The San Francisco call., 1909-10-12
IS Still
IN QUANDARY
AS TO His FATE
Summary of Article in News
paper Which Caused
Trouble for Him
"Inside" Information Which
Should Not Have Been Per-
mitted to Leak Out
Especial Dispatch 10 The Call

Especial Dispatch 10 The CALI
0HICAGO. Oct 1.-THE following
I in part, is the dispatch frol
Washington printed in the Rec
ord-Herald of September 81. The nam
of Crane does not appear in the spt
cial. 1t is signed BY Sumner" til
Record -Herald's correspondent:
WASHINGTON. Sept. 26.z-Wash-
ington is preparing to take the
most important action looking to
the security of the open door in
China that has been called for
since the Hay agreement 10 years
ago. If full information confirms
reports recently received from
Tokyo and Pekin. the action will
take the form of a protest, based
on the Antung- Mukden railroad
controversy between China and
Japan, which recently excited the
diplomatic world.
Mining Concessions
According to reports regarding
the Chinese agreement re-
specting the reconstruction of the
Antung Mukden road, which have
reached diplomatic circles here,
Japan has obtained control of ex-
tensive mining concessions in south
Manchuria-not for limited, but
for an indeterminate period. This
is to be regarded as distinct
menace to the open door, according
to the exposition of that policy as
given by the late Secretary Hay
after the various powers with
spheres of influence in China as
sented to the agreement embodied
in the notes exchanged in 1899
l have learned that during the
latter weeks of the Roosevelt adj
between Secretary of State Root
andeBaron Takahira, the Japanese
ambassador, wherein it was agreed
that Japan would take no action
which on it's face menaced the open
door without consulting the Amer
lean state department
In Nature of Entente
1t was not a formal note in the
sense of an exchange between gov
ernments binding the parties as
solemnly as a treaty or similar con-
vention, but was what the French
call an entente. And so, though in
formal in the large measure, it is
surprising that our diplomatic Off
cials were not consulted relative to
steps which, in view of the char
acter of the information at hand,
seem clearly to, menace the integ-
rity of the open door policy.
There can be no doubt as to the
understanding of the treaty powers
having commercial interests in
China as to the scope of the open
door policy. Secretary Hay in the
correspondence which led up to the
adoption of that policy. was ex-
plicit in setting forth just what was
desired to be accomplished.
Three Main Features
The three principal features
were:
THAT the powers would not in
any way interfere with any treaty
port or any vested interests within
any so called sphere OF interest or
leased territory il may have in
China.
2-That the Chinese tariff in ef-
feet shall apply to all merchandise
landed or shipped to all such ports
as are within the sphere of inter-
est, unless they be free ports, no
matter to what nationality 1t may
belong, and that the duties shall
be collected by the Chinese govern
ment
3-That the treaty power will
not levy any higher harbor dues
on vessels of another nationality in
its sphere of interests than upon
vessels of its own nationality, and
no higher railroad charges over
lines built, controlled or operated
within its sphere on merchandise
belonging to citizens or subjects
of other nationalities transported
through such spheres than shall be
levied on similar merchandise be-
longing to its own citizens or sub
jects transported over equal dis
tances.
1t is certain that this interpre-
tation of an open door policy as
given by Secretary Hay was under
stood and accepted. by the treaty
powers having commercial inter-
ests in China.
Powers Did Not Object
The archives of the state depart
ment contain voluminous corre-
spondence between these nations
and The United States on the sub
ject, in which all the details are
discussed. No objection was raised
bysany of the powers to the inter-
probation, each giving Endorsement.
and announcing a Willingness to
enter into an agreement. proyided