he United States.

Article 7 explains itself.

ART. 8. The United States, always disclaiming and
discouraging all practices of unnecessary dictation and
intervention by one nation in the affairs or domestic
administration of another, do hereby freely disclaim any
intention or right to intervene in the domestic
administration of China in regard to the construction of
railroads, telegraphs, or other material internal
improvements. On the other hand, His majesty and the Emperor
of China reserves to himself the right to decide the time,
and manner, and circumstances of introducing such
improvements within his dominions. With this mutual
understanding it is agreed by the contracting parties that
if at any time hereafter His Imperial Majesty shall
determine to construct or cause to be constructed works of
the character mentioned within the Empire, and shall make
application to the United States or any other Western power
for facilities to carry out that policy, the United States
will, in that case, designate and authorize suitable
engineers to be employed by the Chinese Government, and will
recommend to other nations an equal compliance with such
application, the Chinese Government in that case protecting
such engineers in their persons and property, and paying
them a reasonable compensation for their service.

Article 8 looks entirely unnecessary at a first glance. Yet to
China--and afterward to the world at large--it is perhaps the most
important article in the whole treaty. It aims at restoring Chinese
confidence in foreigners, and will go far toward accomplishing it. Until
that is done, only the drippings (they amount to millions annually)
of the vast fountains of Eastern wealth can be caught by the Western
nations. I have before spoken of an arrogant class of foreigners
in China who demand of the Government the building of railways and
telegraphs, and who assume to regulate and give law to the customs of
trade, almost in open defiance of the constituted authorities. Their
menacing attitude and their threatening language frighten the Chinese,
who know so well the resistless power of the Western nations. They look
upon these things with suspicion. They want railways and telegraphs,
but they fear to put these engines of power into the hands of strangers
without a guaranty that they will not be used for the