Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-12-08


Of administration and expense OF main y
tenance will naturally be much aug.
further entities IT, to special
consideration. 3" "t'
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open DOOR IN CHINA. "'=s.: ::
United States Insisting on Equality
of Opportunity For All Nations. e.
In the far east this government pre-
serves unchanged it's policy Of support
ing the principle OF equality OF oppor-
tunity and scrupulous respect for the
integrity of the Chinese empire, to
which policy are pledged the interested
powers Of both east and west.
BY the treaty Of 1903 China has I'M
dertaken the abolition Of likin with a
moderate and proportionate raising OF
the customs tariff along with currency
reform. These reforms being of mani
fest advantage to foreign commerce as
well as to the interests OF China. this
government is endeavoring to facili-
tate these measures and the needfui
acquiescence of the treaty powers.
When it appeared that Chinese hkin
revenues were to be hypothecated to
foreign bankers In connection with a
great railway project it was obvious
that the govern ments whose nationals
held this loan would have certain
direct interest in the question OF the
carrying out by China Of the reforms
in question. Because this railroad
loan represented a practical and real
application of the open door policy
through cooperation with China by
interested powers, as we'll as because
Of it's relations to the reforms referred
to above. the administration deemed
American participation to be Of great
national interest. Happily, when it
was as a matter Of broad policy mr.
gent that this opportunity should not
be lost, the indispensable instrumental
ity presented Itself when a group OF
American bankers Of international
reputation and great resources agreed
at once to share in the loan upon pre-
cisely such terms as this government
should approve. The chief Of those
terms was that American railway ma
terial should be upon an exact equality
with that Of the other nationals join
ing I'm the loan In the placing OF Or
ders for this whole railroad system.
After months Of negotiation the equal
participation of Americans seems ut
last assured. 1t is gratifying that
Americans will thus take their share
in this extension Of these great high
ways Of trade and to believe that such
activities win give real impetus to
our commerce and will prove prac-
teal corollary to our historic policy I'm
the far east.
The imperial Chinese government In
pursuance Of its decision to devote
funds from the portion Of the indem-
nifty RENTED by the United States to
the sending Of students to this coun-
try has already completed arrange
ments for carrying out this purpose,
and a considerable body Of students
have arrived to take up their work I'm
our schools and universities. No one
can doubt the happy effect that the as
sociations formed by these representa-
tive young men viii have when they
return to take up their work In the
progressive development Of their coun-
try.
The results Of the opium conference
held at Shanghai last spring at the
invitation of the United States have
been laid before the government. The
report shows that China Is making re-
markable progress and admirable et-
forts toward the eradication Of the
opium evil and that the governments
concerned have not allowed their COM
mercial interests to interfere with q
helpful cooperation in this reform.
Collateral investigations Of the opium
question in this country lead me to
recommend that the manufacture, sale
and use Of opium and its derivatives In
the United States should be 80 far as
possible more vigorously controlled by
legislation.
In one of the Chinese-Japanese con-
ventions Of Sept. Of this year there
WAS a provision which caused consid-
cradle public apprehension In that
upon its face it was believed In some
quarters to seek to establish a monop-
oily Of mining privileges along the
South Manchurian and Antung-Muk-
den railroads and thus to exclude
Americans from a wide field Of enter
prise, to take part in which they were
by treaty with China entitled. After
4 thorough examination Of the conven-
lions and Of the several contextual
documents the secretary Of state reach
ed the conclusion that no such monop-
oily was intended or accomplished.
However, in view OF the widespread
discussion Of this question, to confirm
the view it had reached this govern
ment made inquiry Of the imperial
Chinese and japanese governments
and received from each Official assur-
ance that the provision had NO purpose
inconsistent with the policy Of equality
Of opportunity to which the sigma
tories, in common with the United