The Treaty With China, its Provisions Explained: New York Tribune, Tuesday, August 28, 1868Twain, Mark
History
The Treaty With China, its Provisions Explained: New York Tribune, Tuesday, August 28, 1868
Twain, Mark
China -- Foreign relations -- United States; United States -- Foreign relations -- China
said tract of land, except so far as that right may have
been expressly relinquished by treaty.
In or near one or two of the cities of China the Emperor has set apart
certain tracts of land for occupation by foreigners. The foreigners
residing upon these tracts create courts of justice, organize police
forces, and govern themselves by laws of their own framing. They levy
and collect taxes, they pave their streets, they light them with gas.
These communities, through liberality of China, are so independent and
so unshackled that they have all the seeming of colonies--insomuch
that the jurisdiction of China over them was in time lost sight of and
disregarded--at least, questioned. The English communities came to be
looked upon as a part of England, and the American colonies as part of
America; and so, after the Trent affair, it was seriously held by many
that the Confederate ships of war would be as justifiable in making
attacks upon the American communities in China as they would be
in attacking New York or Boston. This doctrine was really held,
notwithstanding the supremacy of China over these tracts of land was
recognized at regular intervals in the most substantial way, viz., by
way of payment to the Government of a stipulated rental. Again, these
foreign communities took it upon themselves to levy taxes upon
Chinamen residing upon their so-called “concessions,” and enforce their
collection. Perhaps those Chinamen were as well governed as they have
been anywhere in China, perhaps it was entirely just that they should
pay for good government--but the principle was wrong; it was an
encroachment upon the rights of the crown, and caused the Government
uneasiness; the boundary thus passed there was no telling how far the
encroachment might be pushed. The municipal council which taxed these
Chinamen was composed altogether of foreigners, so there was taxation
without representation--a policy which we fought seven years to
overthrow. The French have persistently claimed the right to exercise
untrammeled jurisdiction over both natives and foreigners residing
within their “concessions,” but the present Minister, Monsieur Moustier,
has yielded this position in favor of the anti-concession doctrine,
and thus have ignored the “eminent dominion” of the Chinese Government.
Under Article 1 of the new treaty, the question of whether an enemy
of America can attack an American colony in China is answered in the
negative. Under it the right of the Chinese Government to regulate the
governing, taxing, and trying of its subjects resident within American
“concessions” is recognized--in a word, its supreme control over its
own people is recognized. Also (in the final sentence) its control over
scattering foreigners (of nationalities not in treaty relations with
China) not enrolled the regular concessions is “granted.” During a war
between Russia and Denmark, a Prussian man-of-war captured two Danish
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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