Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-22
in MODERN CHINA
II-Relations with the United States
By Frederic il Haskin

,rerican colleges, and will therefore
be of great value in cementing the
fri }ndship of the two great nations of
the Pacific
The history of the relations between
China and the United States began
with the establishment of factory
or trading post at Canton within year
after the independence of the United
States was acknowledged by Great
Britain. The career Of that factory"
like all the other early foreign enter
prises In China, does not reflect any
particular credit upon either Americans
or Chinese. 1t Is worth mentioning,
however, that the United States had
greater proportion of the foreign
trade of China when George Washing
ton was president than 1t has under
the administration of William H. Taft.
| American trade In China continued to
expand, until, after the opening of the
ports in 1912 the American shipping was
second only to that of England in all
the East and the American trade with
| China was the largest foreign business.
Great American houses fourished and
the "howery flag" as the Chinese call
the Stars and Stripes, loated in every
| open harbor.
1t was at this time that the history
| of the diplomatic relations of the Unit
ed States and China began. The first
| treaty was negotiated by Caleb Cushing
Of Massachusetts in 1S43. Mr.. Cushing
was sent as a special commissioner by
! President Tyler, AMI his letter of in
structlons was written by Daniel Web
| ster, then secretary of state. This
treaty sounded the note Of justice and
| fair dealing which has ever since char
acterized the American dealings with
| China. No especial advantages were
asked, and the only desire was for
| equal opportunities. If China had been
| left free, there is little doubt that
| America would now have equal ad-
vantages in the Chinese trade. But on
account of the action of other nations
many of them have peculiar privileges
which the Unitel States does not pos
sess. If the American trade had main
tained its relative Importance. the rec
ord of things probably would have been
| different.
The civil war, however, paralyzed
American business and the Confederate
! cruiser Shenandoah" decimated the
American shipping on the Pacific. The
marine commerce never recovered from
that blow, the government at Washing
| ton was too busy with internal affairs
! to take action to restore it, and the
| "flowery flag" has now practically dis
appeared from the eastern seas.
The Gushing convention was followed
by the liberal treaty of 1868, which fur
ther emphasized the American attitude
of fairness to China. In 1867 the Amer
lean minister to Peking, Anson Bur-
lingame, resigned and was appointed
! an envoy of the Chinese government,
with the highest rank. He was directed
to visit all the treaty nations empow-
cred as high minister to attend to every
question arising between China and
those nations. Unfortunately for
China, Mr.. Burlingame died at st
Petersburg, the first capital he visited.
before anything was accomplished in
Europe
He did, however, negotiate another
treaty with the United States which
was drafted by Mr.. Seward, then sec
| retary of state. 1t stipulated the ter
ritorial integrity of China by disavow-
ing any right to interfere with It's emil
nent domain or sovereign Jurisdiction
over its subjects and property; recog-
nized China's right to control its own
internal affairs; granted the privileges
of colleges and schools, and expressed
the willingness of the United States to-
| aid In the work of constructing public
| improvements when requested to do so
by the Chinese government.
This consistent attitude of the Ar,o--
| lcdn government was warrant IOT JOnU
| Hays memorable action following the
| Boxer war, when the American note to
the powers preserved China from i'm
mediate partition and pledged the
world to a recognition OF the "open
door, principle. The "open door" COM
pact has been more honored in the
breach than in the observance, 1t is
true, but the American attitude upon
the subject admits of no doubt.
On account of this long record of
diplomatic justice. the Chinese feel
that the United States is the one ma
tion among the great powers upon
which It may depend as being unself-
ish, as having no territorial ambitions,
as having no greedy appetite for
"spheres of influence" as being al
ways a supporter OF the square deal.
Thus it is that American interests and
Chinese confidence both will cooperate
to force the American representative at
Peking to take a prominent, If not
leading part, in the settlement of the
still unsettled questions which have
twice within a generation deluged the
| Pacific coast of Asia with blood.
Toimorrow--In Modern China; uI-Future
! American Relations.