St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-10-07
TAFT'S WORK IN CHINA
He RehabiIitated Our National
Reputation.
CHECKED COURT ABUSES.

Cleared the United States Banner
From the Dshonor That American
Criminals Had Brought Upon 1t.
Readusted Consular Service.
1t was chiefly through the influence
and at the instigation of Mr.. Taft that
the recent rehabilitation of our nation
al reputation in China was accomplish
ed by the establishment of the United
States court in China. Until Mr.. Taft
became a paramount figure in the far
east scandalous conditions had pre-
vailed in Shanghai and other cities of
China where the United States exer-
cised extra territorial rights. Undesir-
able subjects of the United States, men
and women. had degraded the Ameri-
can flag by using it as a cloak under
which to conduct numerous nefarious
enterprises. American sharpers. gam
blers and promoters of questionable
schemes had long worked in conjunc-
ton with discredited lawyers to their
mutual and illegal gain. In various
instances these criminal endeavors
were aided and abetted by American
consular officers, who were dismissed
from the service. The former practice
of adiudicating all causes in which
Americans were parties in consular
courts gave rise to abuses. The Amer
lean flag. in Shanghai particularly.
stood for national dishonor in the eyes
of other nations who by legislation and
the creating Of proper courts had
spared their flags the disgrace that de-
scended upon the United States BAN
ner
When he was at the head Of the Phil
ippine government In Manila Mr.. Taft
by his proximity to China soon appre-
ciated the seriousness of the condi-
tons there and foresaw the loss of
standing in the eyes of the Chinese to
which we were lndifferently exposing
ourselves by our failure to keep in
check American criminals. He brought
the matter to the attention of the state
department and joined with Secretary
Root. Representative Edwin DENLY OF
Michigan. a son of the former United
States minister to China; Charles Den
by, another son, who Is now consul
general at Shanghai; Senator Spooner
and some others In an endeavor to rem
edy conditions. he exerted his influ-
ence to obtain the passage by congress
of bill creating the United States
court for China. Lebbeus Redmond
| Wiley of Missouri. who had been Mr..
Tafts attorney general In the Philip
| pines, was named as judge.
Mr. Taft from the first took a deep
personal interest in the work of Judge
4 Wiley and his court In a way he
supervised its work and was frequent
/ ly appealed to by Judge Wiley for ad-
vice as to procedure and other details
| The lack of adequate laws hampered
Judge Wiley, but by proceeding in ac-
| cordance with the common law he
quickly made the court effective. With
/ In few months after the court was
organized Shanghai and other cities in
! China where conditions were such as
| to require it We're thoroughly and dras-
tlcally cleaned up. Shyster American
lawyers were disbarred. so that the
gamblers, disreputabe women and 9TH
er offenders against the law were de-
prived of legal support. The reputable
American lawyers In good standing
aided Judge Wiley. Heavy fines and
terms OF Imprisonment exercised a de-
terrent effect upon the lawbreakers.
many of whom summary fed from
China before the court could bring
them to account for their misdeeds.
When Mr. Taft was In Shanghai
last fall he was heartily thanked and
congratulated by the law abiding
Americans there for the part he had
taken in removing the stigma from
the American flag and restoring the
good fame of the national name in the
orient In his speech before the Amer
lean association in China he paid a
high tribute to Judge Wiley. saying
in part:
Our government was fortunate in the
selection as the first judge of the court
of a gentleman who had had four
years experience in the orient as at
torney general of the Philippines and
who went to Shanghai with an init
mate knowledge Of the method of unit
ing in one administration the princi-
pies of the common law of the United
States with the traditions and condi-
tons of foreign country. His policy
in raising high the standard of admis-
sion to the bar and in promoting the
vigorous prosecution of American vio-
lators of law, which eliminated from
that community many undesirable
characters who had brought disgrace
upon the name of Americans in the
cities Of China, cannot but commend
itself to any one interested in the good
name of the United States among the
Chinese people and with our brethren
Of other countries who live In China"
Free trade England Is alarmed again
at the physical deterioration of her
submerged classes" In this land Of