New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-17
POW M ERY
"SEC"
CHAMPAGNE NATURE (Vin Brut).
"High Grade Champagne of
uniform quality"
GRESH1 MS FLI.USY EXCUSES
HIS LETTER A CONFESSION OF WEAK
NESS AND IGNORANCE
GENERAL, DlsGrsT At HIS "EXpr.ANATION" OF
THE SURRENDER or THE TWO JAPA-
NESE STUDENTS.
lBY TELEGLArn 20 TIE rHihrNE.I

10y TELEGLAiI! 20 TIE rEibrNEl
Washington Jan l6-It is difficult TO describe,
without seeming to eXaggerate. the fseihs Vi Ms
gust with which Secretary Greshams explanation
of his surrender 10 the Chinese Government OF 'he
two japanese students at Shanghai last autumn.
Is received by those VINO nave taken the trouble oil
wading through the correspondence supih''te" W
the Senate yesterday. The confession OF "eah"c''
and ignorance implied in the letter addres'en ny
the Secretary to the President-a Hocu'he'i' VIM
is the best defence. presumably, he IS 'apA"'e Vi
making-is of such a character IA to raise grave
doubts i'm the minds of the Secretarys frienGs
whether. In his interest. he ought To De III
trusted any longer with the composition OF o'a'e
papers. In fact. 1t is openly asserted that Seere
tary Gresham could possibly nave rea' '''e
correspondence In the before indtinB MS ie'-
ter to the President and that he has fallen the VIC
tim of the Niles of some understrapper In the de-
partment who furnished him with incomplete
data" out Of which this remarkable document "'s
finally evolved.
Secretary Gresham. II will be noticed h''e"
throughout against the express advice oil M'his"'
DENLY and Consul-General Jernigan More thah
this ne ignored and discredted the statements
made by these two officers and Minister Dun anu
in their stead chose to believe the fine phrases anu
promises held ont to him by Minister yang ~ d"
Of which turned out afterward To be Hes l." cap
the climax he allowed. without a word of protest.
another officer Of this Government Consul Fowler
told tina, IL was none 81 his business when u"
requested information as to the tate OF SOM
Japanese VINO had been under his protection ihesc
facts are tactly admitted by Secretary 'r'Sh"'"
himself but there is much more In the correspond
ence which will require examination and cXplnna-
ton and the former cannot he had Ghil 'ne '''''
spondence IS returned from the printer.
There is indeed a notable variance between me
Sccrciary's letter OF transmission. SUMMARIZING the
correspondence and the character OF the CORE
spondence itself suggesting condition OF hlhu on
the part Of the writer similar 20 that win "h'h
'Nv Commissioner Blount' must have approacheh
the TASK Of writing his Hawaiian report The cor
resnondence itself shows very plainly that neither
Minister DENLY nor Consul Jerngan has admitted
that the two unfortunate students were spies. On
the contrary II dscoses the fact. crcdtahle to both
OF them that they tried their utmost To conNin'"
the Secretary that he had not a proper apprecia-
lion Of the importance Of the case. that h" was
wrong both In his premises and conclusions. and
tina, he was about TO act contrary 10 the best juds-
mon, OF the entire foreign colony in China
II is not surprising. perhaps. that a man ~ such
strong and stubborn prejulices. a. Secretary
Gresham has shown himself To be IN the course
OF his administration Of the affairs Of the state
Department. should set his Judgment against that
Of experienced and better Informed men 1t is
surprising however. that he should hav" set 20
work deliberately TO write report which IL not
borne on, BY the facts contained In the CORE
spOnleuce accompanying ". ana thai NJ Nn'HIi
have for q single moment Rugged the delusion that
so diaphnnous a rnakeshift 10 postpone criticism
would escape attention and comment Senator
Lodge on whose resolution the correspondence
relating 20 the execution Of the japanese students
was sent TO the Senate. said to-day.
| read this correspondence In m" original manu-
script before my resolution was introduced IN
tend to read II again carefully ~ soon as IL
comes from tn" printer. ana VIII ~nd"afor 10
speak on the subject IN the Senate Unfortunately
there IL no action ! know OF that the senate can
TAX. I'm the matter. Ny reading OF the CORE
spondence Is entirely different from that Of Secre-
warrant for tn. construction which h- puts upon
II in his synopsis Instead OF these students being
spies. our representative IN emma IN
sisted and goes TO prove. that they were not
spies al all. and that there was nothing 10 sns-
tain the charge against them except the assertion
OF the Chinese. How MI Gresham could nni war
rant for his Interpretation | cannot understand.
During the Franco Prussian war our Minister
Mr.. Washburne. who had identlcaliy the same in
structions az those OF MIR. DENLY. exercised his
good Offices and saved the lives OF many people.
the condition in Shanghai IS peculiar.
Residents there tried by the Consular courts.
and what our Consul-General proposed TO do In
the case OF the Japanese students was exactly In
accordance with the laws and customs Of the city.
" hlch IL practically "A foreign city ~ China. The
exceptional feature OF the was the surrender
OF these men 20 the Chinese There would have
been nothing exceptional strange In the course
IL was In accordance with the usag's OF foreign
authorities. The principle involved In this surren.
der nigh; prov. disastrous to Americans ana
other foreign citizens In case or war win emma