Jan.
(By an American)
ite American Minister, Dr. J. G. Schurman, upon his return from home leave last month made a speech before the Union 'Club in Shanghai upon foreign relations China which' aroused so much hostile criticism that, to reflect local feeling honestly, this paper had to. make some comment upon it, though did so with it the greatest diffidence. A few days ago. Dr. Schurman faxain-made public expression of his views upon relations between Chinese and foreigners in this country in a speech delivered in Peking before the An can Association, in which he ritoriality to the satisfaction of 30 few persons who heard or have read his remarks that comment is again unavoidable, Mr, Karakhan has already denounced certain portions of the speech that did not appeal to him, the Chinese press has found much to criticize, while the major po tion of the address seems to be wholly out of harmony with the opinions held by the foreign communities in China, As reprinted in the northern Papers, Dr. Schurman's speech runs to a number of column: and to review it as carefully a:
deserves and take up all the points raised would require as much space again, The American Minister says that the growing Chinese resentment of foreign extraterritorial jurisdiction is due to a rapid awakening of national consciousness which the Treaty Port foreigner does not preciate.—This ill-advised reaty resident, who alte nately considers the Diplomatic Borly as omnipotent or impotent resents all change in the existing relations between foreigners and Chinese and is altogether reactionary in his attitude towards extraterritoriality; while certain elements in China have come under Mr, Karakhan's i fluence and would make a clean veep of ati restrictive and unequal" treaties in thoroughly revolutionary fashion. Treaty Port foreigners are unsympathetic with all Chinese aspirations towards fuller exercise of sovereignty, while Chinese want complete autonomy at any cost. After pointing out that the various treaties signed after the Boxer settlement provided the gradual abolition of extra ter toriality and that a resolution adopted at the Washington Conference makes a conditional provision for the complete abolition of the China be ready for it, Dr. Sehu: man advocates an evolutionary course, a compromise measure which would be designed to prepare both foreigners and Chinese for abolition. He endorses A suggestion made some years ago that a beginning should be made, when China has a legal code satisfactory to the Powers by making all foreigners responsible to this code, but still guaranteed justice according to Western standards by trial before foreign judges.
This last suggestion may due course pr cellent one, or it may not. our point of view a discuss of its merits or demerits would be on a par with a discussion of the ideal means of transport from the tomb aloft on Judgment Day. We do not think that the Treaty Port residents of China will be likely to discuss this scheme of abolishing extraterritorial a one way or for the simble reason that the vast majority of foreign residents in China in and out of the Ports, feel that I this is the most inapproy jai' "times for discuss the abolition of extraterrito ality at all, That Dr. Schurman has thought otherwise and has seen fit to make a public address upon. the subject is valuable evidence of one fact which we have long suspected and have sometimes suggested, namely that, too the Occidental - diplomat a is completely out of th the thought and us of all other Westerners in this country and puts appraisement upon Chinese thought. and propaganda which not one in a hundred of his constituency would endorse. In this respect Dr. Schurman's speech is exceedingly valuable and well worth filing for reference; it tells us just where we stand, Dr, Schurman says that the laity of the Ports is not ax sen-eto the yearnings of the [Chinese soul as the more spirit ually inclined diplomat, living in the rarefied atmosphere the Quarter in Peking, In ans ower we might remark that our souls may not throb quite so readily to Chinese psychic. spasm, but that our ledgers are most sensitively attuned Chinese doings. As more practical folk, the commercial com munities in China have always plodded along under the delusion that people in this world usually got what they earned, frrespe tive of what they wanted, and that their wants were seldom to be considered seriously until they had manifested themselves in works, Many a Chinese coolie in this town who scours bank floors would like to be chairman of his bank's board of directors and dip careless hand into the till whenever he is going forth of an evening to a serious sex sion of Sparrow, Lots of them probably feel, and tell their friends' moreover, that if the lid their rights, that ix what they would be doing. We now rather that, ae Vinge to sen si tive and large-minded diplo niaey, it ix up to our Hank directors to tune in with such pay= chic ripples and, when cognizant of the upward yearnings of the floor-polisher, to respond and "compromise" with him, This ix extravagant interpretation, perhaps, but it covers the situa tion, China wants many things. which she is not willing to earn, She wants to exercise in full sovereign rights which she not only does not earn in her daily conduct but contrives to sacrifice with painful persistence at regular intervals, a ood many times per annum during the past few years in fuet, Like the man out on his good behaviour, who demonstrates every few days to the guardians of the law that he really should.not be at largo, she insists that if it were not for these annoying, atten tions, this wretched—watehfulness' and cumbering checks, if she were allowed to go to ruin in her own sweet way, she would be much less a burden upon the of nations. Every act We know that it would take time for the Home Governments to realize this and to shape their policies accordingly, but surely it should not long for this to be rman has seen fit, at this juncture to discuss before the" Anylo-Am on in Peking: the abolition of extra ity heartening to the re still men, and those among the most important of the foreign community, to whom the Young China doctrine of salvation by ap Sa, Teals in wireless telephony. being made with the east coast of Americ have been fairly suecessful.—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.