There isa very earnest campaign against Americans and American enterprises whole now going on in China, which to have its centre in Hunsn, or Hankow, with active foreign agencies in Shanghai and elsowhe The particular corny that "The Hunan Gentry" opposed to American enterprises in any part of China for the development of mines and the building of railways. Given as their reason, that the American investors in the American China Development Company sold a controlling interest of its capital stock to French, Belgian, and other European interests who were endeavouring to acquire control of the alway systems of Central China, note the contract made by the Chinese Government with the Belgians for the Poking-Hankow line which has since shown the hand of both France and Rusin its mangement.
Tt is stated that the Southern Viceroys and other high officials are very bitter toward the Americans on this account. If this is true—which we cannot our-ves believe—such bitterness well serves 0 purpose of the Belgians and the Frongh who are firmly anchored from Hankow north, and are striving to secure an absolute monopoly for the exploitation of concessions for railways and mines in the Province of Hunan.
Only a few weeks ago Minister at Peking made 'a line of railway from main line in Hunan, in " south-westerly Girection, by the large cities, to Chaochou on the border of Kueichou, as an independent, Belgian, railway line. This, however, had been designated as a branch-line, or " feeder " of the American Quite a number of European agents have been canvassing and exploring the Province of Hunan for the past two years, or longer. And there have been organised in the province two very strong mining companies, named respectively the Fou Hsiang and the Yuen Fang, with 'a combined capital of Tls. 3,000,000. These are apparently all-Chinese, but thought to be supported by foreign capital.
Governor of Hunen, and the Hunan Min.
"Thobo companies, through the Isto ing Company cannot continue its operations.
All the foregoing naturally contributes tothe anti-foreign feeling among the Hunanese, and the enemies to American interests in China are fanning this feeling.
The intelligent public knows that Americans snd the United States Government have been among China's most faithful friends in recent years. It is also known that the policy of the State Department of the United States has saved China from dismemberment upon more than one occasion.
England, to protect her own interests, was obliged to consent to the ides of spheres of influence" when the German-Russian-French plan of dividing up China among themselves was imminent.
But the last-named Powers did not realise the policy of the United States until President MoKinley sent his message to Congress in which he said that our treaty relations with China had not been interfered with, and, furthermore, that they would not be permitted to be interfered with. This was warmly seconded by England.
Then began a hasty retreat from the "partition" intention to the idea of the so-called " spheres of influence.'
The concessions granted to American and to British corporations in China are not at all like those semi-governmental ones granted to the Russians, the French, the Germans, and the Belgians; these latter being more or less indirectly for the object of securing territory than for that of simple investment.
Such enlightened officials s viceroys, ministers, directors-general and governors ought to see the force of this.
The bad faith of a few lawyers and Wall St. brokers in persuading some of the stockholders in the American China Development Company to sell the majority of their shares in the Company during the months of July and August 1900, while the "reign of terror" known as the Boxer trouble was rife in Peking, is being allowed to place all Americans in disrepute.
The Boxer trouble was itself the real foundation of the success of this trick, for which all patriotic Americans are made to blush.
But China was responsible for the Boxer trouble and at its close found no friend so lenient and forgiving as America.
Another potent reason why some of the Americans were the more easily persuaded to sell, was the very fact that they had taken up the business as a simple investment, and when, in working out the details of the contract, the Chinese refused to allow the branch-lines or "feeders" originally intended, or to grant the mining privileges as at first indicated, the contract, as a good or paying investment, was thus. so curtailed and crippled as to lose its attractiveness and interest for American o¢ il.
For this shortsightedness and failure to make a liberal trade, the Chinese are themselves to blame.
Immediately following upon' this rofusal of the Chinese to grant the full privileges attaching to the contract, of which the Americans had, in the beginning of the negotiations, been assured, came the horror of the Boxer trouble which shocked the world and tried the faith of the firmest believers in a great future of development of Chins.
Are Americans then to be excluded from commercial enterprises in China on account of this one charge whose cause was brought about by the Chinese them-solves To further show how the game was play-edin New York to buy this stock we quote from a letter, written at the time from one of the officers of the managing and advisory counsel, as follows: "I havi therefore, made a combination with all the principal financial institutions of England, Germany, Franco, Belgium, and Russia to take the thing up. The representatives (these were Col. Thys and M. Derolder, King Leopold's Agents) of that Syndicate have been here (New York) for a week.
The above statement, as a whole, is not true, for the only "principal" buyer war King Leopold, through the aforesaid agents.
The American Asiatic Associ Now York, San Francisco, and Seattle are largely composed of the great busi-noas interests of America and are holding regular meetings educating the people to an active realisation of the great commercial interests that lie between America and China.
For the benefit of "The Hunan G try" who seem to believe that America are unfaithful, and fickle in their policy toward China, we quote in part from an article in an American paper: " All Americans who have paid attention to what has been going on in the Far East must be proud of the work of humanity and decency we have just been accom-pushing there, and grateful to the official who has enabled us to perform it. That official is, of course, the Secretary of State. It isa pleasure to seo that the British, and indeed the general European Press, gives him the credit of enabling Europe to extricate itself from a situation humiliating to China, injurious to the Powers concerned, and dangerous to the peace of the world.
"The action which Mr, Hay has in-anced the Powers to take, in the agreement to evacuate Tientsin, is the more gratifying becsuso it is in the straight Tine of the policy we marked out for ourselves in 1900. We refrained from the uso of force until force was obviously necossary for the protection of our nationals and our interests, we strictly limited our use of it to those purposes, and, when they bad been accomplished, we ceased to use it and withdrew our troops.
"Tt must be that our treatment of China will incline the Chinese to preferential dealing' with us -rather than with nations which have not treated them so well, and that we shall reap advantages from our good behaviour.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.