Evening star., 1925-09-22

when is a conference not a confer
ence2
When 1t loses three-quarters of its
members. and then reverses its orief-
nal agenda forbidding definite resolu-
tons and adopts numerous where
asses telling the nations of the world,
and the United States in particular,
what ought to happen in international
policies.
According to news dispatches and
State Department summaries, such ap-
pears to have been the case in the
Baltimore-Johns Hopkins diagnosis, of
what ails China. The consults ton of
business men. officials, missionaries
and others interested in greater and
more prosperous China opened It's dis
cussions at Johns Hopkins University
last Thursday. with the declared pur-
pose OF listening 10 the problems OF
China so that all slants to the ques-
tions involved might be compared but
no fixed policies be adopted.
1t is reported that practically all the
diplomats. public officials and business
men left soon after each had present
ed his own Views. and by Saturday
night all those who remained were
missionaries. These worthy workers
then got together on Sunday and
adopted the report of former inter
national missionary conference as ex-
pressing also the sentiments of the
conference.
This report declared for aboliShing
extraterritoriality in China, but with
out agreement as TO when it should
be abolished. leaving missionaries and
other foreigners at the mercy of Chi
nese Justice" and protection. 1t is
declared that the United States should
take the lead-'vigorous leadership in
these international negotiations but
only in agreement with the other pow
ers. They qualify the above by add
ing: Our Government should not de-
pend upon the complete agreement of
all these powers concerned, for the
simple reason that we think that our
Government should not be delayed in
its policy by the action or failure to
act of one or more. of the powers who
have comparatively small interests in
the East and in China"
Another recommendation adopted
was that our Government should per
suade China. Japan. Great Britain
and France TO keep step With US. but
If they are too stubborn to do So. we
should keep step alone" just as
vigorously. A minority present op-
posed even that overdeeisive cenclu-
sion of the report. but were overruled
by a more determined majority.
In his speech at the opening of the
conference, Ambassador SEE from
China begged the conference not 10
deal in barren generalities, but to be
specific in whatever recommendations
were made He suggested. also, that
Should the United States or the other
%l~ l. -
taken to satisfy the desires of the
Chinese people for equality and reci-
procity in international treatment the
UNDERTAKINGS to this end should be
specific in character and not stated in
the form of general or qualified in
tention"
Mr.. SEE cited the case of the desire
Of China to rid herself of the opium
curse, and he told how the powers in
1912 agreed to put stop to the traf-
fic. Thirteen years later the same
powers held another conference-n
Geneva-and then as unfinished
taken to make effective their agree
ment of 1912, but refused to pledge
themselves to any specific action.
Two things aff1iet China. according
to Ambassador SEE. The first is ex-
traterritoriality, whereby all foreign
ers are exempt from the operation of
Chinese laws and Of Chinese courts
and are governed according to the
laws of their own several nations. The
second is the limitations of customs
duties by foreign powers, so that the
central government of China is cur
tailed in its revenues and is unable to
maintain a strong control over the
many provincial governors. He urged
that China should have full power
over all people within her boundaries
and. especially, that the revenues be
increased through tariffs on imports,
to build up strong unified govern
ment.
"The Chinese development of
China" said the Amba ssador. IF I
may put 1T that way, will make for
peace, If only because the whole of