Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-03-15
CHINA BREAK,
With kAISEf
SEXES SHIP,
Sailors on Interned Vessels A.
Landed Under Guard Fol- .
lowing Expected
Rupture.
SLAUGHTER ADDS TO III
Celestial Nation Long Bit
Against Teutons for Terri
bleness" in Boxer Troubles ]
and Taking of Province.

Washington. March 15-Americ:
Minister Reinsch at Peking today r
ported to the state department tn
China had severed diplomatic rel |
t1ons with Germany and that the Ge
man minister had been handed b
passports.
China's severance of relations h
been expected here for weeks. n
action of the United States in brealil
relations was received with acclaim;
tion by Chinese officials and press, pa
ticularly young China. Feeling again
Germany has run high, not only b. F.
cause scores Of Chinese on the way
Europe have lost their lives throuE
German submarine operations, b /
from memory of the kaiser's order
his Boxer punitive force to make Il +
word German dreaded in China 4
century, and the seizure by German
of the whole province of Shan Tung Il
the murder of two missionaries.
China has taken possession of al
German merchant ships in Shangha
about six in number, placed their crew
on shore under guard and placed armel
guards on the vessels.
Seizure of the German ships may h|
taken by Germany as an act of wa
as in the case of Portugal.
China's action may be followed b
seizure of German property in Chine
which is very extensive. In additios
to all the concessions held by German
in Chinese cities, which it is presume
will be seized as quasi public properts
there are extensive private Germa;
holdings in China. Latest figures shoy
that there are about 5000 German civil
:ans scattered throughout the. republic
but 1T is not known whether they will
be interned,
China's action is expected to hav,
n noh 0ff 1,@ fov, oo%o oysv
history as it aligns her with Japan AM
the other entente powers. German trad
the other entente powers. Germal
trade, which before the war had be
come the most dangerous competito
to British and Japanese business II
China, amounted to about 90 per cen
of Japan's trade and offered tempt
ing prize for the latter. This phase o
the commercial situation was widel.
discussed at the Paris economic con
ference, when plans to drive German.
out of the far eastern market wer,
adopted
Aids Russia's Munitions.
The immediate effect of China,s sew
erance of relations probably will be ,
greatly increased output Of munition
for Russia. China is Japan's sourc
of iron and has provided much raw
material on which the latter's immens
munition trade has been built up. Chin,
also has six large arsenals, which witt
her mines will add large resource
against Germany.
China has already sent 100000 coolie
to France and Russia and can increas
the number almost without limit g
far, the men have gone under privat
auspices as laborers. Apparently. a
yet, China has not committed hersel
to accept the allies invitation to ente
the war as an active participant.
Immediately after Americas sever
ance of relations with Germany, Chin
began to discuss similar action an
during the negotiations, the French an
Belgian legations in China invited hel
on behalf of the entente, to declare wa
on Germany in return for remission q
the Boxer indemnity and permission
to increase her customs taxes. Diplo
matte sources in Washington, however
said the entente promised merely
postponement of the Boxer indemnity
not it's remission.
Forced President to Break.
On March 4, the cabinet defnitel
voted to sever relations, but Presiden
Lo Yuan Hung refused to accede on tn
ground that such power was his alon,
The cabinet resigned, withdrew to Tie
Tsin and finally returned when tn
president agreed to break.
On March 10, the president and hi
cabinet appeared before the house an
asked approval of severance of rela
tions, which was granted by a vote
43l to 81. The senate later agreed
Meanwhile the entente invitation I
enter the war remains in abeyance ar
parently pending better agreement q
to terms.
Recent dispatches from Peking hay
spoken in high terms of the pal
American Minister Reinsch has take
in the steps leading up to China
action.