The Florida star., 1900-09-07
REGULATING THE CHINESE.
Intervention By ths Powers In Their In
sernal A ffafrs.


WAsHINoToS. Sept. Alt has been
constantly and repeatedly declared
ever since the opening OF the Chinese
question that the hostilitIes carried on
there between the land and naval
forces OF the allied powers and those
OF China could not. be construed as
constituting. strictly speaking, acts Of
war. but that they were simply meas
ures or police" resOrted to by the re-
spective foreign governments in order
10 AFFORD protection TO their subjects.
whose lives have been jeopardIZed In
consequence OF the internal troubles I'm
the dOmlniOns or the Chinese empire.
This view is based on the theory that
according 10 the principles OF the law
or nations when a state Is unable to
protect the lives and safeguard the in
terests or subjects or foreign powers
the latter are entitled 10 afford protec-
tlon by dispatching troops TO such dis
turbed places with the object OF help
Ing the sovereign power To restore or
der within its dOmlnions. But then a
vi
the troops OF the intervening powers
In the performance or that so called
police duty encOunterlng opposition. In
stead OF receiving assistance from the
forces or such state and consequently
a regular warfare resulting between
the land and naval forces OF both par
ties. that condition does not constitute
u state OF war. though formal decla-
ration has not been made by either
side. That such a condition exists in
the present case there cannot be n
shadow OF doubt in the minds OF well
thinking people and especially OF those
acquainted with the usages OF the law
or nations. In fact from the very day
the land and naval forces of the allied
powers were attacked by or attacked
those OF China n regular state or war
existed according To the elementary
rules OF international law. From the
moment the forces of the allied powers
dispatched To the rescue or their rep
resentativcs and other subjects in Pc
king encountered opposition from those
OF China. as In Taku and elsewhere, n
state OF belligerency has been created
Notwithstanding the denials and the
conflicting statements made by the va
rlOus foreign secretaries OF the allied
powers. Again. from the very day
that there was clear evidence justify
Ing the belief that the Chinese govern
ment was responsible for the Interrupt
tIOn or free communication between
the diplomatic agents OF the foreign
powers and their respective govern
ments. from that very instant the EN-
peror OF China committed an unfriend-
~ act justifying the allied powers To
consider the former rs a belligerent
and take such measures as the circum-
stances required.
On the other hand. the lnterdlctiOn
by Germany to the Chinese minister NJ
Berlin to communicate with his govern
ment, the prohibition of munitions OF
war destined 10 China by France and
other powers, not To say anything OF
the peculiar declaration OF the cZar that
the Chinese province of Amur lis To be-
considered as being in state Of war"
and similar other measures. would un-
dOubtedly constitute in ordinary cir
cumstances acts OF war which no self
respecting sovereign state would have
tolerated for moment. or this there
can be no doubt as far as the principles
OF the law of nations are concerned.
But i'm their dealings with the sick
man either of the near or of the far
east the powers deviate usually from
that rule. though they sOlemnly admit
ted these ASiatic states-i. a.. Turkey
and China-intO the SD called family Of
nations.
And now what are in fact thu
grounds upon which the allied powers
base their armed interventionE The
first reasons which prompted the
powers 10 resort To Intervention were
the imminent danger 10 the lives OF
their representatives and subjects re-
Sulting from the 81 called Boxer trou-
blcS In the capital of the empire and
in some provinces.
The person Of the envoy was coz
Sidrred sacred even in ancient times.
though examples Of the violation of
that rule are not rare. Hut in modern
times all ;hat has been changed AMI
the REPRESENTATIVES, Of state have
generally little reason la complain of
the consideration they receive 10y most