Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-12-08

intending to take such future steps as
fmaY be fond most 2oiststant.wtth It's
4 dignity. its dutx.to Apacrica1 interests.
and Nfts nlqrat obtgAfio& 10 central
America -4,ds to isNsliz5tion.Sfft may
be necessary Tor IT, to Fiss this subs
iect to the attention of the congress in
a special message"
| The International Bureau of Amer
lean Republics has carried on an i'm
pcrtant and increasing work during
the last year. In the exercise IF its
peculiar functions as an international
agency, maintained by all the Afneri-
can republics for the development of
an-American commerce and friend
shir, it has accomplished great prac.
teal good which could be done in the
same way by no individual department
or bureau of one government, and is
therefore deserving of your liberal sup
port. The fact that it is about to en-
ter I; new building, erected through the
munificcnce of an American phi}an.
thrcpist and the contributions of all
the American nations, where both its
efficiency of administration and ex.
pense, of maintenance will naturally be
much augmented, further entities it
to special consideration.
| THE FAR EAST.
| In the Far East this government
preserves unchanged it's policy of sup
porting the principle of equality OF OPP
portunity and scrupulous respect for
the integrity of the Chinese Empire.
to which policy are pledged the inter-
estcd powers of both East and West.
BY the Treaty of 1903 China has I'M
dertaken the abolition of likn with d
moderate and proportionatc raising OF
the customs tariff along with cur
rency reform. These reforms being
of manifest advantage to foreign COM
| mercc as well as to the interests OF
China, this government is endeavor-
| ing to facilitate these measures and
the needful acquiescence of the treaty
powers. When it appeared that
Chinese likin revenues were to be
hypothecated to foreign bankers in
connection with a great railway
project, it was obvious that the gov
ernments whose nationals held this
loan would have a certain direct inter-
| 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
well as because of it's relations to the
| reforms referred to above, the adj
ministration deemed American par
| ticipation to be of great national in
terest. Happily, when it was as a
matter Of broad policy urgent that
this opportunity should not be lost
the Indispensable instrumentality pre-
sented itself when a group of Ameri-
can bankers, of International reputa-
ton and great resources, agreed at
once to share in the loan Upon precise
ly- such terms as this government
should approve. The chief of those
terms was that American railway ma
terial should be upon an exact equal
ity with that of the other nationals
joining in the loan in the placing of
orders for this whole railroad system
After months of negotiation the equal
participation of Americans seems at
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 will give real i'm
petus to our commerce and viii prove
a practical corellary to our historic
policy in the Far East.
The Imperial Chinese government
in pursuance Of it's decision to devote
funds from the portion of the in
demnity RENTED by the United
States to the sending of students to
this country has already completed
arrangements for carrying out this
purpose, and a considerable body of
students have arrived to take up their
work in our schools and universities.
No one can doubt the happy effect
that the associations formed by these
representative young men will have
when they return to take up their
work in the progressive, development
or their country. At {Eb25,"
The results of the = opium confer
ence held at Shanghai last spring at
the invitation of the United States
have been laid before the govern
ment The report shows that China
is making remarkable progress and
admirable efforts toward the eradica-
| ton of the opium evil and that the
governments concerned have not al
lowed their commercial interests to-
interfere with a helpful cooperation
| in this reform. Collateral investiga.
lions of the OPIUM question in this
country lead me to recommend that
the manufacture, sale and use of
Fopium and it's derivatives in the
United States should be so far as
possible more vigorously controlled by
Legislation. -.
In one of the Chinese Japanese con-
ventions of September of this year
there was a provision which caused
considerable public apprehension in
that upon it's face it was believed in
some quarters to seek to establish a
monopoly of mining privileges along
the South Manchurian and Antung-
Mukden railroads, and thus to exclude
Americans from. wide field of enter
prise, to take part in which they were
by treaty with China entitled. After
a thorough examination of the con-,
lventions and of the several contextual
documents, the Secretary of State
reached the conclusion that no such
monopoly was intended or accom-
plished However. in view of the
Il