The Washington herald., 1922-01-22

China and we should like to keep
up our record justifylng the Chi
nese conviction that we are a dis
Interested and reliable friend. Our
dealings have been decent-the pol
icy of the open door. the return OF
a large share of the Boxer indem-
nifty, the protest that We made In
1915 when we learned of the twenty
one demands that Japan had bought
and forced from the Pekin govern
ment. We consented to the trans
fer OF the German rights in Shan
tung to Japan. as indeed we must
do IL wartime treaties were to be
kept. but a chorus of disapproyal
arose and We came to this confer
ence resolved that Shantung should
be restored to China; moreover. that
a long list of interferences with her
freedom Of administration should
cease. The disappointment has come
In finding that what China wanted,
and We wanted her to have, was
much more dificult to realize than
We had appreciated, and that in a
majority of cases. probably the
worst thing that could happen to
China would be to have her full re-
quests granted.
Lacks Stable Government.
The primary difficulty in China's
r-etting what she wants Is that she
as no stable government. nothing
upon which she can depend and
with which the nations can deal,
with any assurance that the en-
gagements that are entered into
will be faithfully carried out. The
conference began with an exhibit Of
Reorganization in the Pekin gov
ernment which was most unfortun-
ate for China's hopes-the failure to
pay a loan due us at that moment
Moreover. IL Is a matter of common
knowledge that the Pekin govern
ment is falling to meet all sorts OF
financial obligations at home as
we'll as abroad; that it Is not pay
ing the salaries of its oficials and
its Nschool teachers. There are rep
resentatives here who. It is claimed
have had no funds from their gov
ernment for many months. A great
or part of the moneys collected seem
to so into the pockets of the mill
tary chiefs of the provinces. whose
leading occupation is to make life
and property unsafe for the rich
and to prevent political conditions
becoming settled.
All of this has had an important
relation to certain demands that
the Chinese delegation has pre-
sented to the conference. Take the
matter OF tariff autonomy-nothing
shows better Chinars position
among the nations. She does not
and has not for many years coma
trolled her customs. They are fixed
by treaty with the powers and COL
lected by them They have been
netting her recently but 3lH per
cent on her importations. More
ever. there have been exvatious
Determinations and special taxes
which have been both unfair and
humiliating. China came to the
conference begging for freedom
from all these restrictions. She
wanted tariff autonomy like other
nations, and. on the face of IL, what
more reasonable request? And yet,
after a very thorough inquiry by
a subcommittee of the conference,
headed by Secretary Underwood
control of her tariffs was denied
her. To be sure, some of the worst
of the Determinations were. cleared
up. She was given a rate which
would Immediately raise her rev.
enue Dy SOInc eltsOOVsVOO the
promise of f-other changes in the
near future which would increase
the amount to something like 1885,
100000.
Believe Autonomy Bad
But why should China's tariffs
remain in the hands of foreigners?
Why should she not be allowed to
collect more than an affective 5
xRh a. u
her expectations to this country,
for instance, are weighted with
tariffs all the way from 20 to 100
per cent? Why. simply because the
committee after a long study made
as IL declares. and as there Is no
reason to doubt, in a spirit of SYM
pathy and friendliness, believed
that tariff autonomy would be a
bad thing for China herself. When
the committee presented its report,
Senator Underwood said: 81 am sure.
this subcommittee and the COM
mittee to which I am now address,
ing myself would gladly do much
more for China IL conditions were
lsuch that the outside powers felt
they could do % so with justice TO
China herself. ! do not think there
was any doubt in the minds Of the
subcommittee on this question,
that II China at present had the
unlimited control of levylng taxes
at the custom house, in view of
the unsettled conditions now ex-
isting in China. ii would probably
work in the end to China's detri-
ment and to the injury Of the
world"
so far as tariff autonomy Is
concerned this judgment will have
to be accepted. 1t does not, how
ever, answer the question, why
China should be able to collect but
per cent on the machinery we
send her and we collect IS to so per
cent on her silks. That is. it does
seem that IL the powers believe
that IL is for the good Of China
that her duties should be kept at
this low rate. they would feel as
matter of fairness that they should
grant reciprocity and collect no
more on her goods than she is al
lowed to collect on theirs.
Delegates Ask Little.
When you come to the question
of extra territorislity, by which Is
duet of judicial courts by foreign
ers in China, humiliating condi-
tion that dates back almost to the
beginning Of her treaty relations
with other countries. you md her
: own delegates asking no more than
that ''the powers cooperate with
China In taking initial steps toward
improving and eventually abolish