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THE BOYCOTT ON THE YANGTSZE.
(Daily Press, October 16th.) News of the boycott of the British shipping companies on the Yangtsze river naturally figures very prominently in the latest Lon- don newspapers to hand. It has provoked strong editorial comment in newspapers which are usually kept well-informed on affairs in China, and the subject has been brought to the notice of Parliament. Strong political bias seems to have led some of the papers to greater lengths in condemn- ing the "compliant attitude" of the Foreign Office, than the actual facts warrant. Evi dently the British Minister at Peking has been bringing the utmost pressure to bear on the provincial authorities, through the Chinese "Government, to suppress the boycott, and although three proclamations have been issued by the Shanghai Taotai threatening with condign punishments "the unlawful characters" who keep the boycott alive, there has been little evidence of a weakening of the movement until this week. It was initiated more than a month ago by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce at Kiukiang, and arose out of the alleged manslaughter of a Chinaman by the British police inspector at that port. He was charged before the Con-
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
"It is instructive," says the Globe, “to com- pare our impotence in this matter with the sharp action of the Japanese over a similar measure in regard to the Antung-Mukden railway." The only instructive thing about the comparison is that it shows both Powers to be equally impotent. Japanese "sharp action produced proclamations threaten ing punishment of the ringleaders and participants in the boycott; the British authorities resorted to similar action with like results. But the boycott in neither case ceased. The Globe says,
"a century of experience should have assured the Foreign Office that other materials besides butter must be used in Far Eastern diplomacy Yet it still perfers to rely on a method fore doomed to impotent failure." We should like to know the method which assures instant success.
AMERICA AND BALANCE OF TRADE.
(Drily Press, October 18th.) It may seem strange that a people so usually astute and practical as the Americans. using the term for the nonce as applying th the inhabitants of the United States, should allow themselves to be dominated by the fetish of " Balance of Trade" into supposing that a state of national prosperity was
servo.
[October 25, 1909.
Constitutionally it has been the practice in the States on the accession of a new President to make a clean sweep of the higher diplomatic offices, and the practice may have much to recommend it. On Pre- sident TAFT's accession to office it was right and proper that these changes should have occurred; but Mr. TAFT, not content with this, in a short time succeeded in trans- ferring every single officer whom he found occupying any position in China. It was not that there was anything to be found fault with, nor that any injustice to indivi- duals was intended. It was simply a transfer of locality. The apparently unintended result was that the tradition of office was lost. within the first three monthis, and the new men found not only that they had to learn from the beginning everything appertaining to their new position, but that no one was left who could enlighten them as to the past. A wiser ruler would naturally have left a sufficient number of experienced officials to be able to initiate the new-comers ; unless, indeed, it had been a case of wrong-doing all round, and it was advisable to clean out an Augean stable, which was not pretended. The climax was reached when Mr. TAFT came to the conclusion that all his predecessors,and all the American merchants who ever had dealings with China-many of them men of whom any nation might be proud-had
sular Court, and after a full investigation, denoted by the published value of exports utterly mistaken their role in the Celestial
was acquitted. The Chinese agitators were dissatisfied, and while they clamoured for a re-trial of the case in the Supreme Court at Shanghai, they engineered a boycott of British steamers trading with the port, in order to compel acquiescence in their demand. While the Government at Peking issued telegraphic instructions of the most per- emptory character to the high officials all along Yangtsze to stop the boycott, the British Crown Advocate was sent from Shanghai to Kiukiang to consider whether there were any circumstances warranting a re-trial of the case, and he came to the con- clusion that there were not. The British Minister thereupon brought renewed pre- sure to bear on the Chinese Government to suppress the boycott, and the Chinese authorities have maintained that they have They, however, expressed the opinion that it would be difficult to settle the matter satisfactorily so long as Inspector MEARS remains at Kiukiang. The British Minister is reported. to have refused a request for the removal of the Inspector, but we notice that a telegram has this week appeared in the Chinese Press addressed from Kiukiang to the Kiukiang people and the People's League at Shanghai, stating that "it is understood" that the British Minister at Peking has decided that the British Consul at Kiukiang and Inspec- tor MEARS "shall be sent away from the port." The latter, the telegram says, escapes scot free, while a fatal wrong has been done
done their utmost to do so.
to
5
our people," and the telegram urges unity and firmness on the part of the Chinese people to insist on the punishment of the inspector.
