Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-23

nation.
The effect upon trade will be serious The
Pacific coast, which is responsible for the
exclusion policy, will suffer most and will
be punished for the inhuman treatment in
ficted upon so many Chinese by its officials
as well as its mobs. The sand-lot labor
agitators may drive out the heather from
the fields and the factories, but they cam
not protect the merchants of San Francisco,
Portland and Seattle and they cannot COM
pei the Chinese to buy our flour, cotton,
lumber, copper and other goods which we
ship to the value of fifty millions or more
to China. They must admit that, If an
exclusion policy is right and just one
side, it Is equally right and just on the
other.
But the great danger is that the boycott
will not stop with trade. AS experience mas
shown. the masses of the Chinese popula-
ton are ignorant, intolerant and cruel, and
when their prejudiees are excited they are
uncomfortable. Nor do they distinguish
between nationalities. They do not recog-
nize the difference between missionary ana
merchant, and all Europeans and Amerl-
cans look alike to them. There is no tell
ing where the boycott may stop, or what
consequences may follow it.
Tong Dfsplaces WI.
The government of China until now, has
been opposed to the boycott idea; and, rs
has been widely published, issued orders
forbidding discrimination. This edet Is
supposed to have been procured by WI
Ting-fang, although it is generally be-
lieved that he suggested and originated the
boycott and is therefore responsible for 1t.
But he was too easy; he yielded too soon;
he was too conciiatory toward the United
States to suit the earnest, progressive adj
vocates of new national policy, who now
dominate the government. Hence he was
retired to position where he will have no
influence and Mr.. Tong Shao-yi the most
extreme and bitter opponent of the eXclu-
sion policy of the United States in all China.
hoe Iah No ra1 IN hyrrnr ~ N-nF
branch of the government with which our
minister has to deal, and has been in
trusted with the negotiation of the pending
treaty.
Mr. Tong has the advantage of an Amer
lean education. He was of a group of
brilliant young men brought over to the
United States by Yung Wing in 1875 and
was placed IN a private family in Spring
field Mass. until he had learned the Eng
lish language and had become familiar with
American habits and customs. He then
prepared for college at an academy in Hart
ford and was sent to Yale In 1882. He now
has three nephews at school and college in
this country. For several years he was
attached to the staff of Ii HunS-chang; he
then went to Korea where he was consul
and secretary Of legation, and afterward
was placed In charge of the railways and
later of the custom houses In the province
of Pechilf. Two years ago, after the Brit
ish invasion of Thibet he was sent to Cal
cutta to secure a recognition of the rights
of China in that province, and was then Of
fered the British mission, but declined it
on the ground that he could be more USE
full to his country by remaining in the gov
eminent at home. He had already begun
to frame policy of retaliation against the
United States.
For several years-particularly since the
Boxer troubles-he has been privately and
pnblicly admonishlng his fellow-country-
men concerning their duty to themselves
and their race, and urging them not to sub
nit to foreign dictatton and discrimination
10 hou hn1, ol,r, !,
equality of races and the doctrine that
Chirese Is as good any American, or
European. or Asatic, and is entitled to the
same consideration at the hands of The
other nations in the world.
Why Tong Became Anti-American.
Some people think that Tong Shao-yis
anti-foreign, anti-American prejudice was
stimulated-if it did not originate--n ter
ribIe tragedy during the Boxer troubles.
He was living in Tien-tsin, in charge or
the government railways at the time. He
took the side of the foreigners and, with
his family, found refuge in the French
concession, which was the nearest to the
field of hostilties One day during the
siege shell from a Chinese battery ex-
ploded in his house and tore off both limbs
of his wife, beautiful woman whom he
worshiped. He stopped the flow of blood
as best he could and then ran for a doc
tor. But all of the military surgeons were
busy and refused to leave the hospitals
At the American camp Mr. Tong begged
on his knees that some one would come
and save his beloved wife, but the sur
geons were few and the wounded being
many, and nobody could be spared. He
pleaded he ragged, he threatened and was
almost beside himself with anguish and
anger Before he reached his home his
wife was dead.
He has often said that the American
surgeons could have saved her if they had
1p ftnas,,
and his feelings the subject have been
intense. His disposition toward all for
eignerS seemed TO change with that epi-
sode and few days later when the for
eign troops We're moving to the relief of
Picking, he refused to furnish any trans
portation and forbade them to use the
rolling stock of the railroad. He obstruct-
ed them in every possible way. On one
OCCASION when the soldiers themselves had
made up a train of his cars and had load
ed it with troops for Picking, he jumped on
the locomotive turned off the steam and
refused to allow the soldier-enginaer TO
officer in command, Tong was seized and
taken from the cab and placed under ar
rest While detained upon the railway
platform he denounced the foreigners for
their invasion of China in passionate Lam
guage and delivered a speech on inter-
national law.
Since then he has at times been violent
in rs denunciation of foreigners, and par
tieularly Americans, and the. assertion of
Chinese equality has become his hobby
At the same time he is man of strict
integrity and is regarded as one OF the
ablest statesmen and strongest personalities