The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-08-21
China Has Not Vet Complied With
Conditions Laid Down.
Chinese Troops Are Surrounded In Ghe
Imperial Palace Grounds.

Washington, August 2O-The Ameri-
can reply to Chinas latest appeal for q
cessation of hostiIitiess received today
from III Hung Chang has not yet been
made known and it is likely that the
matter was one Of the main subjects OF
consideration at the cabinet meeting.
But there is reason to believe that the
overtures viii, in ELECT, be rejected, on
the ground that the conditions laid down
in the American note OF August - have
not been complied with and until COM
piled with the government must proceed
without reference to China appeal for
halt in the proceedings The despatch
of August u said specifically that the
United States was ready to enter into an
agreement between the powers and the
Chinese government for a cessation of
hostilitIes on condition that the relief
forces should be permitted to enter Pekin
unmol sted and escort the legationers
therefrom under such ciroumsta noes as
the commanding general might lay
down. But up to the present time, there
unmoIested at Pekin, or have received
the sanction Of the imperial government
to convey the Isgatiouers to Ilen Tsin
without further trouble and under the
conditions laid down by the comma nding
general. On the contrary, all of the
dispatches indicate that the allies are
meeting stubborn resistance and there is
an entire lack OF compliance with the
conditions laid down by the United
States in its despatch OF Aug ust u
China 5 latest application for peace nego-
tiations was received early today at the
Chinese legation and was transmitted
by Mr.. Wa to the State Department.
Secretaries Hay and Root were OUT of the
city but Acting Secretary OF State Adee
went over the subject with the President
Earl LIS request Is that the United
States shall name Minister Conger or
some other official to act as peace envoy
for the cessation of hostilities The Chi
nese envoy proposed no terms to the
withdrawal of troops and made no other
suggestion as to what was to come before
the commission, his sole anxiety bein g
to secure the cessation of hostilities. The
application is understood also to have
been made to the powers in the hope
that, if ali would name commissioner,
there would be general council of peace
between LII Hung Chang on the one
hand and the several representatives of
the nations on the other. The situation
at Pekin was made more clear today
from many sources. The latest advice
appears to be that fr ON Consul Fowler,
at Che Foo, repeating despatch re-
ceived from Consul Ragsdale at Eien
Tsin
The latter reports "Chinese troops sur
rounded in palace grounds
The Japanes delegation received des-
patch OF the same general tenor, but more
in detail saying that the Chinese troops
retreated on the 10Th. within the inn
periaI palace and that they were sur
rounded there, with the japanese military
headquarters located in the Japanese
legation. Admiral Remey also trans
mitted an authentic report from Pekin
ON the 10Th, saying
"Troops moving on the imperial city -
The several dispatches from different
sources, establish clearly that the imper-
ial city and grounds We're under siege.
But not one of the dispatches is clear
as to how late this condition Of affairs
existed.
The latest information, while showing
the imperial city surrounded, does not
disclose the issue of this situation, nor
how long it has continued.
Today S dispatches seem to make clear
that the Emperor and the Empress Dowa-
ger have made their escape from Pek1n
and that about the only present service OF
the imperial palace and grounds is as
an asylum in which the demoralized
Chinese soldiers are making q last stand.
The japanese legation advices today
showed that the banners Of the imperial
cortege were seen leaving Pekfn ON the
18th. The attitude which the interna-
tionaI forces will observe toward the
Emperor and Empress Dowager is under
stood to have received official considera-
tion among the powers, resulting from a
request by the southern viceroys that no
personal indignity be shown to China's
ru- -ers. In view of the general desire of
this government and the others con-