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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
stitution of preferential rates on foreign built railways (a point with which Lord SALIS BURY dealt in his speech), though even as to that it would be well to be on the safe side and have the railways in our Own hands as far as possible, but the ownership | of at all events certain of the projected lines of railway in China is of very real importance politically. The example of the Smyrna railway does not apply. Lord SALISBURY might have instanced also the Manila Railway, which might perhaps have been considered more in point as being nearer to China. It is very little political influence that the Manila Rail- way, though રી British owned line, has brought to Great Britain, while to the proprietors it has not proved remunera- tive. But how different would the case be with either the Smyrna or Manila line if it started from British territory. In that case they would carry British influence with them throughout their whole length, as would a British line starting from Kowloon, Shanghai, or any port where British interests preponderate. The language used in con- ducting the business of the line would in itself be a factor of no small importance, and we would prefer that the language should be English. In South China the race is between great Britain and France. The latter is steadily extending her influence, with her accessions of territory and her railway and mining privileges, close up to our boundary, and if England wishes to preserve or extend her influence she must be up and doing. If railway communica tion with Canton be established by France before it is established by Great Britain the latter, it she does not find herself totally debarred from railway enterprise in the South, will find her influence very seriously diminished both politically and commercially. A Colonial Loans Fund Bill is to be introduced in the Imperial Parliament to authorise the creation of a fund for the purpose of granting loans to colonies. Would it be too much for Hong kong to ask for assistance from this fund for the construction of a railway from Kowloon to Canton and thence to Nanning? The financial risk to the colony would be small, the possible benefits enormous.
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[September 10, 1898.
the Powers to persuade them to leave China | in his head. He is so thoroughly persuaded alone for ten years, jointly giving the Em- of the pernicious effects of opium smoking, peror such assistance as he may need to and he has argued so long against it and the preserve internal order, and allowing China peculiar moral obliquity of those who in- to select for herself foreigners to reorganise dulge in the opium trade, that he is quite her army, navy, finances, public works, &. | ready to ascribe all the ills that flesh is heir What sort of a selection would China make to, all the misfortunes that afflict mankind, under such circumstances? If her choice to the use of this detested drug. It would were really free and unfettered she would not surprise us for one moment to learn that full a prey to disreputable schemers and the missionaries trace the recent outbreaks plotters who were ready to make promises of plague to the habit they denounce with and hold out inducements which they had such tireless iteration; and perhaps there neither the intention nor ability to fulfil. may be some connection between the two. It would be like a case of sending out a Opium smoking is a dirty habit, and the child of tender years with money to buy divans in which it goes on are certainly as a new suit of clothes for himself and letting a rule most uncleanly dens. It is true that him fall into the hands of the second hand the domiciles surrounding them are not dealer. But it is inconceivable that Chiua much more inviting, and that all sanitary coull be left to exercise an unfettered laws are generally set at naught in every choice. Each of the Ministers at Peking, Chinese village, town, and city. Neverthe- except perhaps our own, would be urging less the fact remains that opium smoking is the claims of this or that candidate and an incentive to idleness and dirt in person the one that could urge the strongest or the and dwelling. So if Dr. DUDGEON wishes most unscrupulously would carry his point. to indulge in conclusions, why not accuse It would be much better that the Powers the opium merchants of causing epidemics; priucipally interested should agree amongst then, arguing from want of energy in themselves, if any agreement were found officials, ascribe to them the rebellions, the possible, as to the share each shall take in famines, the floods and fires that occa the development of the Chinese Empire, sionally desolate the Middle Kingdom. in the same way as rival shipping firms ou There is nothing like being thorough. If the const, when they find that neither can opium smoking was the real cause of the cut the throat of the other, make an agree overthrow of Chinese arms in the Chino- ment to work together in amity and for Japanese War, it is no doubt also respon- their mutual advantage. If Great Britain sible for the other ills that have afflicted were prepared to mark out the whole of China the nation. as her sphere of influence, well and good; the policy would be a bold one and one worth fighting for; but to forego spheres of in- fluence altogether, whether large or small, would be to practice a self-abnegation that is quite uncalled for. England's true policy is to stand up for the open door so far as the import and export of goods and ordinary trade are concerned, but as to wining and railway enterprise, control of public works, and reorganisation of the public services, to re- cognise spheres of influence, marking out for herself a rather large sphere. The open door and spheres of influence are not neces- sarily antithetical. We hold the door open in Hongkong, for instance, but allow of no derogation of British sovereignty over the place. The same model has been adopted for the free ports of the other Powers on the
