The herald., 1895-01-11


soma appearance of reluctance. that he
endorsed Creelman's accounts"
TO JUSTIFY THE SLAUGHTER.
For additional confirmation, NJ. de La
guorie, correspondent OF the Paris
Temps. volunteered evidence in support
Of all the facts presented by the Amer
lean and English correspondents. 10
allow no poasi bility Of misunderstsnd-
ing, and to circulate diecreditabls truths
to the wildcat extent practicable, the
tales OF the three gentlemen have been
reiterated day after day. and as II to
prove the uselsssness OF denial, In terms
OF steadily increasing severity.
farming to the other side, it is proper
to say that no denial has besn at
tempted by any person in authority or
from any official source. The only
statements from which the opinion and
feeling Mofs@the government can be
fairly estimated are those given to this
Associated Press and to the World and
they tell their own story. 1t lie we'll
known habit OF the authorities to make
no announcements to the Japanese pub
lie upon any eubject until after the
minuteat facts have been gathered. It
has been several times averred by
aters of atate are sndesvoring to justify
the misconduct of those who TOOK part
in the slaughter, on the strength OF the
frightiul provocation givah and to miti-
gate censure by producing evidence
OF similar excuses in European armies.
II any such endeavor had been
made they could not have escaped the
observation OF your correspondent.
| Not word OF extenuation has been dis
covered. The only voices hasrd are
those OF the foreign war correspond
ents. Upon the question of actual oc-
currencea those gentlemen are undi-
vided. In the conclusions drawn they
are less united The American writsr
arraigns the entire Japanese race. He
does this with every appearance OF SIN
cerity. His companions are not 80 un-
reserved in their condemnation. 1t has
been mentioned that statements sent
forth to America from tbs ministry OF
foreign affairs were given before the
worst of the charges brought
by war correspondents had been
made public here. Deeming it posi- BILE
that these detailed indictments might
suggest new considerations to the au-
thorities, especially in view OF the
popular indignation they have ex-
pressed, the Associated Press asked ct
proper quarter II it were decided that
any further message would be conveyed,
and was informed that so far as the
government was concerned the subject
was closed for the present. What the
ministers of state thought and felt had
been too plainly declared to admit OF
doubt, and to pursue the matter into
particulars would have had the appear
| of "a ntrnv in
points concerning which there could be
no possible alteration.
CORRESPONDENTS CONDEMNED.
II 10 not expected that any formal ex-
pression of the governments opinion az
to methods here employed by foreign
journalists will be heard. Informal and
unofficial opinions are heard loudly
enough on all sides. They are indeed so
vigorously proclaimed in clubs, in COM
mittee rooms of houses OF parliament, in
eanctuaries of departments and in lead
ing literary circles that no suppression
of them would be possible. Correspond
ents are condemned, not for telling
everything that they saw. however app
palling. nor for performing their duties
with scrupulous fidelity, but for alleged
abuse OF privileges, auch as would not
be practiced in any western country, for
csrelessness resulting. in the diffusion
of gross exaggerationa and for per,
versions of truth calculated to
bring unmerited shame upon the entire
Japanese nation. 1t ia not difficult to
sift the grains of substantial accusation
from the mass OF angry vtuperation.
The abuse of privilege is held to be that
these visitors sought and received per-
mission to follow the army for one dis7
tinct purpose, that OF supplying tn cir
journals at home with authentic war
news, and although knowing that u GER
tain newspaper published in Yokoh anna,
under extra territorial protection, is I'M
friendly to this country, they have nav
ertheless FASTENED to supply it with
peculiar way. 1t was not for crit.
les to Jay, to enable them to afford
assistance and encouragement to an
enemy OF Japan on her own soil. that
these strangers we're given an oppor-
tunity to pursue their avocation advan-
tageously. Ideal cases of supposed aim.
ilarity are located in Europe and Amer
ica. None OF them are precisely paral-
lei, but so nearly so as to suggest no
little depth OF meaning. And the ques-
tion 10 asked, what would bs though in
the United States of persons who, after
accepting the position of favored guests
in war time, should gratuitoualy put
weapons OF offence into the hands of an
enemy? The csrslessness alleged is
found in such assertions as that an en- {.
tire peaceful population was massacred,
when it ie now indisputably proved that
the peaceful population fed before the
attack and has since largely returned to
ito habitaJion, persons slaughtered hay
ing been mainly Chinese soldiers in dis.
guiee.
ONE ON THE WRITERS.
Psrvsrsion of truth is said to lie in
statements like that which represe nts
correspondents as DESERVING the army
''in body" because they were Mortified
by spectaclss OF bloodshed; as com
PEELED to leave the field Of their duty
because they could not countsnance by
their presence the wickedness of Japan
embodied in the crimes OF her army
when. in fact. they came away by pre-
arrangement to post their letters. hav-
ing their Intention many days before to
start as soon as Port Arthur was taken.
These arc mentioned only to show up
on what conditions the widespread
and increasing irritation OF the Japsn-
csc is based. These people believe that
they have been treated ungensrously
and with wsnton indifference to their
keenest sensibilities. not from love of