Year: 1871

What China wants-A Good Sound Thrush
Ing and the Armed Occupatiou OF Pekin
| by tho ssOutsidc Barbarians."


In the great treaty of peace between Eng
land and the United States, which we may


regard as good as ratified in the treaty OF
peace between Germany and France, just


concluded at Frankfort-on-t -the-Main; in the


proceedings of the Italian Parliament looking


to defnitive treaty of peace with the Pope;
| in the peaceable settlement Of the Black Sea
question in the peaceful establishment Of the
new King of Spain, and in the dying strus-
giles of the Paris Commune, we hail the signs
of new and glorious reign of peace through
out the civilized world. But, on the other
hand, from series of outrageous transactions
and disturbing events during the last twelve
months in the great pagan empire OF China,
with its four hundred millions of busy people,
we apprehend that nothing short of warlike
coalition of the Christian nations directly
interested in Chinese affairs, will establish
peace between that self-conceited and treach-
erous people and the ''outsde barbarians' of
the West. And when we consider the vast
trade which is growing up between that great
Asiatic empire and our Pacific ports, and the
incalculable expansion of that trade to which
we look with the completion of our Northern
and our Southern Pacific railways and our
projected interoceanic ship canals, friendly
understanding with China, in the reciprocities
of trade and business and social intercourse
becomes a matter of the highest moment to the
government and people of the United States.
But how is this good understanding to be
brought about?


1t would seem that enough material had
been furnished the public of late with refer
ence to the massacre of Tien-t tsin, in June,
1870, to make them see how impossible it is to
receive China into the comfy of nations, at
least on just the same footing we do the Chris
tian nations of Europe. 1t may be very
pleasant and very gratifying thing to read in
ners, their smiling and bowling and exchang-
ing of courtesies with our officials. We were
charmed, intoxicated with delight, when. the
Burlingame Embassy showered its celestial
smiles upon us. We thought then that China
had really entered the family circle of nations;
but we have occasion now to be ashamed of
what we lavished at that time upon them in
compliments and in confidence. Having read
the foreign papers published at Shanghae and
Hong Kong at that time and since we see that
our countrymen, as well as other s'Western
barbarians" residing in China, were right in
their opinions; and surely their opinous are
worth studying; for who more than they are
interested in the commerce of Chinap Who
more anxious for policy which will in all
time insure peace, surrounded, as many of
them are, with all they possess in the world, not
to speak Of their wives and children, their
homes, earned ct the expense of many priva-
tons and years Of toll in the strange and
distant land? From the views of the foreigners
residing there we see that for the most part
they distrusted China when she sent the
Burlingame mission forth, and while in the
United States and in Europe this mission was
being received with every mark Of respect, our
people among the Chinese looked on with
dismay and disgust. While the civilized
world believed in the sincerity of China our
countrymen and their fellow men about them
knew it was but the acting of base fraud.
Why? We shall see if we look further.


Commerce with China, more than with any
other country, in fact wholly, depends upon
treaties; and perhaps there are no people who
better understand their obligations in the
keeping of an agreement, contract or a treaty,
a;,, al
nary. Among them written contracts for
various purposes are of constant occurrence,
all of which are duly written according to
form, sealed, signed and witnessed Ard is it
to be supposed that they are in the least
ignorant of their obligations to keep or carry
out their treaties with foreign Powers? No.
But how have they kept them? Not with
good will, most certainly but by and through
constant contention, argument and endless
trouble on the part tf every foreign official,
Minister and Consul in China, of whatev er
nationality. Concessions have been obtained
from that government mostly at the point
of the bayonet. That is where the treaties
came from. And SO long as our policy was
strict one-so long as we put our fingers on
the letter of the treaty and held them to it
we got our rights. But times have changed.
We wanted to be magnanimous. The spirit
was good one-grand and generous indeed,
beautiful in theory, but impossible in prac-
tice, to bring China into the circle of civilized
nations-semi-civilze ignorant, stupid and
obstinate to a most intolerant degree as she s


Her politicians kept the run of foreign politics.
They saw that England was influenced by the
peace party and the rest of the world following
in her train and, like cunning diplomat, as
old China is, she played her part well. She
began to fondle us, touch our vanity, and we
were pleased, fattered, cheated. The time