El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-30

I against individuals.
/ Railroads were torn up, telegraph
( lines were destroyed, newspapers were
| taboo. electricity was under the ban,
/ and no good Chinese would use any
/ thing of occidental manufacture. Now
! adays, the Chinese government IS
| building railroads. Chinese merchants
/ are investing in Chinese companies for
/ the purpose of railway extension, the
1 government owns a telegraph system
/ which is being extended with great
| rapldity, newspapers appear in every
! town and are served free with press
| dispatches sent over the government
/ wires by government agents, Pekin is
| lighted by electricity and the coolie is
( smoking American-nade cigarets.
| Competing With the West.
! The Chinese have mace up their
/ minds, apparently, to make use of the
| material advantages of western civili-
/ cation, for the purpose of competing on
| Il more nearly equal basis with the
western nations. They have before
them the object lesson of tie striking
| 1t must not be forgotten that the
present era of enlightenment in Japan
| had it's beginning with small band
| of revOlutiOniStS who cOnSpired to
I overthrow the Shotgun because he had
| made treaties with the Americans and
! other foreigners; and to restore to ac-
| tual power the MikadO, who would
| drive the foreigners out OF Japan and
! again seal up the ports of the country
| against commerce with the despised
/ barbarians Of the outer world
1t was when these young Japanese
revoIutiOnists felt the force Of foreign
/ power at the bOmbardment Of Simon
I oeski that they realized it would be
| impossible to expeI the foreigners
I III
could be learned of western civiliza
ton, to superimpOse that knowledge
upon their own civilization, and boldly
to undertake competition with the
powers of the western world.
Miracle of Politics.
The greatest man among that group
of japanese revOlutionistS met MS
death at the hands of an assassin in
Korea only a few months ago, known
to all the world as prince Ito, the
mightiest empire builder of the Goth
century. The Shotgun who was over
thrown by that revolution now rides
his bicycle about the streets of Toxic
and his son, prince TOkugawa, pres
tdent of the japanese house Of peers,
Sherman and held the gavel over the
United States senate. This miracle of
politics was accomplished in less than
forty years. And yet the Japanese
does not love the foreigner.
China is in CONFUSION, the Chinese
are ripe for revolution, they are be-
coming progressive. they are adopting
the material things of western civili-
cation, and they do not love the for
eigner- If the Chinese government is
not able TO cope with the present agi-
tatiOn, il may be that the torch which
fired the Wesleyan mission house at
Changsha will kirdle the flames of
national patriotism and will make
China nation indeed and in truth.
All Nations Interested.
All Of the principal nations of the
earth have u more or less direct in at
fairs in China. and all OF them are con-
cerned with the present manifestation
of anti-forelgn agitations in the Cele-
stial Empire England owns the island
of HOngkOng. the entrepOt OF southern
China, by virtue of the war waged
against the Chinese for the perpetual
ton Of the opium traffic.
The British also have naval station
at We-hai-wei, as we'll as more or less
intangible claim to predominant
sphere Of influence in the Yang-tse val
ley. Germany has a foOthOld in the
Kiaochau peninsula and is tenacious Of
its rights Of extra territOriality in the
foreign settlements Of Shanghai and
Tientsin. France governs asolutely a
large portion of the Indo- Chinese pen
insula and claims ever increasing
rights in southern China The French
nation, as the protector of the Chris
tan religion in Asia, also enjoys GER
tain exclusive privileges based on
grants TO the church Of Rome.
Even Portugal. whose ST AT of empire
set centuries ago. is an important fac
tor in the present situation in China,
since ii is asserting certain territorial
claims with that same arrogant disre-
gard for the rights of the inhabitants
of the country which always has been
manifested by European nations
when dealing with Asiatic peoples.
Portuguese Paved the Way.
The Portuguese were the first Euro
peans to establish commercial relations
with the Asiatic nations by means Of
water communication They were first ,
TO introduce TO the Chinese mind the
existence of western world and |
they served also TO make China known
TO occidentals. The English language
draws upon the Portuguese for such /
words as mandarin" while even !
China" and Canton" are Portuguese !
corruptions of the native names The /
Portuguese established themselves at |
Macao, in the Pearl river not far from !
Canton. about the time that the first /
English speaking people on the CONT /
nent of North America. At that time
OTluSaI was the most powerful mari /
time nation in the world. All that re- 1
mains of the great Portuguese empire 1
on the eastern coast of Asia is the tiny
settlement AZ Macao. which is moth !
ing more or less than an oriental /
Monte Carlo.
But more important than British.
German. French or Portuguese interests
in China, are those of the empires of |
Russia and Japan. While the western !
world is concerning itself with the So
luton of veXing economic problems /
presented by the compIexity of what
we are pleased to call modern civiliza-
ton. the Russian, half western and half
eastern. and>the Japanese. half orient
al and half occidental. are yet devoted !
to Imperialism pure and simple
RuSsin's Efforts.
Nothing in the recent history of !
compares with the careful and |
steady determination of Russia 20
make for itself an actual imperial |
home on the eastern shores of Asia.
The slow but sure Russian advance
across the plains OF Siberia, the settle
nent of cOlOnists by the hundreds of
thousands on the very borders of north
ern China, the construction OF tho eraat