Show 0 9 rl washington A A great many persons were my mystified stifled a few weeks ngo ago by the treasury announce silver ment unit that it had en policy into an ail agae ment to buy chinese silver on the surface it appeared to be an action by the american government that was wholly a part of its domestic silver policy a policy that thus far lias has resulted in no economic benefits at till nil but has cost american taxpayers rather dearly deneath beneath the surface sis however dionn ever the chinese jihor purchase agreement Is one of the most significant moves net et to be made in our foreign agn policies I 1 believe it lias has potential consequences consequences as great or great tr r than any foreign relations pronouncement no to conic come from the wasll wash ington government since world war controversies were nere liquidated to understand the file importance of the saher purchase agreement with alna one must examine international lela iela oer 01 er a wide scope 1 I hey 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 russia with anith china and japan and the lie whole par 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 involve 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 has had support of the british and some other white nations on the other hand 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 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 ago and through tills this influence this nation Is seeking to expand its trade with china the japanese are employing the tariffs to protect their own interests in china and to keep the lie british and the americans on the outside so for the first time since osos 1808 the battle among the nations for the file 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 0 0 A year or more ago the british sent sir frederick leilh ross of the dili ish treasury to japan will shanghai to nu nid the oppose chinese ministry of finance in the establishment lish ment of a currency system it was not announced of course but the real purpose of sir fredericks 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 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 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 sliver allver 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 consequences will be in the first instance r japan can be expected to exert every liss power her nationals have to thwart the effect of the pr 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 increasingly crea singly sharper since the world war there Is still the further circumstance of japans smuggling into china having had control wily of the chinese tar far japanese its the wily japanese proceeded to enforce tariff duties rigidly against everyone except themselves stories coming out of 0 north china through diplomatic channels as aa wa wll 41 as from commercial interests tell of last ast smuggling operations by the japanese in other words the japanese have proceeded to find scores of landing places on chinese soil here they neglected to place cus tODIS houses the net lift result Is of course that the chinese ure lire being supplied with goods without the die payment of a tariff is nil all other imports from foreign shores must earry the tariff load it skeins then that thiet while r e camit rini iol know at it tills time whether the japanese will attempt further military movements in north china it certainly can be said focally that the open floor door for china foreign trade la Is at stake in tills conflict most host authorities on foreign n affairs tiff airs with 1 whom I hom 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 leads heads against the soviet russian frontier the Is armed to the teeth on the border of manchu kuo ku but to the south and in the area known as north no present method appears for curtailing japanese power tims thus history appears to be repeating itself the battle for concession that tool took place in 1808 1898 seems about to hr ho revised and undoubtedly the climax to tills lct lit lias has lieen been hastened castene 1 I by the american ag reen tent to acquire chinese few a u I 1 hot 1 ties are willing to venture a prediction ns as to bere here iere tills new policy promulgated by Pies president ident roose ct cit will lead us some insist that it is in accordance with nith the attitude the united states slates lins has held for nearly forty 3 sears ears insofar as chinese relations are concerned others claim that since japan lias has grown roan to su such h importance as a world power the silver agreement may eventually lead us further into the far eastern control carsy so far indeed that the questions later to arise may involve national honor and national lionor 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 ash and the pressure of selfish interests voted the filipinos 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 know that already the japanese have set about the colonization of portions of the philippine islands through the last 1 20 0 years american officials stationed in manila have kept a watchful ul 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 for creeping under the edse 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 Sall sh allowed owed tip one large philippine valley ey by devious ways legal and illegal japanese farmers have filtered through and have obtained all of the land that is tillable in the dava valley philippine laws sponsored by americans before independence was voted noted have been desI designed gued to check japanese colonization and the battle against this has gone on unremittingly since the daas 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 las in enforcement of the anti japanese laws 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 streng strength th they seem to have unlimited credit from somewhere for their operations and in the days dava valley for example they actual actually I 1 y control the price of hemp which Is the main agricultural product of that section the japanese are operating in an other fashion in the philippines it Is a a aall ell 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 r existence At stence of this lobby Is known and rec recognized recognize ed and many of the japanese representatives are arc fearful of consequences to their political careers if they go contrary to the lobbes position such penetration as this into the philippine economic structure may not be as serious from a world standpoint as the japanese penetration of north china yet it seems to me that the tha government cannot bignor the activity it may be that japan has ha no thought of eventual military and po litreal supremacy over the filipinos but bui the surface indications at this time are those that have always preceded po lotical and military subjugation of territories ri and possessions it will be recalled as well that just such a condition or circumstance as we now see was among the fears expressed by those representatives and senators in our congress who opposed philippine independence the opponents of the independence bill in con gie gliss tu dared not openly assert that ja ilan would le be it menace to the island to hn hap P done dime so go mould hoe air 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