Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-07
OPEN DOOR IN CHINA
United States Insisting on Equality
of Opportunity For All Nations.

In the far east this government pre-
serves unchanged its policy of support
ing the principle of equality of oppor-
tunity and scrupulous respect for the
integrity of the ChiAese empire, TO
which policy are pledged the interested
powers of both east and west.
BY the treaty Of 1903 China has IN
dertaken the abolition of likin with
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 faciII-
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 governments whose nationals
held this loan would have a certain
direct interest in the question of the
carrying out by China of the reforms
in question. Because this railroad
loan represented practical and real
application Of the open door policy
through cooperation with China by
interested powers, as well as because
of its 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 ur-
gent that this opportunity should not
be lost, the indispensable instrumental
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 in the loan in the placing of or
ders 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 a real impetus TO
our commerce and will prove a prac-
IASAl NOAoiidlJ " Jul AAotSA-~ BcAASS III
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 in
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 eff
forts toward the eradication of the
opium evil ard that the governments
concerned have not allowed their COM
merciaI interests to interfere with
helpful cooperation in this reform.
Collateral Investigations of the opium
question in this country lead me 10
recommend that the manufacture. sale
and use Of opium and its derivatives in
the United States should be so FAR as