Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-31

the territory by the Chinese both nations
objected TO this new railway project As
the railway was to be built through south
ern Manchurla. the Japanese took lead
in the opposition China, utterly helpless
to oppose Japan In war. was forced to
submit and last August China was COM
PEELED to humlliate itself by acknowledging
in treaty that It had no right 20 build
a railway in its own territory without OBJ
tanning the consent OF Japan. But still
Japan continued to assert that Its Occur
! patton OF Manchuria was wholly and solely
In the interests of the open door policy.
Just year ago. the Chinese government
announced that it would seek to float a
large loan for the purpose Of building two
great railways, one to connect Canton and
southern China with Hankow, thus estab-
fishing communication through TO Peking.
and the other from Hankow westward to
the rich. but now almost inaccessible pros
vince of Sze-chuan. German, British ana
French capitalists were about TO take tho
loan when the United States asked that
American capitalists be permitted to parti-
| cipate. This request precipitated terrific
struggle in international banking circles
and in the world of diplomacy. In July.
President Taft disregarding the ordinary
channels of diplomatic intercourse, wrote
directly to the prince regent of China and
asked for a share in the loan. As q result
of this extraordinary action, American
capital was admitted to participate on an
| equal basis with British, German and
| French money. Then came other railway
propositions in which the Americans had
a great share and which tended further to
complicate the situation.
| In January, Mr.. Knox made HE poposal
for the naturalization OF the Manchurian
| railways. The United States government
declared zone Of the most effective, IL not
the most effective, way to secure for
China the undisturbed enjoyment of all po-
litcal rights In Manchuria, and to pro-
mote the moral development of the eastern
provinces under the policy OF the open door
practically applied, would be to take the
railroads of Manchuria out OF the eastern
politics and to place them under an econ
omic and impartial administration by vest
ing in China the ownership of its rail-
roads; the fund for that purpose TO be-
furnished by the nationals of such inter-
ested powers as might be willing to parti-
cipate and who are pledged to the policy
Of the open door and equal opportunity"
Tokyo and st. Petersburg Immediately
| and positively declined to accede to the
proposition. Other nations side-stepped.
Germany, perhaps, was more COZ
any of the other great powers. Great Bril-
; tain, as an ally OF Japan, and facing the
possibility OF serious trouble with Germany.
} was placed in a most embarrassing POSI-
ton, The proposal absolutely failed. so far
as the project Of naturalization was cons
cerned.
But it resulted in clarifying the Manchur-
| In Ian nd -
forced into the admission that their occu-
patton of Manchuria is political and strate-
. gic. and that the Chinese sovereignty in
that territory is but a ghost without sub
stance or authority.
In the face of the rising tide Of unrest
and dissatisfaction in China, the Russian
foreign office declares that the Treaty of
Portsmouth involves but two parties Rus
. sa and Japan. This means that the obli-
cations to China expressed in that treaty
are to be interpreted only In the interests
of the signatory powers. 1t means that
> Japan and Russia have agreed to divide
! Manchuria between them and to intrehch
4 themselves permanently and impregnably
in the land OF the open door. The world
a suspects the existence of secret conven.
ton between Russia and Japan and daily
. expects the PRONUNCIATION of an open treaty
between those two empires SO lately al
war.
\ The Chinese people are greatly agitated
Z they are angered against the encroach.
p ment of foreigners, they are incensed be-
: cause the reigning dynasty does not righ
their wrongs, and they are on the point Of
e open rebellion. Such an outbreak would
be most unfortunate and would mean tn,
4 end Of all efforts to save the Chinese en-
4 pire from disruption. For the good OF tn,
d people of China. and in the interests OF tn,
, peace of the world Mr.. Knox has volun
n teered to the prince regent to assist tn,
d Picking government in maintaining quiet II
d the empire.
d What is called Mr. Knoxs policy, may b,
i credited, in large part, to President Taft
l. Mr.. Taft knows the orient and is a firm
It supporter of the traditional American
a friendship for China. ALI that has beef
+ done In his administration with respect L
e Chinese affairs was foreshadowed in TIL
great speech which Mr.. Taft delivered a
n Shanghai in October, 1907
e ny FREDERIC J. HAsxIN.
a Tomorrow-Trouble in China. w.
n Progress of Reform.