Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-07
AND FINANCE
s.
Disturbing TO CHINA
E. T. Williams Discusses Cause and
Effect Of Changes in
Far East.

E. 7. Williams, who was in China dur
ing the Boxer and other rebellions. de-
livered an address yesterday afternoon.
which was repeated last night, before the
members Of the National Geographic So
ciety at the New Masonic Temple Mr..
Williams is former United States charge
d'affaires at Picking, and at present chief
of the division of far eastern affairs of
the State Department. He told Of the
cause and effect Of the great changes
that have been wrought in China during
the past few years.
The immediate cause Of the great
changes in China, eliminating in the re-
cent rebellion, said Mr.. Williams, was
a quarrel between the westernmost prov
ince of China, Szechuen, and tho CEN
trail government as to the naturalization
Of a provincial railway, whose construc-
ton was to be turned over to the four
power syndicate Of foreign capitalists.
one Of the groups being American.
Collapse of Rubber Boom Contributes
A secondary cause was the collapse Of
a rubber boom in Shanghai in which the
provincial railway president had specu-
lated away several millions of taels be-
longing to the company. and which the
central government would not make
good.
But the revolution was the result Of
economic. social. political and religious
forces which had been operating In the
empire through 200 years." he said I'm
course with the west Added to these,
there was internal discord. During the
twenty-six years Of my residence in China
do not remember one in which there
was not somewhere an uprising against
the Manchu government"
Mr.. Williams told Of being seated at
breakfast one morning during the Boxer
uprising. when a sword fell through the
paper ceiling and struck the table, point
on. Just beside his plate. search" re-
concealed beneath the rafters.
Religion a Problem.
zone Of the great problems IN China
Is: What shall be the religion Of the re-
public? There Is feeling among the
leaders that without a state religion the
morals Of the young will deteriorate.
The republic is pledged to religious lib
erty. but those desiring to establish q
state religion point to the example OF
England. where full liberty is enjoyed
Notwithstanding that there Is a. state
church." said Mr.. Williams,
The present president Of China. Yuan
Shih-kai Mr.. Williams describer as
sturdy. rather understood, very coura-
geous and alert. His mind works randi
ly and he speaks quickly and to the
point He is fond OF military uniform.
but frequently wears the old Chinese
dress.
Danger Which Threatens.
Tho danger which threatens China to-
day is financial" he said. The obsolete,
cumbersome medley Of taxes must be
supplanted by more Just and uniform
system. A great hlndrance to this re-
form is the provision of the treaties with
European and American powers which
hxes tho rate Of the duties on imports
and exports. China cannot raise the rate
without the unanimous consent Of nine
teen foreign powers. I cannot but hope
that a day may yet come when some
philanthropist will provide a home for
some Amertcan-Asiatic Union that shall
devote itself to the dissemination of real
knowledge concerning the 4O0,OOOOOO Of
eastern Asia, the cultivation OF friendly
relations between them and ourselves
and the Improvement OF our commerce
with them"