The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-01-06
GET OUT At ONCE
rs cHINA's MANDATE TO PoRTU.
GAL IN MACAO.
ARBITRATION OFFERS SPURNED
Time-Worn Dispute May Lead to War
As Heungshan Natives Are
Hot For Fight.

London.-Far East war clouds
have been blown toward Pekin from
an unexpected source. After dilly.
dallying negotiations extending over
five months between China and Portu-
gal on the question of the Macao
boundary the two countries are at
swords end
The Chinese government sent for
NAL message to the Portuguese gov
ernment that it will under no circum-
stances consent to arbitrate.
1t is demanded that the territory un-
der dispute shall be Immediately evac-
uated by the Portuguese.
The Portuguese settled in Macao
three and half centuries ago, and
since then they have had more or less
undisputed possession, save and ex'
cept the ineffective Dutch attempt to
GUST them and one or two brushes with
the Chinese in the years agone.
For time they paid ground rent
ranging from $500 to $500 per year,
but in 1848 that was abolished and
China formally recognized the jurisdic-
ton of Portugal over Macao and it de.
Tendencies in a treaty signed in 1887
and ratified the following year.
No boundary was ever fixed, but a
clause in the treaty provided that
commissioners appointed by the gov
ernments shall proceed to the delimita-
tion of the boundaries, which shall be
determined by special convention" )"
and the boundary commission which
has just proved abortive was a result
of that clause.
The belated desire on the part of the
Chinese to have the boundary fixed be-
yond all doubt dates back from the
time of the capture of the gun running
Tatsu Maru H., in the early part Of
1908, when the claim was made by
Portugal that China was in error in
seizing the steamship, since it was ly-
ing in Portuguese waters off Macao.
Despite the advice of Sir Robert
Hart that Portugal, according to treaty
and international law. had jurisdiction
over the literal waters, China set up
the contention that Portugal was not
entitled in any way whatever to mari
time control, and in order to remove
any doubts about the matter called for
a conference.
Portugal readily responded and ap-
pointed Gen. Sir Joachim Machade, as
sisted by Capt D. Cinatti and Capt j.
M. R. Morton, to negotiate on her be-
half, while China nominated Mr.. Kao
Ehr Kim and staff as her representa-.
tives.
Hongkong being neutral territory, 1t
was arranged that the negotiations
should be conducted there, and more
than four months ago the first confer
ence took place. From that time until
November 13 only nine conferences in
all were held, and while the utmost
friendliness existed between the COM
missioners not one iota of progress to-
ward finality was accomplished.
China sent her commissioners to the
conferences with limited powers, while
Gen. Machade had the widest radius of
action, SO long as he preserved for
Portugal these rights given by the
treaty. It was hoped at the outset
that an amicable settlement would be
arrived at. but very soon students of
Chinese affairs, without knowing what
was passing between the commission
ers-all conferences being held in ca
mera-saw that such thing would be
impossible.
AS things stand at the moment there
are all the makings of a nice little
imbroglio.
The Heungshan people are hot for
fight. They want to get the Portu-
guese out of Macao at any price, and
since they are prepared to believe that
the Portuguese are, and have been, ex-
isting in Macao on sufferance only,
they are unscrupulous in their de-
mands for their removal.