New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-06
AMERICAS INTERESTS
IN CHINA ABANDONED
Scramble for Big Concessions
Inevitable, but U. S. Is Badly
Placed to Participate.
OFFICIAL BACKING NEEDED
Legations of Other Nations
Permitted to Bring Pressure
in Favor of Particular
Persons or Schemes.
| From The Tribune Bureau. !

lFrorn The Tribune Bureaul
Washington. Oct with the dissolu-
ton Of the quintuple group of English.
French, German. Russian and Japanese
bankers, caused by the withdrawal by the
! British government of its support of the
British fnanciers. officials of the State
Department are giving much considera-
tion TO the newly created situation In
China, with particular reference to the
effect ii will have on American interests.
The unanimous conclusion of those VINO
| have studied the Far Eastern situation is
that America bids fair TO drop far behind
in the race for Chinese trade and favor.
at least in the big things. such as rail-
way concessions. contracts for building
tramways and public works.
1t is obvious that In China an era OF
! scramble is about TO be entered upon, an
era in which all Municipalities will indulge
in free-for-all fight for great conces-
I sions. Americans will doubtless partici-
pate but it is considered doubtful wheth-
err they will be successful against the
strong competition of other nations. This
( may seem strange, ir view of America
! traditional friendship for China and the
| Chinese but it is due to the methods
which Americans will have TO fight The
State Department recently adopted a pol
/ icy Of supporting Americans in China
which permits the American Legation III
/ Picking to place before the government
any proposals which Americans may have
| TO make, but the legation must not. it is
| understood. use its influence or America
! political power to support or forward
/ American interests.
other legations in Picking are handi-
/ capped in no such fashion and China s
/ past history indicates that, whoever of the
others may get the big things coming out
of China's development. Americans Will
have hard shedding. The German. Eng
! lsh French British and Japanese lega-
tons will bring every influence and press
ure in their power to bear upon the
Chinese government, with the probable
result that the citizens Of these nations
will get the concessions.
Claims of spheres of influence will be
made and Japan will object TO any ma
ton other than herself getting conces-
sions in South Manchuria or in Inner
Mongolia Russia will insist that she
building railway lines in Mongolia, North
Manchuria and Turkestan. Germany VIII
not permit encroachments In Shan-Tung'
or. if it is possible to prevent IT, In the
hinterland back of that great province
The British will again claim the Yang
Use Valley as their own mart, claim
that has already been disputed and part
" vitiated by the progress there OF the
Germans and the japanese. The french
will keep all others out of Yun-Nan ana
tho nroyirces adjoining. These spheres
of influence will be expanded by each
mower to as great an extent as possible
and 10 limits which are reached only 10y
contact with some other nations sell
selected sphere. These points OF CONTACT,
incidentally. have in them possibilities Vi
trouble making between jealous ndtlohs'
A the foregoing summary Of the sltua-
tion indicates. America, seemingly Is "
have but small place in emma de'eIoP-
r,ent In the matter Of petroleum ana us
nroducts. in sewing machines certain
kinds of textiles in certain sections. "l
certain kinds Of machinery and III engines
Americas trade will grow but III the
construction of railways. FOR instance
America will fall behind. This becomes
an iuportant matter when 1t Is cohsiu-
arod that whenever railway is bulIt III
| china the nation constructing that nhe
aetabIisbes for itself sphere when IL
dominates and practically cohLols' -"
the German line from Tlen-Isih anu ~
| Tsin An-fu, TsingTau and nan way
down TO the Yang-Tse River. Germany
and Germans predominant, ana the "e'
roars control the market for the Foreign
,nada things which the Chinese buy
China is entering upon period OF great
,,,a,etrial EXPANSION. and during the next
! few years great number OF Coii0es'
oro IN he granted for the building OF ran
uavs Improvement of harbors' ETC. IheSe
/ .bings are needed and Will require 'ast
! e,.,anditures of money. The danger III
| tha situation is the likelihood that the
Chireee government will rush headlohs
! Guard bankruptcy. Chinese ofhciaIs are
,ot likeIv TO be more honest under the
.or,,hlic than under the Manchus-HosI
! naonIe forget that many OF the most Ho-
! torious "squeeZers" under the oNei LII "" ="
| uoncbu dynasty were Chinese-ahd II u
| fair IN assume that huge prohts VIII pe
! IL tbrough the indiscrimnate MAKING
| of loans. ,..,o,,. 7, is
| THE sequence Of events is obvious IT 10
,nnaid debts. gunboats and interVeh',o',
| eo,'nIed with military occupation anu
,be worst of II is that there Is more Una"
one nation anxious to see "e"n
that it may itself expand 'eri''o'