Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-11-20
We Sleep While Others Work

We Sleep While Others Work
While We sit in particular corner OF the
universe and dream of past achievements CONNER
cial rivals up with the dawn in pusuit of Chnas
trade. The steady tramp, tramp, tramp of those
European and Asiatc armies of business toward the
richest undeveloped commercial and industrial field
in the world is now familiar that the persistent
monotony of it ulls us like opiae. Only the sharp
report of another redoubt taken rouses moment
arly. We chuckle sleepily fancied security
because Of Cnina's reputed desire to deal first with
us. We humble little fiat sophstry about our ira
ditional friendship for China We 60 back to our
nodding But that tramp tramp, tramp goes on,
1t is In calm defiance of many warnings that we
do this Government reports and private citizens
and free lance writer's have told and over again
and in vain, of the golden opportunities of China.
The garden spot the gold mine of Asia beckons for
American capital, American machinery, American in
1tiative, American fair play. Our response is loud
snore. England, Germany, France, Japan Russia
even Italy, answer the summons. Yea, they even
enter unlimited.
The China Year Book of 1913 and the reports OF
the United States Department of Commerce. based
on information given by every American consulate
In the new REPUBLIC living records of our dwin-
ding trade there. The Far Eastern Information
bureau Of New York has shown in repeated bulletins
that our trade in China has dropped % per cent while
that of Germany has increased 20 per cent, and
Japans 6S per cent. Our imports to China declined
$S,2S913S in years This year they were barely
900. Seven years ago our cotton goods sales
alone were more than that.
Neither our government nor our merchants are
lifting finger to put the United States ahead of the
nations of the world in regard to Chnas trade The
government is doing than it did in the past
Our merchants and manufacturers and fnanciers
tinue to insist upon selling the Chinese goods tina:
they do not want, to pack what they do send so
poorly that it reaches the other side vertabe jelly
to deny the native traders the long and easy credits
which the Europeans and the Japanese have always
given them and to be guilty of many other commits
sions and omissions, which rebound to the benefit OF
our rivals.
The Japanese, the British and the Belgans have
captured valuable railway concessions in China within
the past few months. Nearly all governmental sup
plies being bought from the nations in the Five
Power agreement from which we withdrew SO viz
tuously last March. Italy has organized a rational
Chinese Italian chamber OF commerce, Japanese ana
Chinese bankers have started JapaneseChinese
banking and commercial firm, Germany plans to
China with commercial attaches, England talks OF
founding a British.Chinese university at Hankow in
the heart of China and last month there was organ
lied in London the AngloChinese Friendship bureau,
for the purpose Of aiding Chinese students England
and securing positions and commercial opportunities
in China for Britishers. What is the United States
doing? Nothing
Even China is wide awake She is planning to
send commercial attaches to every capital in the
world. This simple expedient never occurs to us.
We do not hold even that which we have While the
world moves forward toward the new day in the Far
East while China throws away the opium pipe
sleep on, drugged by our SNUG compacency.