Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-21
PROGRESS IN CHINA
No More Foreign CONCESSIONS
% Be Granted.
new RAILWAY FROM BURMA
Will Open Up Resources Of the In
terror.
REORGANIZING THE ARMY
Discarding the Native Dress-Cutting
OF the Queue-Binding Of
Feet Forbidden.
ARMY
REoRGAN1z1NG THE Al
BY WILLIAM 4. CURTIS.

.-
BY WILLIAM z. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
There have been several very important
| changes among the high officials in China
recently. That which most interests the
people Of the United States is the appoint
mont Of Mr.. Wang Tah-sich. now minister
In London. as the head Of the foreign Of
| fee in the place Of Mr.. Tong Shou-yi who
has been transferred to the head Of the
| newly created bureau Of communications,
| which has Jurisdiction over railways, tele-
| graph, telephones and steamship lines Mr..
| Tong. while not anti-foreign in DISPOSE
| tion, is the recognized leader Of the China
| for the Chinese" party. and. since he has
been at the head Of the foreign Office has
asserted his convictions as we'll as his
! individuality in a manner that has caused
| the members Of the diplomatic corps to
| sit up and open their eyes. He is perhaps
the. most aggressive. impetuous. uncom-
promising and Independent of all public
men in China, and loves a scrap" as much
as any freshman. Mr.. Tong did not please
the diplomatic corps by his attitude during
| the boycott. Mr.. Rockhill, our minister.
was very much dissatisfied with his indie
pendence. He took the liberty to tell the
envoy of the United States that II the
Americans were not willing to receive the
Chinese in their country they ought not
| to complain II the Chinese refused to buy
American goods, for what was sauce for
the goose was usually considered sauce
| for the gander. Mr.. Tong. however. is
sued orders forbidding Discrimination
against American goods and otherwise did
| his duty in a strictly impartial manner,
although he did not hesitate to 1ustiry the
| feeling Of resentment on the part OF MS
| fellow-countrymen and their right to re-
| taliate against the bad treatment OF tho
Chinese in the United States
No Foreign Concessions.
| Mr.. Tong does not know anything about
railroads. telegraphs or steamships, but
! that is not considered essential in China
| He has under him in the bureau of COM
munications several transportation ex-
| perts, who will look after the details while
| he directs the general policy of the govern
| ment, which Is to grant no more conces-
sions to foreigners and recover as many as
possible Of those that have already been
| granted. Hereafter the Chinese will build
| their own railroads; they will develop their
own mines; they will establish their own
| industries, and will do all of their own
business so far as possible There are sew
| eral new railway projects. and they VIII be
| carried out by the Chinese themselves with
| local capital so far as 1t can be furnished,
under their own control. and for their own
| advantage. The future policy Is China
! for the Chinese" 1t is expected that they
| will make many mistakes. but the expert
| ence will be valuable, and national PRIDE
| and patriotism will be gratifed.
| The most important railway project now
| under consideration Is. the construction OF
| a line from Chung-king. the head OF navl-
4 cation on the Yang-tse river, the most I'M
\ portant thoroughfare in the empire, to
| Myityna, the terminus Of the English rail-
| way system In Burma, near the boundary
| between the two countries. Chung-king,
the capital of Yunan, one Of the most fer
| 10 nd nrndncfive nrOynCeS OF China, with
| a population of 100000 and unlimited re
| sources, is a city Of 4OO,0Oo population ana
| one of the most prosperous In China The
| surveyors report that construction from
| the Burmese boundary to Chung-kinS Will
| be difficult and expensive. but geographi-
| cal and political considerations ought to
justify almost any expenditure for such
| purpose.
| Access to Heart of China.
Such a railway would give England &C
| cess to the very heart of China. and would
| furnish the interior provinces an outlet for
their produce through British territory. saw
ing at least 5000 miles of transportation
| by land and sea upon every pound of COM
| merce with Europe. 1t would enable
| Chinese goods to reach tide-water in four
| days instead of four weeks, and divert the
| trade Of vast area and many millions of
| people from Shanghai to Rangoon.
| In 1900 Great Britain made treaty with
Germany under which she agreed to keep
| the Yangtse river free and open to the
| trade of all nations, but that need not in
terfere with the construction OF railroad
| from Burma to Chung-king. Great Britain
| also has treaty with France guarantee
ing equal rights and privileges to all ma
| lions in southwestern China, but France is
| building a railway from Tonquin, her Ash
| attic colony, across the Chinese border into
| the province of Kwang-si, and it would
I; seem that Great Britain should have as
| good right to lay rails In the adjoining
province Of Yunan.
| There are no means of transportation
| from Burma across the Chinese border be-
| yond the railway terminus at Myityna. but
| a good deal of freight is carried over the
| mountain trails In hampers of bamboo
| sIung over the backs of pack mules and
| bullocks. 1t is all done by the Chinese, for
the Burmese lack enterprise and are indif-
ferent to commerce. From Yunan they
| bring hides, horns. India rubber, raw silks
gold bullion. jade. amber and other raw
| materials. and take back manufactured
RIGS. wearing apparel, hardware. drugs and
many little things which enter into the
needs of primitive people.
It will not be many years before the
French road Will be completed into the In
| terror of China and sooner or later third
| line will be built down to Bangkok. on the
| Gulf of SIAM
Minister Wang Progressive.
Mr.. Wang Tah-sich, the new minister OF
| foreign affairs, is a very able and accom-
| plished man. He Is extremely progressive
and energetic. and has had wide experience
| in diplomatic affairs. He has lived large
| part Of his life in Europe and Is familiar
| with international questions and all the
features of modern civilization. He was in
| Washington about a year ago. and spent
| several months travelling about the country
| dnquiring into matters. While he Is no
| ADLER or wiser a man than Mr.. Tong, he
| is more of dlplomatist. and his expert
/ and education have baen all In 70
| of his future duties. Therefore he Is by
| far the best-eQuipped man who has ever
| been at the head Of the foreign Office at
| Peking and there will be much less fric-
| ton in the international relations of the
| empire than formerly.
The ..China-for.t Chinese movement