The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-30
AMERICAS
 OPPORTUNITY

srr n framing it's plans for co-opera- i4ion with Europe in the war, cne Limited States government ought not ito overlook the situation, in the Far .sE,aat Should the war be a long .one, ,ps many predict, the help of China rndxht prove an extremely important 3fartcr. Moreover, if we look still far lthAr ahead and consider the s1tuatloh Isftar the war, what is now done Ill {. Chinae is of stiT greater importance. .s China. m severing diplomatic reda- tiorrs with Germany, announced oe- i1iberately that she was following the lead of the United States Everyone lFa rnffiar with the situation in Cnlna a<n<yus that that country is eager to ,FoaIow the United States and not 10 De driven into action by the European mowers who have already posseSseu tfharnaelves of Chinese territory, anu ssesnecdally by the power that has ap- tparently been using the exigenciee o1 ltha war to strengthen her grip on T ChanA.
 Accordinsy to all the late newspaper reports, tremendous pressure IS Delns brought, to bear upon the Chinese gov lernnnent to join the Entente on terms To be arranged. Many people feel that
  lEn0na definitely under the eladership isyf Japan. and that the final upsnot trvoaild he that China would be forced lto concede practically all of the de- rnands of Group V, which she was finally able, under the pressure or world public opinion, to avoid two years ago.
 There can be no doubt that the ma | |1oatty of the thinking Chinese. includ- tinr the government, would vastly frrefer to go into the war, but under lthe leadership of the United States i'm the interests of democratic govern fxnent the world over, in the interests !of China, in the interests of the United Estates, both during the war ana a1tei fthe war, and if we take a Tar LOOK lahead in the interests, also, of all the Irest of the world, ought not the United States to encourage thds sentiment 1n fCh1na?
 ' Aruarently the United States gov- ernment will have three billions of ldollars to loan to the Allies on favor able terms Ought not China to have at least a mod1cum of a lew millions l out of these billions? One per cent. of I this huge sum would put China into position to stratghten out her own in- ternal affairs reasonably well. Five per cent. would enable China to prove {. a very important factor in actually {hghtine in the war if transportation
 for men and troops can be furnished
 and if those for whom China would ! be fighting could furnish arms and q munitions. If the war lasts and the tAaMes try to make use of China, II will be American money that will out Nit China. Would it not be wiser fof
 thin American money to be furnished, mot indirectly through others, but di- Froctly by our government?
 Tho President and the United States government have been sincere In stat
 ing that the United States in this wal
 would ask no indemnity, were seeking no territorial advantages. The history of our relations with China proves be yond all cavu that the United States lby dealing with China direct, will seek no advantage. But would 1t not be really an act of loyalty to the Allies to@ see to it that any money used in the war Is so used that it will not give to any other nation the special oppor- tundty by sedzing an undue advantage l to. make China practically q vassa T state? Ought not American instead
 by leaning money directly to China
 to help young and struggling repub-
 lie of noble ideals and aspirations tt
 remain really independent demo.
 cratic state?