We have seen no confirma- tion of the statement that the police in- pector is to be removed, but holiday leave for Consul WERNER was arranged before this trouble arose, and it is possibly true that the Consul is leaving the port. How ever small may be the modicum of truth in the telegram sent from Kiukiang, it seems to have had more effect than the official proclamations in raising the boycott, for the latest news is that the boycott is less effective than it. has been. We observe that some of the papers at Home, apparently unaware of the efforts made by the British Legation to get the boycott suppressed, have been regarding the incident as evidence of "British impotence in China."
..
always being in excess of that of imports. Of course, the erection and worship of these fetishes of exploded beliefs is not confined to the American people, for we have witnessel exactly the same phenomenon in the worship by the average Englishman of the idol which he falsely calls Free Trade, but which on closer investigation turns out to be au aggravated form of Protection, clad, indeed, in the cast-off garments of the original, but on removing these found to be pure and un- mitigated Protection-all the worse that it is protection of the foreign against British industries. President TAFT is new in office, and, like the new broom, desirous of emulat- ing the strenuous life of his predecessor, would make a clean sweep of all the abuses that he cannot help seeing about him, Whether he will have been always successful in his well-intended ambitions cannot be clearly seen till the time arrives that, like all American Presidents, he has to retire from office and again take up the rôle of a private citizen. At the moment his aim, a worthy one be it noted, is to revive the foreign commerce of America, which holds is labouring under some mysterious disease, and at all events is by no means in the wholesome condition befitting so power- ful and wealthy a nation as that of the United States. The object is a great one, and as such should be undertaken with due deliberation, and only with a profound knowledge of the disabilities to be amended. The wisest man who ever vaulted into the presidential chair may acknowledge that the position gives him opportunities for learning the conditions of affairs such as prior to his installation at White House he had not dreamt of; and it may be doubted if President TAFT has taken due advantage of this, and has not been to feverishly anxious for change on preconceived lines.
This failing has been more especially conspicuous in his treatment of affairs connected with what, even in America, is familiarly known as the Far East. The latter part of Mr. ROOSEVELT's administra- tion saw most of the diplomatic and con- sular offices in the Far East occupied by men of mark in their respective lines, who in many cases had had experience of the localities in which they served, and knew the men amongst whom they had to
Empire; and that what China wanted was to be " hustled." Full of this preconceived idea he sought about amongst bankers and merchants who had distinguished themselves by successfully pushing themselves into notoriety in the financial world; but most of those to whom the appointment was offered excused themselves from accepting a position which did now appear likely to be financially successful.
At last it was accepted by Mr. CRANE, who, with no disparagement to his personal character, may be described as a typical hustler, just such a one in fact as must have seemed to Mr. TAFT the beau-ideal that met all his desires. Mr. CRANE is not, however, to come amongst us, nor had he given any clue as to what his policy was likely to turn out, so that we cannot be accused of any personal bias, one way or the other. As, however, we said at the beginning of our article, the new President is not satisfied with the course that American commerce has taken; it does not advance with those leaps and bounds regarding which the free-traders of old were wont to burst out into eloquence. On the contrary, it has a provoking tendency to stand still, if not actually to regress; and Mr. TAFT has his own ideas as to the cause, which he attributes to the absence of
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hustle" amongst the present generation of American merchants. The CUNNINGHAMS, the HEARDS, and the WETMORES of the old days not only made themselves respected as men in the Far East, but they succeeded in building up a great trade, very much to the benefit of the United States at large. How is it that their descendants of the present day are to all appearance letting their great inheritance slide? Mr. TAFT is plainly of the opinion that the race has degenerated, and that the only thing to save them is to adopt the up-to-date American system of self- advertisement.
is a progressive nation, and the methods that were successful with the pioneers are evidently out of touch. China demanding constitutional with a government, improved locomotion, and a brand-new navy. Mr. CRANE, the apostle of valves, was regarded as just the person to play on it the new vivifying stream of hustle, and amongst other things, for the advantage doubtless of the United States, shame it into the adoption of the gold
China