The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-08
GOSSIP ABOUT CHINA
STATE DEPARTMENT GUESSING AS
 TO ITS INTENTIONS.
Chinese Government May Raise Wu Ting Fang to an Enthusiastically to Place the Celestial Empire
 on Plane with Japanese.


 te Place the Celestial Empire
 on Plane with Japanese.
 Gossip in state Department and diplomatic circles has 1t that China has finally decided to follow the ex- ample of Japan with regard to her diplomatic representation abroad and early in the new year will raise her legations in this city, London, Paris, St Petersburg, Berlin, Vienna and Rome to the rank of full fiedged em- basstes, says the Washington Herald.
 International etiquette requires that the United States and the other gov ernments concerned should respond to this move on the part of China by raising their representatives at Pekin to the grade of ambassadors. This, naturally. will entail 6 considerable increase in expenditure. since ambas- sadors are compelled to maintain a considerably greater state than mere ministers and receive correspondingly larger pay and allowances An ambassador, among other rights, has that of demanding an audience with the ruler to whom he is accredit- ed whenever he considers it necessary, | the heads of the Minister of Foreign | Affairs.s
 At no court of the Old World is a thorough knowledge of It's etiquette of such vital importance to the diplo- mats accredited thereto as that of Pe- kin. The success of the mission of a | foreign envoy in the Chinese capital depends almost entirely upon the ex- | periences which he possesses of the customs, the obligations. and of the ethics of courtesy among the ofiicial | classes. With his extensive acquaint- ance with China and the Chinese the State Department entirely relies upon William W. Rockhill. the American Minister at Pekin, to avoid mistakes so frequently made by diplomats at Pekin. and whom the Chinese dignita- ries. though superficially courteous. de- light in subjecting to affronts and in- dignitieB of the nature of which the victim is too often blissfuliy ignorant. but which are fully appreciated by the natives, who gauge the importance and prestige of the nation which he, repre- sents by the treatment which he &C., cepts at the hands of the mandarins and officials
 If the Chinese government should elevate the Washington post to am- bassadorial rank. 1t is question in the mind of knowing ones whether the appointment of Wu Ting-fang will stand.
 There are many officials who do not believe that the Chinese government luLenOcQ benuluB Wu 1AHB-tduB HcTo to again represent his governmet, but that the appointment was made for the purpose of feeling the pulse of the American government as to it's attitude toward the policy pursued by MT. Wu while accredited here by his Celestial ' Majesty.
 If the Chinese government elevates the Washington post to an embassy. the American legation in Pekin would also have to be raised to a correspond ing grade.
 Should this be done 1t Is more than likely that Mir. Rockhill would be ap- pointed the first American Ambassador at the court of the Emperor of China
 Chen Ku Shen. who has been the Chinese charge d'anfaires at London for seven years. and also a student at Oxford University. and is now on his way back to China, arrived In New York on the Cedric yesterday
 He was kept on the steamship for half an hour by the immigration i'm spectors before they learned that he was not trying to violate the laws as applied to the Chinese.