The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-11-24
HUGHES SEEKS
FREED CHINA;
JAPS WEAKEN
America Would Make China
Sovereign Nation One e
More-Details Cause Con-
ference Friction.
BRITAIN WITH AMERICA
by MARK SULLIVAN

American reader wants to go into the
details involved in a discussion of
what this eountry's arms conference
delegates are trying to do about China.
A good many things are of high i'm
portance within the conference room
which | suspect the ordinary busy
American in Indianapolis, or Des
Moines, or Portland, or Kansas City
cannot possibly give the time to learn
about
I doubt if the reader who depends
upon these articles for following the
work of the conference can take the
time necessary to know about the
Liao-Tung lease, for example or Wei
Hai-Wei. Probably the average read
err knows about Shantung, because
that figured so largely in the League
of Nations debate, but there are a
score of other points involved in the
consideration of the Chinese question
which it is not practical to try to
make clear to the wide American pub
lie
Debate Many Details
IT Is about these very points that
much Of the pulling and hauling within
the conference room revolves. The
diplomats know these points in their
ubDdTt-
ment knows them and the governing
classes and the important CONNER
cial classes of Great Britain and japan
and France know them even better
But for the purposes of the average
American reader it is probably best to
attempt to point out no more than
certain high spots.
First of all, China wants the right
n sa1 1y-gn l.,
prise an American accustomed to see
congress fix our tariff duties to learn
that in China the tariffs are Ieviea
not really by China but by foreign
governments
When Great Britain, two or three
generations ago, Opened up" China
to foreign trade, in the so-called opium
war she forced upon China a treaty
which fixed the rate of duties that
China could levy on foreign goods
coming in, and fixed it very low
Thereafter, all the other foreign ma
1ons, including the United States, i'm
posed upon China treaties modelled
upon the British one The result is
that today Chira is limited to collect
ing five per cent on the value of her
imports. China wants this changed
that the rate of duties can be raised
to something reasonable and to a fig
ure which will give her some of the
revenue she so badly needs
Would Control Railroads
The next thing that China regards
as of high Importance is that she
shall have control of the railroads
within her own borders. Most of
dc
capital, and are managed, directly or
indirectly, by the countries that sup
piled the capital
This management in many cases is
conducted in Such a way as to give
business advantages to the individual
foreign countries concerned and to
operate to the business disadvantage
Of other foreign countries. What the
owners of a railroad can do through
preferential rates is familiar to Amer
lea. China wants all this ended as
America ended it some years ago
China wants to manage the railroads
herself. Also il is charged that under
the excuse of policing the railroads
they own in China. some of the ma.
tions, especially Japan, send unneces
sarily large bodies of soldiers into
China.
Cut "Spheres of Influence"
4 third thing that China wants is
hat the foreign powers shall abandon
he thing which is practiced under the
term spheres of influence" A sphere
of influence" has something of he
same nature of what we in America
frequently call "gentlemen's agree
ments.'
When Great Britain sets up a
sphere of influence" in one part o1
China. the other nations by tacit con
sent refrain from competing in thai
territory and Confine themselves eact
10 its own sphere of influence" else
where. That this, in addition 10 be
ing an infringement of China's sover
eighty, also deprives China of the ben
etits of competition between the ma
tions for her trade, is clear.
The fourth body of trouble lies ir
what are called the "extra-territoria
rights" which foreign nations have
generations. These extra-territoria
where they exist give to the foreign
nations the right to set up their owl
courts, postoffices, and the like.
Old Treaties Invalued.
Just how TO handle this matter o.
eXtra-territorial rights is one of tn,
most difficult aspects OF the whole
Chinese question. Some of thest
rights are based upon treaties made a!
long as so or 20 years ago, and al
intricate web of vested property rights
and the like is involved.
Probably a good deal of the confer
ence discussion is likely to revolvt
around fixing a date for the running
OF what may be called Il statute o
limitations. Whatever was acquired
before the date will be allowed to re
main undisturbed, but everything ac
quired since the date will be restored
to China. One point of view held b.
some Americans in that 1898 shoult
be the date to be fixed. That is til,
year in which most of what is callet
the loot of China" began some of tn
foreigners think that 1914 is a NOR
reasonable date to fix.
The next among the many difficu,
points is what TO do about certain
northern provinces of China. namely
Continued on Page Three)