Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-12-03
FRENCH SEIZURE
Anglers CHINESE
Land Grabbing of France
Causes Indignation and
Crowds Storm Chamber.
BOYCOTT is THREATENED

| Correspondence OF The Associated Press.)
Tien-Tsin, Oct. 3l.-France's aggres-
sive action in Selling strip Of land
from the Chinese and annexing it to
the French concession, has aroused
the deepest indignation among the
Chinese population in TEN sin, and
threatens to become subject of i'm
portant international negotiations.
The land seized is somewhat over
one-half mile square, and lies imme-
diately south OF the Tien-Tsin canal
which separates it from the old part
Of the French concession The strip
lies between the Japanese and British
concessions.
Immediately following the forcible
seizure Ct the land by the French
consul general, M. Henri Bourgeois,
and a body of French troops and po-
licemen on October 20, indignation
meetings were held in the Chinese city
and crowd of 5000 Chinese marched
to the Chamber OF Commerce and de:
manded that influential committees be
sent to wait upon various officials to
protest against China's submission to
Frances aggression.
Talk of Boycott.
Threats have been made that
French goods will be boycotted and
Chinese deposits will be withdrawn
from French banks, if the French
persist in retaining the land. News
papers are also advocating that addi-
tional Chinese coolies shall not be
permitted to go to France for agricul-
tural work unless the French govern
ment restores the land.
France first began its efforts to OBJ
tain an addition to its concession in
Tien-Tsin fourteen years ago. A letter
was written at that time by the French
government asking Tang Shao, who
was then the head of the customs in
Tien-Tsin, to grant France strip of
ground over a mile square located
south OF the old French concession.
The request was so unreasonable in
Tang Shao-yi's opinion that he never
wrote reply. Twelve years later the
French government made representa-
tons to the foreign Office that Tang
Shao-yi's silence amounted to consent,
and consequently claimed title to the
land which it had asked for.
g French Police.
Meantime several French citizens
had acquired land in the coveted dis
trict, or at least pretended that they
had acquired property rights there
through purchase from Chinese. The
French government put some police
men into the district. China pro-
tested, but finally consented to per-
init four French policemen to re-
main rather than have a prolongation
of the controversy. China continued
to maintain nine Chinese policemen
there.
Two years ago France became en-
phatic i'll its demand that China grant
exclusive police rights to France, and
sign over the coveted territory. The
negotiations became acute in June of
the present year. when the French
minister at Picking. M. Comfy, urged
the immediate settlement Of the
claim. The Chinese foreign minister,
LII Cheng-Hsiang, temporized by say
ing that he would consider the mat
ter, but that China would not attempt
to give away land without the con
sent of the people OF Tien-Tsin and
the affected property holders. There is
considerable difference in the French
and Chinese versions of the confer
ence between M. Comfy and Mr.. Lu
Cheng Hsiang. The French say that
the minister Of foreign affairs agreed
to grant their request, but the Chinese
deny this emphatically. ~.
Rely on Japan.
On October IS the French charge
d'affaires, M. Martel, delivered an ul-
timatum to the foreign office, in which
he said that France would take other
steps to acquire the land if the Chi
nese government did not agree to