Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-29

The eyes Of all the world today are
focused upon one city, where per-
haps tomorrow will see the out
break of a new World War more dis
astrous and world-revolutionizing
than that which tore Europe asunder
in 1914. Shanghai, the New York
Of ASIA" is the gathering place of
perils such as no prophet can describe.
The United States, which holds no
concessions in China and never has
aspired to do so, offers to cancel all
the Objectionable treaties and make
new ones whenever China allays its
internal troubles and creates respon-
sible general government. But the
excited Chinese nationalists declare
that that is not enough; they demand
the cancellation Immediately, without
waiting for the end Of the Internal
revolutions. And before negotiations
begin they want to know what we VIII
agree to. They demand the abandon
ment of extraterritoriality by which
Americans who are charged with Vio-
lations of law are now tried by Amerl-
can consuls. Our Government, having
the responsibility of protecting lZ,VOO
Americans in China, dares not aoan-
don them to Chinese Justice" until
there EXISTS a. responsible native gov
eminent and unbiased law courts,
based on q legal code that is accept
able.
Great Britain has more than that
at stake, and so serious is the menace
that she has openly offered not onAy
TO make new treaties, abandoning
''extrality." but abandoning all her
special concessions or trad1ng ports
This is indeed a grave SURRENDER by
the hitherto aggressive BRUSH ana
marks a complete about face" in her
Oriental policy OF the century SUI
render even Shanghai? China. with
IFS awakened spirit of nationality ana
443 600 900 population behind II, so
demands. and, rather than enter sucn
a war as is now threatened, Great
britain will surrender-but to what
federal or national power can she
turn over her concessions 10 Wnlcn
of the two armies of q comolneo
2, 0OO, 900 now fighting for supremacy
Months before the situation had
grown SO acute as 1t has become IN
the last fortnight, the AslaIc re
view, DuDuSncu Ill 4LOiiNOAA'
an editorial outline and proposal:
That after friendly aid to China In
solving her internal problems and
setting I'D a strong independent CEN
tral government the powers should
undertake financial help in the form
of an agreement to make a series
OF annual loans (rather than one
hmm sum-. not only to the federal
government. but to each provincial
Government. conditional upon the
Several governments keeping their
agreements with the powers.
The editorial added:
"In any case we must avoid the
fatal mistake of supposing that a
settlement can be imposed Dy mill
tarv force. Along that line we
should come to an impasse as surely
as we have done in Russia IL is
conceivable that the powers mlsht
have IN do with China as we have
had to do with Russia-leave her
severely alone-which would mean
that nearly half the globe would be
immobilized from the economic point
of view.
..Rut terrible as that is to con-
tannnlate il is uncomfortable that any
number of foreign powers can. at
the end of the first quarter of the
twentieth century and In the race or
q newly awakened race conscious
ness force their will on 4OO,OO0,OOO
people inhabiting a continent"
n X X *
In the February number of the
American magazine, Asia, appears
this:
"To the average Chinese today.
knowing nothing of the intricacies
involved, the chief difference between
an Englishman or American and a
Russian is that the former enjoys
rights derogatory to Chinese dignity,
while the latter lives in China simply
as an equal. The Russian. therefore,
Is accepted as a friend. Most others
are regarded as probable enemies.
Such is the case particularly in
southern China, where the English |
and Americans find themselves I'M
popular and their enterprises sub |
ject to boycott or confiscation. |
hough the Russians and Germans, |
without treaty privileges, are given |
the freedom of the country"
Therein lies special danger-the |
Germans aRd Russians taken to-
gether asa friends, British and |
III