Show lr washington gron A great many persons were mystified a few weeks a ago go by the treasury announce silver ment meat that it had bad en policy into an agreement to buy chinese silver on the surface it appeared to be an action by the american government that was wholly holly a part of its domestic silver policy a policy that thus far has resulted in no economic benefits at all but has cost american taxpayers rather dearly beneath the surface however the chinese silver purchase agreement Is one of the most significant moves yet vet to be made in our foreign policies I 1 believe it has potential consequences as great or greater than any foreign relations pronouncement no to come from the wash ington iceton government since world war controversies were liquidated to understand the importance of the silver purchase agreement with china chida one must examine international relationships tion ships ocr a wide scope they involve first and most important of all the steady inroad made by the japanese into the chinese political and economic structure they embrace as well relations of soviet russia with china and japan and the whole far eastern situation for that matter and the continued efforts of the british to obtain for their nationals additional or restored spheres of influence in china lastly these international relationships In volie indeed directly affect the open door policy respecting chinese trade the united states has consistently maintained that china must be open to world trade and in this attitude our nation cation has had support of the british and some other white nations on the other hand band the japanese while adhering to the open door policy on the surface have consistently attempted to undermine it directly or by use of the military before the world war it used to be said in china that the international competition there took the form of diplomacy operated through banks anks and railways now we see the additions of currencies and tariffs to the methods used by the diplomats the united states Is using the currency method a method attempted by the british without success two years ag ago and nd through this influence this nation Is seeking to expand its trade with china the japanese are employing the tariffs tarle to protect their own interests in china and to keep the british and the americans on the outside so for the first time since 1898 the battle among the nations tor for the rich lure of china trade Is on an economic basis of competition and it must be said japan is in the lead the japanese are ahead in this economic warfare chiefly because of their proximity to the territory which Is so rich in potential trade 0 A year or more ago the british sent sir frederick leithross leith ross of the british treasury to japan will shanghai to aid the oppose chinese ministry of finance in the establishment lish ment of of a currency system it was not announced of course but the real purpose of sir F fredericks re dericks visit was to stabilize chinese money and link it to the british pound sterling diplomats watched the maneuver with great interest because it was expected that japans control in the north china provinces would be loosened through british currency influence but it failed ailed to work that way the north china provinces simply were separated further from china proper and the japanese tightened their grip now the americans have bare tried something of the same scheme they worked it out on the basis of silver purchase from china but they prescribed that as the american treasury buys chinese silver the dollars paid will be deposited in a branch of the bank of china which will be established in new york it will result in easy transfers of money where american exporters ship to china no one can tell what the conse will be in the first instance japan can be expected to exert every power her nationals have bare to thwart the effect of the program in the next instance the british are not going to be enthusiastic about the arrangements because the competition between british and american traders has been in creakingly crea singly sharper since the world war 0 there Is still the further circumstance of japans smuggling into china having had control wily of the chinese tar japanese iffs effs the wily japanese proceeded to enforce tariff duties rigidly against everyone except themselves stories coming out of north china through diplomatic channels aswell as well as from commercial interests tell of vast smuggling operations by the japanese in other words the japanese have proceeded to find bud scores of landing places on chinese soll soil where they neglected to place customs houses lio uses the net result Is of churbe courbe co urbe that the chinese are being supplied with japanese goods without the payment of a tariff whereas all other imports from foreign shores must carry the tariff load it fegins that while we cannot know at this time lime whether the japanese will attempt further military movements in north china it certainly can be said unequivocally that the open door fur for china foreign trade is at stake in this conflict most authorities on foreign affairs with whom I 1 have talked tell me that there Is little hope to prevent japanese political supremacy in china they cannot move northward because in that direction they butt their heads against the soviet russian frontier the soviet is armed to the teeth on the border of manabu kuo but to the south and in the area known as north china no present method appears for curtailing japanese power thus history appears to be repeating itself the battle for concession that took place in 1893 seems about to be revived and undoubtedly the climax to this conflict has been hastened by the american agreement to acquire chinese silver few authorities are willing to venture a prediction as to where this new policy lei promulgated by president roosevelt velt will lead us some insist that it is in accordance with the attitude the united states has held tor for nearly forty years insofar as chinese relations are concerned others claim that since japan has grown to such importance as a world power the silver agreement may eventually lead us further into the far eastern controversy so far indeed that the questions later to arise may involve national honor and national honor Is a prelude to war while we are looking over japanese activities in the far east we ought not to forget that japs invade only a year ago our philippines congress under a political lash and the pressure of selfish interests voted the their independence of course the philippine islands are still under our protection and will be so for several years but it Is most interesting to knoy that already the japanese have set about the colonization of portions of the philippine islands through the last 20 years american officials stationed in manila have kept a watchful eye open to detect any signs of japanese encroachments encroach ments it was not military movements by the japanese that were feared it was their well known capacity tor for creeping under the edge of the tent and suddenly developing into an economic power official reports now are reaching washington which indicate amazingly rapid encroachment by the japanese upon affairs of the islands one official document shows that japanese colonists have virtually swallowed up one large philippine valley by devious ways legal and illegal japanese farmers have filtered through and have obtained all of 0 the land that Is tillable in the dava valley philippine laws sponsored by americans before independence was voted have been designed to cheek check japanese colonization and the battle against tills this has gone on unremittingly since the days of the world war when the tokyo government first exhibited definite ability to expand its spheres of influence through colonization methods it should be said however that the american officials have been somewhat lax in e enforcement n of the anti japanese laws lawer and the result has been that small colonies of japanese were planted in various parts of the islands now it Is shown that these colonies have developed into great numerical and economic strength they seem to have unlimited credit from somewhere for their operations and in the dava valley for example they actually control the price of hemp which Is the main agricultural product of that section the japanese are operating in another fashion in the philippines it la Is a well established fact that when legislation is being considered by the philippine legislative body it Is confronted with a powerful lobby it if it Is inimical to japanese interests existence of this lobby Is known and recognized and many of the japanese representatives are fearful of consequences to their political careers it if they go contrary to the lobbes position such penetration as this into the philippine economic structure may not be RS as serious from a world standpoint as tle the japanese penetration of north korth china yet tet it seems to me that the american government cannot ignore the activity it may be that japan has DO thought of eventual military and political supremacy over the filipinos but the surface indications at this time are those that have always preceded political and military subjugation of ter rl and possessions it will be recalled as well that just such a condition or circumstance as we now cow see was among the fears expressed by those represent representatives aties and senators in our congress who opposed philippine independence the opponents of the independence bill in congress dared not openly assert that japan would be a menace to the island independence to have done so would have meant international complications a 0 mottern newspaper union |