August 12, 1905, '
glorious achievements. It may be remen bered that when the troops were sent out the German Emperor appointed Count vos WALDERSEE, who had distinguished himself, in the Franco-German war, to the command, and as it was generally understood by the other Powers that as the senior he would act as nominal chief, he promoted him to i the substantive rank of Field Marshall.
Whether it was
that he assumed too auch on his position, or that the mutual jealousies, which afterwards brought the "entente }}
i tɔ au ignominious enl came in the way, has not yet appear d, but the fact remains that from the first the other Powers declined to accept his authority. France was the first to openly assume this position but she was soou followed by the others, with the exception of England, who for a time did her best to carry out the original understanding Russia at once began to treat the land, as conquered territory, and went so far as to annex as such the railway and treat the rolling stock as her own, and Germany was not long in following the, example. Under these circumstances, under the plea of following up the Boxers, Ger- many commenced a regular invasion of Shansi, and even weut so far as to plau an expedition against the capital of Shansi, whither the Dowager Ts'E Hsi had fled taking with her as prisoner the EMPEROR. Under these circumstances England finally refused to go any further, and withdrew from further participation in the affair.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT,
+1
95
and this is what we would wish to emphasise, ' would suggest, au American product. The had the German Govern ent heen wise appeal is for democracy and equality in the enough to permit Herr KUNERT to all up Philippines, and for an extension of a very his witnesses, a very serious blot which has much restricted suffrage; for the jury ever since continued to tinge the fair fame system; and the petition then goes on of the German army might have been in a great measure removed; and the true causes of a very disreputable piece of business been traced to their real origin in a plot to which VON WALDERSEE was certainly not a party but into which he permitted self to be led, and in the discredit of which for the moment he became an unconscious partaker.
THE PHILIPPINES,
(Daily Press, 9th August.) When we read that the Americau mitarily police have had to appeal to AGUINALDO to assist them in suppressing the rebellious natives of Cavite that that retired insurrecto claimed to be now a man of peace, that it was not his business, and that he must respectfully decline; when we read further that he was insulted for so acting; and when the advent of a medical man with his wife and daughters from Hongkong is announced as a positive sensation: then we begin to think that all the talk of Manila as the trade centre of the Orient is perhaps a little premature, and that all is not so settled and peaceful as we have been led to believe. They seem as straws indicating the direction of the wind, or as smoke that betrays the presence of fire. Bishop G. In the meanwhile mysterious things were AGLIPAY and the mealers of the Republican going on in Peking where it becams only Party are issuing a manifesto which seems too evident that communications, carefully to have been evoked by the visit of the concealed from the other Powers, were American Secretary for War, Mr. TAFT, and being carried on between the RUSSIAN party. It gives the outsider, in the absence MINISTER and LI HUNG-CHANG, one of the of properly serious comment by the loci results of which was that all the intentions, American papers, au apparently faithful as well as the overt acts of the so-called ¡ idea of the issues of the day in the neigh allies, were known beforehand to the bouring islands. The manifesto opens by a Chinese and LI, crafty as ever, contrived suggestion that from the authors of the to fill even voN WALDERSEE's most secret | Declaration of Independence, nothing but councils with bis own creatures. We here justice, liberty, and popular government is copy verbatim from a contemporary record: to be expected; and alludes to the visitors "The effects of these secret plots were not as physicians come to feel the pulse, while long in making themselves felt, and Count the manifesto itself is the voice of the VON WALDERSEE was one of the first victims, patient describing symptoms. Admitting and deceived by false information tendered that it is well to accustom the Filipinos to to him the German troops became engaged coutributing their proper share of the cost of in a series of operations in Chihli, which at improvements, it describes the existing taxa one period came to look like nothing so
tion as unbearably heavy. The land tax, it is said, has caused the insolvency of many who have had to dispose of their holdings at public auction. Rents and property have lowered thirty per cent, so the first reform should be a lowering of taxation, and the removal of the municipal inposts which are impoverishing the poorer classes in the villages. To compensate for the loss of revenue it would be sufficient, it is urged, to fulfil the solemn promise of President ROOSEVELT" that all Amerien employees, except those indispensable through their special knowledge, be substituted by Filipinos who have been approved by the Civil Service Board, and who formally broken up, and Field Marshall would accept lower wages. Many such, VON WALDERSEE, disgusted at the turn is pointed out, are still without affairs had taken, left for Europe quietly." employment. Also it would be possible It was during this period of distracted to introduce other important economies councils that the events to which Herr, by the simplification of the service: by the KUNERT desired to draw attention undoubt.¦ suppression of unnecessary departments, edly occurred. Personally, as the writer remarks, VON WALDERSEE Won the highest respect from all those with whom he came in contact, and it was no personal fault of his that his efforts proved a failure. The effect was, however, bad, and we find that a very serious state of ill feeling was produced owing to the ill conduct of those with whom he permitted himself to be surrounded; and this feeling, it is undoubted, has by no means altogether ceased to exist. Now,
much as a levy of blackmail on the unoffend ing populace. Amongst other things General NIEH, who bad distinguished him- self by having at the worst crisis saved to his own detriment the cause of order, was attacked in force. NIEH, unwilling to increase the friction, retired, but protested against the action of the German Com- VON WALDERSEE had been, as he himself afterwards discovered, made the tool of his own Chinese staff; who in turn had been acting under the instigation of the The result of all this was that the so-calle I accord, never at any time an active force for good, was
mander.
