Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-09-03

San Francisco, September 2.-Chester
HolcOmbe, who has just returned from
China after Il years service in the
American legation ct Peklng, says the
recent massacre is traceable to the re-
suit Of the recent Chinese-Japanese
war.
"At the commencement Of the recent
war between China and Japan" said
he, ct was generally feared that the
lives of foreigners in China would ba
in great danger as long as the war
lasted. AS a matter of fact, there was
practically no danger as long as the
war lasted. and It is only since the hos
tilities ceased that the danger has COM
menced. We have had proof Of the fact
in the recent massacres, and ! think
can explain the reason.
'In the first place, the great mass Of
Chinese are disappointed with the re-
suit OF the war, and are taking revenge
on all the foreigners WHOM they can
kill with impunity.
In the second place, the killing and
pillage gives great encouragement by
reason Of the depredations committed
by hordes of disbanded soldiers all over
the country. The Chinese government
has a peculiar method OF disposing OF
its troops at the Cioes OF a war. When
the soldiers are no longer needed, they
are discharged from service at the
place where they happen to be at the
| time. The fact that an army may be
| several hundred or a thousand miles
away from home when it is disbanded,
and the fact that the soldiers may not
possess any means of getting home does
not interest the government in the
least The troops are turned loose and,
to use an American expression, they
have to beat their way back 10 the
place from whence they came. That
they should pillage and commit depTe-
dations is therefore natural 70 such peo-
pie under such conditions and tran
guilty will not reign In China for some
time to come. Just before l left Japan
| learned an American missionary VINO
has been labOring near Peking since
1883 had been assaulted and severely
cut by a knife. His name is D. f.
Sheffield. and I have known him quite
we'll for years. II is only fair TO say,
however, that the assailants were ar
rested and will be tried for their Of
Tense. If such prompt action was ia
ken in the cases of the other offenders,
the wholesale killing of missionaries in
China would be speedily stopped. IL IS
almost impossible. however, TO mete
ont Justice to the offending Chinese in
the interior provinces and the fault is
the fault of the government
MIR. Holcombe says the most inter
estiug question In the Orient at the
presa Mt outside Of the missionary mas
sacres and the cholera, is the approach
ing conflict between Russin and japan.
"That Japan and Russia will become
mixed up in a dispute which viii re-
suit in war, goes without saying" said
he. "and the commencement OF the ac-
tual hostilities is not far off Then
the Japanese have a big grievance
against Rus5.I. and Russia is preparing
10 make things warm for the japanese.
The other day 7 was told very frankly
by Japanese Ofiicials who hold high
|
anese would live To rue the day when
she permitted herself TO become mixed
m in a war with China II has given
Russia an opportunity she has long
waited for.
mo one knows better than I how
narrowly japan escaped a war with
Russ%s when she got through with her
war with China. The Japanese were
so incenscd at Russia's attitude IN the
matter of the cession Of Lao Tung
peninsula that the Japanese officials
talked seriously Of engaging in q squab-
bic with Russia I was in Japan at
the time and heard II all A certain
member of the Japanese cabinet whose
acquaintance I made when he was sent
to Peking as the Japanese minister TO
China said To NE al the time: Russia
has six ironclad battleships We have
but one. and that we captured from the
Chinese. II we had but four ironclads,
or only three, We would defy Russia