The Washington herald., 1917-07-22
BY RICHMOND p. HoBsoN.

| The QUICK restoration OF the re-
public of China "a triumph of de-
mocracy over reaction). the failure of
! the German intrigue to obtain a sep
arate peace with Russia and the re-
sumption of effective fighting by the
democratic army in Russia-these two
great events of the past week en-
courage the hope that democracy is
to be extended to the ends OF the
earth. Z
1 Indeed, the whole human race seems
to be affected by the same mighty
convulsion out Of which will come
better opportunities for all mankind
for life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.
| The great objective we must all keep
in mind is the prosecution and sue
cessful conclusion as speedily as pos
sible Of the great war.
| As the cause of democracy Is the
| paramount consideration We must
not lose sight of 1t for one moment
either in the prosecution Of the war
or in the terms of peace. Both will
be greatly and permanently affected
| by the rising spirit of nationalism
in Russia and China. We are deeply
concerned in the future of both coun-
tries. Within their borderes live over
one-third of the whole human race
and over one-half of all the popula-
ton of the world not under foreign
rule.
United States Holds Key.
| America, the elder brother Of all
democracies and the first product of
modern nationalism. holds the key to
\ f,,t
sion to Russia and received a COM
mission from Russia. We should now
send a commission to China and in
vite China to send a commission to
| America.
China should speedily be brought into
the fold of democracy in the struggle
against autocracy.
| The inexhaustible industrial man.
power of China can now be drawn on
by all the allies. This would not only
liberate additional men for the front,
but would relieve in part the strain of
hard labor upon women and children
that is beginning to threaten the fu-
ture industrial nations now at war.
I lived for a long time in China,
/ most of the time at Hong Kong. For
| more than a year / inspected day by
\ day the workmanship Of more than
1000 Chinese workmen in the recon-
struction of Spanish vessels sunk by
Dewey at Manila, the Don Juan de
| Austria, the Isle de Luzon and the
Isle de Cuba. From observations at
first hand know the great Industrial
possibilities of Chinese labor.
In control of the sea, the allies
could throw into the scale of war, in
the manufacture of munitions. the
| production OF supplies and equipment,
| a vast Chinese man-power that the
Teutons cannot match. 1t is impos-
sible to overestimate the importance
such Industrial superiority would have
! upon the outcome of the war of the
world.
I can bear frst-hand testimony also
to the high moral standards OF the
Chinese. The individual ChInaman
has all the elements for making
good soldier. He is not afraid of
death. He is honest. loyal. and abso-
lutely reliable beyond any other man
In the world. He is patient and per-
sistent and uncomplaining. It is true
the lack of a national feeling, the ex-
elusive prevalence of the family and
clan spirit have discredited the pro-
fession of the soldier for many CEN
turies, during which time the few SOL
diers in China were mercenaries.
ChIna's Spirit Awakening.
But the remarkable achievement of
the Chinese soldiers in the ill-advised
Boxer disturbance. even with the
meagerest equipment and preparation,
give an index to the Chinaman's ca
pacity as a soldier, when equipped
and drilled and when animated by
principle. though in the Boxer disturb
ance he may have been misguided.
The readiness: particularly in the
southern provinces. to rise against
usurpation at Picking shows that the
modern spirit OF nationalism that has
been swept over the world for a
century and a half has reached China
Let an American commission go to
China and pave the way for organ
lzing and equipping a big Chinese
army to throw into Europe The man.
power of China on the side of the
allies thrown into the field, the work
shop and the trenches, would leave
no doubt as to the ultimate outcome
of the war. Furthermore, it would
articulate China with the rest Of the
world in advancing the cause of
democracy. 1t would add to the power
Of self-defense by China, and thus
remove the greatest future cause of
war.
The "Big Threeo Nations
As a concrete proposition, let China
join America to organize a great ex-
pedition for the taking of the Dar-
danelle5 and the relief of Russia
| Nothing would be so mighty for the
| double cause of democracy and of
peace in the world as Russia, China
and America standing shoulder to
shoulder bringing the great war to
a victorious end.
Let US request Russia also to send
mission to China and China to
send a mission to Russia Let one of
the first changes of free Russia be
in revolutionizing Russian policy to-
ward China. The Romanof auto
cracy, like the Japanese autocracy.
always sought to encroach upon and
prey upon China; let the policy of
Russian democracy be only that of
| friendship, mutual help and of CO.
operation in the cause Of universal
| democracy.
Both Russia and China recognize
America as their true, distinterested
friend. We can bring about this quick
! rapprochement. Holding as we do
the keystone position in the arch of
the worlds democracy, America must