The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-29
OF CHINA
 ENTHUSIASTIC WITH
 BREAK WITH KAISER
Everything Was Done by Agents and Friends of Berlin, But the People
 Were for Action

Picking, March 10-(Correspondenc of the Associated Press s)-China's de- cision to join with the United States in its protest against the new German submarine campaign was received with
 marked enthusiasm by a great ma jority of the Chinese press.
 For days before the cabinet reached the decision to support the American position the more progressive newspa- pers and younger members of Parlia- : ment were active in urging China to assert itself and take an internation- al position along with the great world powers which are resisting the new submarine regulations.
 It was new China. rather than old China, which aligned itself with the United States. Many of the older mem bers of the cabinet, as well as older parliamentarians, were opposed to the movement.
 German fnanciers and diplomatistS worked hard to prevent China from taking a position along with the Uni- ted States. Offers of loans were made. the past acts of friendship on the part of Germany were recalled and the TO- cent aggression on the part of Ja- pan was cited by the Germans as a reason why China should retain Ger manys friendship and invoke her aiG in preventing Japanese expansion aft CT the war.
 Japans opposition to Chinas en- trance into the war, which prevented China from becoming a belligerent on two previous occasions. was not who'll ly relaxed. Japanese politicians work ed far more quietly, however. than on pre- vious occasions The invitation from the United States for China to join in the protest against the German sub marine campaign was far different from the overtures from England. France and Russia for the entrance of the Chinese republic into the entente. Much as the Chinese leaders dislike
 to see China take it's position along
 with the world powers with chance
 that it will figure in the peace con- ference following the present war.
 they could not consistently offer open
 opposition Chinese officials were so-
 licitously advised against haste, and
 many efforts were made indirectly by
 Japanese to prevent China from &C.,
 cepting the invitation of the United
 States.
 When the cabinet reported to a Joint
 session of the House and Senate that
 it had decided to avail itself of Presi-
 dent Wilson's invitation. there was
 much enthusiasm. All the members
 of the cabinet appeared before Parlia-
 ment and asserted that hundreds of
 Chinese lives already have been lost
 as a result of the German submarine
 campaign. A very large number of
 Chinese were killed when the British
 steamer Harpalyce was torpedoed be-
 tween Rotterdam and Newcastle. Many
 Chinese were also killed on French
 and Japanese steamers torpedoed in
 the Mediterranean. The cabinet men,- bers explained that the extension of the German submarine campaign would mean greater loss of Chi nese lives and property. Should the Chinese government fail to protest against the new campaign, the cab inet members insisted that China would be supinely permitting new prin- ciples to be written into international
 law which are wholly in violation of human warfare.
 Paul s. Reinsch. the American min
 ister, has been highly praised by the
 Chinese press for his successful eff
 forts in winning the leaders of the
 Chinese government over to the po-
 sition of the United States and induc-
 ing them to take a stand against the
 extension of the submarine campaign The Picking Daily Gazette, which is a representative of the more modern newspapers in China, says of the Chi
 nese action: Although the maximum so far contemplated by China is simp- ly rupture of diplomatic relations with Germany, it is quite certain that she will not hesitate to follow wherever America may lead: and that the Uni ted States will be involved in open warfare almost immediately is cer- tain"