Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-30

BoycottinE the british.

And this brings me TO the new boycott
which was recently Instituted against the
British steamers on the Yangtse-K iang. L
am told that some OF the companies are
losing a thousand dollars a day and that
the Chinese are refusing to ship by them
because a certain deck passenger died
from a kick given by one of the steamship
ticket collectors. The British are much
alarmed about the matter and are doing
all they can to appease the Chinese.
The first great boycott against foreign
ers was that imposed upon the Americans,
two or three years ago. The merchants
Of the largest cities then bound themselves
not to buy American goods and imposed a
penalty of SIC, 900 upon any member of their
organization who did so. After this boy
colt was raised the trouble with the Japa-
nese caused by the importation of arms on
the Tatsu Maru was instituted and 1t was
continued until 1t cost Japan many mil
lions of dollars. About six months ago a
Chinese official told me that the dam
ages to Japanese trade had already aggre-
gated more than forty millions, and that
the guilds of Canton had sworn to make
them $3.50, 100000 before they got through.
That boycott was most powerful at Can
ton. The people there would use nothing
Japanese. The women had anti-JApan
clubs and the merchants refused to ship
in japanese steamers. The loss OF trade
created financial distress all over Japan
and the government officials at Toxic were
at a loss as to how to handle the situa-
ton. Said one of them to me;
w cannot fight the Chinese because
they will no trade with us. The powers
would not stand for a war Of that kind,
and we are practically helpless. This is SO
because the United States knuckled down
and permitted the first boycott. Had she
acted otherwise she might have stopped
Chinese boycotting forever
But how could she do that2"
Easy enough then, although not at all
now with the precedent established. / was
in Picking at the time the boycott was
started, and / told your minister. Mr..
Rockhill, how he could stop 1t. Said I:
What your government should do is
to make a firm stand against the boycott,
and at the same time send a gunboat or
so along the coast under pretense OF sur
veying the waters. The ships should stop
at the islands, and now and then make an
expedition off through the country. The
Chinese will become alarmed, but the naval
officers can tell them that they are merely
surveying for science, adding at the end OF
each reply a significant question as to
what China intends TO do as to the boycott.
The government Will fear that the United
States is about to r~etaliate and an edict
will be sent forth that the boycott must be
stopped"
And what did Mr.. Rockhnl say to thatT'
/ asked.
"Oh, replied the Toxic statesman, "he
had not enough backbone to try It. He said
he had no doubt but that the plan would
work, but that he did not dare to suggest
It. When I asked why not, he significantly
said: I don't dare to do it. / don't dare.
Our Teddy would jump at 1t In a minute
And" concluded this man, " have no
doubt but hat President Roosevelt would
have jumped at II; and had he done so
there would have been no further trouble
as TO American goods and none as to other
foreign goods in the future. AS It is now
the psychological moment has passed, and
not you, only, but also we and all others
must get on our knees TO these boycottinR
celestials." FRANK @. CARPENTER.