Aug. 26.
THe news sent us by Mr. Rodney Gilbert a few days ago, showing definitely that no promise has been given by the for eign delegates to resume the tariff. conference in September and that all reports to the contrary are without foundation, is of far-reaching importance. " It! will be remembered that after a gathering at_ the Netherlands Legation the foreign delegations issued a statement, dated July 8, in which it was announced in very ambiguous language that the late lamented sessions of] the conference had closed and that they would not be resumed! until the Chinese were "in Position" to resume them. What} that phrase "in a position" might mean; was not explained, The Chinese in Peking did their best! to find out but could not prevail upon the Legations to be more explicit. It was of great moment to them to know, because, anything like a definite promise could be extracted that the conference should be resumed within a certain period, it would mean that the surtaxes promised at Washington would be available within a reasonably near future as security for a new Joan, And in fact Dr. Wellington Koo was already at work with a view to a loan of $25,000,- 000.
In this state of doubt the Chinese officials hit on a device which is not to be commended, but which was perhaps not wholly inexcusable. A tea party was arranged at which Admiral Tsai Ting-kan, the chief Chinese delegate, acted as host, Although assured beforehand that the occasion was to be purely! informal, the foreign delegates! found to their surprise that secretaries were present and that an attempt was evidently to be made to give the tea-party th Appearance of a formal meeting. They lost no time in making it plain that they refused to be entrapped in this way. But an attempt was made by the Chinese present to establish that the Phrase "quoted above from the Antouncement of July 3 "in al position" meant "when China was ready" to resume the conand that she was ready now.
On this at last the foreign delegates became explicit, showing that "in.a position" really meant when China was fit to resume the conference: in other words, when China had a Government competent to fulfil the terms of the prospective treaty' and to appoint a duly accredited delegation to complete the necessary discussions. Faced with this rebuff, the Chinese officials did not date to let the truth be known to the Poking journ: with the certainty thereby wrecking "Dr. Koo's loan; and vague suggestions would appear to have been put abroad from which the general deduction was that the foreign delegates had agreed to resume the; conference in September. Whereas they had most emphatically refused to discuss or consider any date and had made it plain enough that resumption of the conference depended on recognition of the Government, The device used by the Chinese officials to entrap the foreign delegates is certainly not to bel defended. It was a trick and deserved to fail. On the other hand, considering the desperate importance to them of pushing, through the tariff conference, the ambiguousness of the phrase employed in the diplomats' state. ment of July 8 is almost equally indefensible, Why could they not have said plainly in July what was eventually foreed out of them by a bogus tea-party in Angus!? 'The answer probably lies in the fact that—explicit language then would instantly' have provoked a query that the diplomats were not and seemingly are still not able to meet. It is a great satisfaction to know! that the conference is not to be resumed until there is a satisfactory Government in Peking; but the big question is still left} wide open. What sort Chinese Government are the Powers going to consider competent to negotiate and execute] a treaty? It is a question which vitally affects the future of all foreign commercial and financial investments in this country; and it is one to which those Chinese who are sincerely trying to meet, international requirements have 'a good right to demand an answer. Reticence on this question indicates indecision and Tack of unanimity, and reveals a weakness of which the Chinese are invited to take advantage. The refusal to fix a date in September clearly indicates that} the local representatives of the Powers do not believe that their Governments are prepared to recognize such a regime as has now been set up and are not sufficiently convinced that better one will be functioning in September to warrant them in promising even an informal] session in that month.—This means that the standards for recognition have been raised, which is consoling to the foreigner but must be infuriating] to the Chinese, who cannot now know where they stand.
On all grounds of common! Sense and common fairness, both the Chinese and the foreigners in this country ought to know, what the tests are which are to be applied to the next recognized, Chinese Government. As Powers professing an unselfish friend-Ship for China we can only withhold recognition from a Peking' Government with the object of stimulating her to evolve a better one for her own good. When we do this our appeal certainly} is not to the clements in officialdom that farm disorder and want no reform, but to the masses, worthy of help, who sincerely desire peace and order, plus al responsible Government that will elicit, some international _res-poet, "Apart from this consideratiow*for Chinese sensibilities, the claim must be meekly advanced that the foreigners in this country who are the representatives of huge material investments, are entitled to know what our Governments think the next recognized Chinese Government ought to be. Their whole future depends on it.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.