[Inclosure.]
Mr. Hay to Mr. _______ _______
Department of State,
Washington, November 19,
1904.
Sir: This Government has taken a profound
interest in the various projects for the improvement of the
navigation of the Whangpu River, a question of ever-increasing
importance for the foreign commerce of Shanghai and China generally.
Since the signing of the final protocol of Peking, of September 7,
1901, in which provision was made for this work, which year by year
is becoming more urgent, it has on numerous occasions made earnest
representations to the Chinese Government to appoint representatives
on the conservancy board as provided for by annex 17 of the final
protocol and thus complete the organization and enable it to begin
the work assigned it by the agreement of China and the powers. Our
efforts have not overcome the disinclination of the Chinese
Government to make the necessary appointments, nor have we even been
able to secure the unanimous and active support of all the
diplomatic representatives at Peking in our efforts to conquer
Chinese dilatoriness.
Opposition to the provisions of annex 17 of the final protocol,
especially to the additional taxes which it imposed, has furthermore
steadily increased among a considerable section of the foreign
community of Shanghai, and this, coupled with the persistent
opposition to the conservancy board of the Chinese viceroy at
Nanking and of the Chinese maritime customs, on the ground that the
terms of the protocol seriously infringe Chinese sovereignty, forced
on this Government the belief that the scheme as therein provided
for must be considerably amended if this vital work is to be
undertaken at an early date, or at all.
On the 9th of June last the Chinese foreign office addressed a note
to the diplomatic representatives of the powers at Peking, asking
the repeal of annex 17 of the final protocol of September 7, 1901,
and expressing the desire to improve the bed of the Whangpu River
under the sole control and at the sole expense of China. With this
note was submitted a set of proposals outlining the manner in which
it sought to accomplish this end.
The minister of the United States at Peking, having transmitted the
suggestions of the Chinese Government to Washington, was informed
that they were unobjectionable in principle to this Government if
good and sufficient guarantees were given that China would promptly
begin the conservancy work, carry it to a satisfactory termination,
and maintain it afterwards.
The above reply was duly communicated to the Chinese foreign office,
and the latter, on August 5 last, informed the American minister
that the Chinese Government offered as guaranty for the carrying out
of the work certain revenues aggregating about 600,000 taels
annually. The foreign office expressed the hope that this would be
accepted by the United States as a sufficient guaranty.
On the 11th of August, the American minister at Peking, under
instructions from this Government, addressed a note to the Chinese
foreign office in which,
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after stating the general acceptance by this Government of the
proposals of China, he said that the United States before
considering the abrogation of the provisions of the final protocol
must insist that China submit detailed plans and a general programme
of the way in which it proposed doing the work. It was to be clearly
understood, however, that whereas the United States was willing to
waive temporarily its right to insist on China complying with the
terms agreed to by her in Article VI of the final protocol
concerning the improvement of the course of the Whangpu River, it
would do so only so long as the Chinese Government promptly and
satisfactorily discharged the new obligations which it now wished to
assume. Should it become evident at a later date that the
conservancy work was not being done promptly, or should there be
evidence of a disposition not to carry out the work to the
satisfaction of all interests concerned the United States would
insist upon full and strict compliance with the detailed plan for
the carrying out of the proposed work.
No reply has been received from the Chinese foreign office to the
above communication, although it has intimated to our minister that
it would submit a detailed plan for the carying out of the proposed
work.
Considering, however, that the abrogation of these provisions of the
final protocol of Peeking, relating to the conservancy of the
Whangpu, can only be brought about by the unanimous agreement
thereto of the signatory powers, this Government is of opinion that
the universally recognized urgency of the work makes an early
agreement among the interested powers imperatively necessary. Such
desired agreement can be more promptly reached, it is believed, by
direct submission of our views to the interested powers than through
the diplomatic representatives at Peking.
You are therefore instructed to submit the above statement of the
views of this Government to the attention of the minister of foreign
affairs and to urge his serious consideration of them. Should the
proposals submitted by the Chinese Government to the signatory
powers in June last meet with the general approval of the ________
Government it is hoped that it will see its way to instruct its
representative at Peking accordingly, so that this important
undertaking may be promptly begun to the satisfaction of all the
powers concerned and to the benefit of the vast commercial interests
it so vitally affects.
I am, etc.,
