Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-01
THE REAL AWAKENING OF CHINA.


troubles our faculties to
Chinese comprehend the riddles of
puzz,. the "open door," ere
FORM" awakened China"
etc. ETC. 1t is perplexing certainly
to understand the cable from Berlin an
nouncing that Lun Pao XII, Chinese min
lister at Berlin, has been instructed to
discuss with the German foreign office
Japanese trade pretensions in Manchu-
ria. Also that WI Ting-fang had receiv-
ed similar instructions with reference to
the State Department. on his arrival in
Washington, looking to concerted action
between Germany and the United States
The only possibility of such joint action
needless to add. is the rule that 1t is the
unexpected that happens" in oriental
matters.
The United States can have but a sin
gle sane policy in China, apart from any
eEtangling alliance. and that should be to
maintain the illusion Of the open door and
at the same time SO win the confidence
and esteem of China that by mutual
understanding their relations Will practi-
cally be that of the 'big and little
brother"
To assume the role of big brother in
China the United States has already made
a noteworthy step by the remission OF
large part Of the Chinese indemnity re-
sulting from the Boxer outbreak, sum
exceeding twelve million dollars volun-
tarily returned to the Chinese treasury
The dollar in the Chinese speculative soul
has quite as large a piece as IN our
own, and this generous act OF the FOR
eigner. unique in the Chinaman's expe.
rience, has paved the way to fraternai
feeling. Besides, on the sentimental side.
we have pleasant. traditions In China
Ward and Burgevfne were generous
Americans who fought the first battle Tor
reform in China in 1857. at the head or
Tai-Pings. The first of these. we should
not forget at this moment, was made
"joss." Then there is the American Bur-
lingame, who may be said to have been
the first to open the door of China.
Besides these traditions there is an
other factor which Mechanically counts
for much. we are Joined
Business by the two extremes that
pr.h1. touch-in the Pacific ocean.
In order. to be practical.
which we are not. we should make
up our minds to treat China as great
business proposition Of which, until now.
we have had no more conception than
If we were untutored savages. The
problem is very simple. We should di-
rect all our energies to help China exploit
her varied industries by the establishment
Of financial institutions in China whose
operations should be distinctly separated
from all acquisition of territory either ter
sonal or governmental. In addition to this
policy there should be enforced. abso-
iutely and without exception, all the con-
ditions of our treaties by which we bound
ourselves to abstain from interference with
her institutions of whatever nature. In
word we should leave all questions OF
impose reforms will fail, for If ever
reformation is effected in China it will
come from the interior, but never from
the exterior.
In dealing with the Chinese question it
must be at short range. American CAPT
with Chinese industry-may thus success
fully exploit China. American industry
at home. at long range from China, is
handicapped hopelessly by the high price
of labor, for which the machine is nc
compensation, and which bars competi-
ton with the nations seeking the COM
merce of China. So long as American cap
ital and industry remain in America the
so called open door" for America is de-
1t sion and snare. American capital
top side." go to China. if it would sue
coed. and enectually aid the policy of the
American government.
4 X
The Journal of the American Asiatic
Association for February contains an ar
ticle from the American
Traditional Journal Of International
Policy. tesr,tn 80 Cs;,. ans tn n
Open Door,"
1.-THE traditional policy of China, from
time immemorial has been that of closed
door-China for the Chinese. Against it,
for the last half century. has stood the
foreign policy as regards China, viewed
by Chinese eyes as one Of aggression and
invasion by the several powers, each act
ing for ITSELF without concert, but rather
in rivalry, each bent on gaining advan-
each aiming to close more or less ex-
tended doors of China to all influence
save its own. In the earlier stages this
policy was carried out by the simple
process Of gaining a local foothold
through cession or annexation. In its
later stages 1t solved the less material
expedients of leaseholds and spheres OF
influence, SO called, radiating from the
primary establishments and expanding
their exclusive privileges over indetermi-
In this disgraceful despoilment of China
America had no part. Of all nations it
can say truthfully Thou canst not say
that I did it, America has one little
sin, however, which forms a cloud upon
its good name in China. 1t ruthlessly
aided and abetted Russia to steal little
savage Korea. take her from the lap of
China and set her up as an independent
state, which was the eliminating Incl
dent that precipitated the Carbohydrates
war, so disastrous to China and so dis
astrous to the farcical little kingdom of
Korea.
{ The rape of Chinese territory. the first
step in violating. was accomplished by
Great Britain in 1912, In obtaining the ces-
sion of Hongkong. Russia acquired the
Amur and Vladivostok down to the Ko-
rean frontier in 1S5S-6O. France occupied
Cochin China, AMMAN and Tonkin in
1862. So. Japan obtained as the price of
he~ victory the Formosa Islands and q
large war indemnity in 1895.
BY the treaties with France in 1897 -9S,
with Great Britain in 1897, with Japan in
to the non-alienation of neighboring ter
ritory. Germany, however. obtained
the port of Kiao Chou as sphere of in
fiuence'' in 1898; Russia obtained Port
Arthur and Talienwan and the southern
peninsula of Lao tung; France acquired
wan near the Strait of Hai-nan, In 1898.
Great Britain in the same year obtained
Wei-hai-wei "for so long a period as Port
Arthur shall remain in the occupation of
Russia" Is it strange that China should
feel ill toward the foreigner when the
latter has thus ruthlessly robbed her? The
Boxer uprising in 1899 was the natural
sequence of these robberieS.
BY the third article of the treaty Of