The Alaska citizen., 1917-02-12
CAPITAL. FOR
 RAILROADS IS
 GIVEN WELCOME.

I LNl-NI.-oulHcSe e"SpdpeIS are unanimous in welcoming American capital into China to build railroads. The announcement of the concluson of the agreement whereby Stems and Carey, financed by the American In, ternational Corporation, are granted a contract for over two thousand miles of railway costing approximate ly one hundred million dollars gold, has been received with great en- thusiasm. Neither the Chinese pub lie nor the Chinese press has any fear that the United States has any ulterior motives.
 Since the death of President Yuan Shi Kai, the most important single fact in the history of China has been the signature of the Stems and Carey railway agreement" says the Picking Daily News. Tt reintroduces into practical politics principle that was in danger of being forgot, ten. Americans do not seek DO litical power, influence or spheres. They seek trade and trade only, and they have now assumed that other nations seek nothing more and really mean what they say when they pledge themselves to the mainten- ance of the open door and equal op- portunity for all in China.
 pressed their adhesion to the prin- ciple of the open door, but in spite of the lip service rendered to this doctrine there has been a sneaking desire to evade its real consequences, Great Britain, more than once when non British schemes have appeared to have ramifications that reached the Yang-tse valley, has been ob- viously uneasy; as witness the French port of Pukow scheme and the Jap anese Hankow development project. Japan has almost openly repudiated the open door doctrine. The Japan csc vetoes on the ChinchowAigun railway, on the Hsinmntun-Fakume project and on MT. Knox's Manchuri- an railway naturalization proposals, all go to show that Japan has ill her heart repudiated the open dool dogma long ago. The Japanese de- mands of last year and the corol- lary to them to be found in the side issues raised in connection with the Chengchiatun negotiations. only con firm them. Russian diplomacy for several years, and her latest public displays of 1.-the treaty with Japan and the protest against the presence of members for Outer Mongolia in the Chinese parliament-can only be interpreted in the light of a virtual repudiation of the doctrine of the open door. The Germans nearly did the same thing in Shantung previous to the outbreak of the war.
 Had the department of state in Washington set itself to devise a test for the sincerity of the powers that have declared their adhesion to the doctrine of the open door and equal opportunity in China it could not have devised one better than the present contract"
 Practically all the Picking papers and the important Chinese papers m large centers express satisfaction at the decision of American capital to look for an outlet in China. For several years but little American capital has come to China. This fact has been discouraging to Chinese who are interested in development projects, but the railway agreement has given them new hope.
 of Ashburnham for 100 years and IS then to be opened The sum of $5,0O0 was provided by MT. Eisenlohr to provide for the ceremonies oi opening the box. Invitations have been sent to the President, Vice President, governors of the States and others.
 John H. Eisenlohr, the donor of the box and the sum for the cele- bration, is wealthy manufacturer of the east and Is one of the well known yacht owners of New York. being the owner of what is said to be the largest gasoline pleasure yacht in the world.