The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-12

to a diminution of the trade of the United
 States with the new republic China is
 likely to find it difficult to obtain money
 now. 1t was inevitable that there should
 arise a suspicion, which the administra-
 ton at Washington does not share and is
 now doing much to allay, that Japan sees
 in the present condition a sphere of in-
 fiuence which year ago she did not dream would so speedily arise
 There stands, however, the agreement
 made at Paris to which the nations who
 subscribed to it are committed, that terri
 torially and in its sovereignty China shall
 not be weakened and that the open door
 shall be maintained. It may after all de-
 vole upon the United States to insist that
 this agreement shall be recognized by
 Japan.
 Our Advances in China
 Industrially the United States was
 finding great opportunities in China One
 of these is now reflected in the very great activities which are characteristic of a
 large industrial plant at Hartford, Conn.,
 This plant was occupied when the war be-
 gan with manufacturing appartus which Is to be utilized in the equipment of the
 greatest of the Chinese arsenals. The con
 tract for this work was eagerly sought by the representatives of several nations It was estimated that it would involve a payment of something like $2,0S GOO. In
 addition. it would add to the prestige of the nation whose representatives secured that contract The American representa- tive, MT. Alexander, at last captured the
 contract, and the skin with which this
 was done and the ability with which the financing of the proposition was handled furnished one of the evidences-of which there are many-that the new generation of American salesmen is as fully equipped with ability as are the representatives of the leading manufacturing industries of Europe.
 Only year or two earlier a representa- tive of this Hartford industry, which is a subordinate of one of the greatest in- dustrial organizations of the United States, after a prolonged, very delicate and difficult struggle. carried on in Lon don, secured the contract for the equip
 ment with machinery of the great arsenal in Australia. He triumphed over repre- sentatves from Germany and over the al- most desperate approaches of English | manufacturers to the committee that rep resented Australia. In time. American capital notwithstanding the withdrawal of men of finance in the United States from the sx-naton agreement, will be found heavily invested not only in the construction of transportation facilities Dul siSp III lHt or some Ol the natural resources of China. One oi the greatest of American industries is | likely to supply China with agricultural 1 implements and there is no doubt thai China will be able when the time comes to secure in the United States loan not Nithstanding the fact that our representa- tives withdrew from the six-nation agree. ! ment.
 It has been for some time suspected thai | if the administration at Washington ha6 waited for while instead of acting at ths | first moment almost of the new admins tration of the state department, it would with a better understanding of conditions l have taken a different view of the rela. | tion of the United States to the six-natiof agreement. However, undoubtedly Mir Davison and others who are familiar witt the sentiment in the financial district art confident that the United States will. a: l it is justified in doing by treaty under standings, support China in case any at l tack is made upon her territorial right. or any attempt is made to prevent equa and open opportunities for all for trading with China or for sharing in her .interna developments.