Chinese Commissioner.
(
it
C
'
still
The working classes here are exploited and tyrannized over; the cost of living the price of food, of clothing, rent, everything, has ap. preciated enormously, while they are oppressed and illtreate. The usual daily wage MaLila forty cents, and by the Spanish Penal in the provinces is twenty cents gold, and in Code, which is still in fore, labourers are not even allowed to associate themselves to obtain
an increase of remuneration. Here, where there is even a society for protection of animals there is as yet not a law providing for damages in ca e of accident while at work, nor any for the protection of the large number of working women, although such laws are numerous in all civiliz d countries. The result is that hardly a week passes that some wretched son of toil does not die, a victim of some accident, without redress or indemnification, as constantly hap peux in the quarries of Sisiman, and even in the shops of Manila.”
Truly a strong argument, and the plausibility and general ability shown in the drafting of this manifesto ought to be sufficient to prove Mr. ALLEYNE IRELAND wrong in his opinion that the Filipinos are an incapable folk. It is amusing, even, in face of such opinions, to find this incapable people protesting at the im- migration of Asiatics, the competition of whose lagur with Filipino labour is dangerous because of the
"low standards Absolute
and few needs of the Asiatic." loyalty is claimed, and "ample autonomy demanded, as promised; or in other words, independence with a protectorate. America should
not imitate the contemptible colonial methods of exploitation which the European nations have employed, and which, so surely as the ever watchful justice of God exists, must sooner or later fail irremediably."
JAPAN, CHINA, AND AMERICA,
(Daily Press, 10th August.)
There is perhaps no greater or surer evidence of Japan's successful issue out of a serious situation than the tissue of mis-
representation that is now being hung around her. Japan as a world peril is no longer merely yellow: she is deep orange, with crimson splashes and black spots. Some of the misrepresentations can be directly traced to the influence of the rouble, as when the Chepon Novoye Vremya--which we believe is Russian for Daily News- asserts and reiterates that the present boycott of American goods in China was instigated solely by Japanesc. for all is Russia to blame. Human nature, that meauer side of it which is expressed in envy, is no doubt answerable for much. To see a people, whose progress previously was
a
But not
matter for patronising head-pattings, mount rung after rung until some of the patronisers have had to look up to keep its doings in view, that is enough sometimes to inspire hatred, malice, and all uncharit
Behind it, also, as in the popular ableness. feeling in California, there may be real fears; and it seems the agitation is in fact partly bogey and partly bogus. In that and the reduction of exorbitant salaries, American state, the birthplace of the pre- and the elimination of many other useless judices that are primarily responsible for expenditures." One of the greatest evils the present boycott movement on this side, as has been there is a ferment of anti-Japanese feeling. afflicting the Philippines, observed by Secretary TAFT, Governor. The San Franciscans are, it is said in a WRIGHT, and Mr. WILFLY," is that of mool to welcome three Chinese if they "bossism, with its attendant cohorts of thereby could prevent the immigration of one Japanese. That the popular frenzy abuses and corrupt practices. reading on,
may be also partly bogus is not difficult to believe, after a little study of the attitude of the class of journal with which
4
we find
And
it admitted that bossism' is a legacy left by the Spaniards, and not, as outside information of Tammany
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