Is as anxious to get back the
control Of the railroad the American
company never built as Mr.. Roosevelt
is to see the boycott against American
products raised. On both sides the
problem is not quite within the grasp
OF the respective governments. In re-
ply to representations from Washing
ton, the Peking Government has prom
ised to assert It's influence against the
boycott, but has pointed out that 1t
cannot compel Chinese merchants to
buy American products II they don't
want to. Mr.. Morgan has already. ten
tatively consented to sell back the rail-
road concessions to China. 1.