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For our part we are not disposed to go quite so far as Dr. DUDGEON, We might, with as much justice, lay the blame of the French defeat in 1870 to the use by French- men of that insidious poison absinthe. The real cause of the collapse of NAPOLEON III's armies was to be found in their unprepared condition, to the corruption that had cankered the Imperial Government. Very similar causes operated in China, when her troops went forth to meet the disciplined and well armed soldiers of the MIKADO. For more than two decades that arch scoundrel L HUNG-CHANG, in his post of Viceroy of the metropolitan province and Superintendent of Northern Trade, had enjoyed a free hand in organising the national defences. He and his minions had been entrusted with the task of creating a navy, maintaining it in efficiency, erecting merchants will benefit from the new open-fortifications, organising, drilling, and arming ings thus afforded. The same principle could be equally well applied in spheres of influ- ence as in open ports. It would also be more wholesome for China to know to whom she was to look for guidance in any par- ticular direction than to have competitors overbidding each other in their attempts to corrupt her officials by bribery.
SPHERES OF INFLUENCE AND THE China Coast, and we doubt not that British
OPEN DOOR.
DR. DUDGEON AND THE OPIUM QUESTION,
(Daily Press, 9th September) The idea that many people have in their mind when they speak of the application of what is termed the policy of the open door to China appears to be that such a policy would mark out the whole country as a sphere of British influence. Hence the warmth with which they support it. But, unfortunately, a little examination will show that the effect would be something very different. As regards commerce in its every day aspect, the import and export of (Daily Press, 7th September.) goods and their free sale, the open door The assertion made by Dr. DunGEON, when policy is one to be insisted upon, if necesary, emptying forth his soul to Reuter's repre- as Sir MICHAEL HICKS BEACH said, at the sentative, to the effect that the opium cost of war; but no nation has hitherto trade was responsible for the seeds of dis opposed the policy in that application of it, solution, enervation, and widespread dem- while Germany at Kiaochau, Russia at oralisation, corruption, and bribery among Talienwan, and, we believe, France at "the officials" of China was sufficiently Kwangchauwan, have formally approved and sweeping, one would imagine, but the worthy endorsed it. But when we come to rail- doctor was not satisfied with that comprehen- way and mining enterprise and the sive statement. He went on to say: After reorganisation of the Chinese Army and thirty-five years' knowledge of China, I Navy and Civil Service, there must unhesitatingly affirm that had it not been of necessity be spheres of influence, and "for the opium traffic China would not have the Piever that refuses to recognise the "been defeated in the late war, and would
urs the risk of being left without
not be in her present helpless condition.” a splete at all. It has been suggested that We are sadly afraid that Dr. DaDGEON, like GRA Britain should call a Conference of | many more good persons, has got a maggot
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the troops, and of creating transport, commis sariat, and other service corps. Immense sums of money passed through this man's hands, and it properly employed they would doubtless have sufficed for the purpose, or at any rate have created an army and navy that could have made some stand against foe. Instead of this, when the crisis came upon his country, it found her utterly unprepared. The Navy was so ill found, and, the foreign instructors having been driven away by the arrogant action of the mandarius, the men so ill disciplined, that the inferior vessels of the Japanese fleet were able to sink or disable the Chinese ironclads and secure uncontrolled command of the sea. On land the Chinese battalions fared even worse. Never able, from lack of discipline and inferior arms, to make a stand against the Japanese army, they were uniformly rolled back with as much ease as the Allied Forces swept them away a quarter of a century before on the plains of Chihli. Meanwhile the man primarily re- sponsible for this colossal collapse of the bubble of China's greatness, Li HUNG- CHANG, the perjured murderer of the WANGS and intriguer against all honest mandarins, had amassed for himself a fortune probably equal to ROTHSCHILD'S