The Washington herald., 1921-10-02

For practical purposes persons aiming at general
readers understanding of the coming conference can
neglect everything under the head of Far Eastern
problems except China As to- China, the same type
Of reader will probably not go deeply into the
minute subdivisions under the head Of China which
viii ultimately appear on the conference agenda.
These topics win include mass of complex sub
jeets. difficult for the average reader understand
and not worth while forSshyone to attempt to under
stand in detail except those who wish to make a
special study Of the situation, They include reforma-
ton of the Chinese emreney/s to achieve uni
form money system throughout that country; modi-
6cation Of the extraterrorai legal jurisdiction Of
vsrious foreign powers in China. the setting up by
China Of modern civil and criminal code. the sub
stitution OF Chinese national police force in place
Of the many provincial standing armies of China;
revision Of the Chinese customs tariff, to give
China larger revenue from This of income,
the abolition OF the international tax on the move
ment Of commodities from one province to another
IN China.
All these are details for the conference and will
absorb great deal OF its time and energy. For the
purposes Of the general reader however il is best to
point out merely few Of the larger principles in
volved in the Chinese situation.
First of all America stands for maintaining the
integrity Of China as nation This position on the
part Of the United States involves us in argument
with other nations who either believe that China is
not strong enough 70 stand on her feet as nation
or who. for selfish reasons, would like to reduce
China to the relation Of dependent That this latter
ambition is entertained BY Japan admits Of no denial
1T Is proved by Japan's course toward China for
many years past Probably no weil-informed Japan
would attempt to deny that the course Of the
Japanese government has long been aimed in the di
reetion Of reducing China to something like the
sdbection to Japan that Korea has been reduced to-
insisting upon the territorial integrity and un
impaired sovereignty Of China as one of the
family Of nations. America is much handicapped by
the fact that the Chinese government is admittedly
weak Since the fan Of the imperial dynasty in 1919
the various attempts at republican form of govern
ment in China have not achieved enough to create
much confidence in their stability. At the present
moment the vitality Of China is especially weak be-
cause Of factionaIism. II seems to be the present
policy Of the United States to admit the present
weakness Of the Chinese government; indeed. it must
be admitted But the thing that America proposes as
4 remedy for the present weakness of the Chinese
government is not to let me other nations Of the
world 60 in and grab territory and privileges. The
remedy the United States has in mind is what may
be called benevolent neighborness, helping China
from the outside with her problems of revenue, of
Hpoiice. and of government generally.
The second main point in American policy with
regard to China is the. open door," BY this the
United States means that there shall be equality of
commercial opportunity for all foreign nations in
China. The United States IS opposed to concessions
to spheres of inhuence. and to all the other devices
BY which, for more than twenty years past the jap
anese. the Germans and the British have been ac-
curing exclusive footholds in China. Probably the
United States will not only insist the open door
for the future. but viii counsel that various exclusive
privileges now held in China by Japan and other
tions shall be remitted modified.
II probably expresses the average point of view
Of American opinion say that Japan should be sat-
is6ed with those advantages in China which accrue
to her because Of her geographical position. The
nearness Of the Japanese islands to China. the cone
tgty Of Japanese territory on the mainland Of Asia
to China. and multitude Of considerations which
hew from this geographical position ought to give
Japan an advantage in trade with China which no