The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-11
An Extra session Is Demanded.

/
An Extra Session Is Demanded.
! The Hor. John d. Long is constitution
al and a chronic optimist. He does not Ge-
| lieve that anything particular has hep
pened. is happening, or is going to happen
in China. He is satisfied that there is
money enough within the Presidents reach
to carry the executive war over the Fres-
| idential election; and, therefore, he is in
clined to think that all idea of an extraor-
binary session OF Congress has been elimi
mated from the situation. To this intent
he is quoted in Eastern papers: correctly,
We surmise, because it all sounds like him.
In the old days before his personality was
first obscured by the lurid shadow of Alger,
| Mr.. Long was deeply convinced that Spain
was acting righteously in Cuba, through
| that eminent Administrator, General Wey
| Ter; that it was nonsense to think the
! Spanish authorities had anything to do
with the destruction of the Maine; and that
nobody outside of lunatic asylum ecu
imagine that there could be any war ever
| that act of treachery, because of the in
human conditions uIder Spanish rule in the
Antilles, or for any other reason.
| Yet the American people developed in
| fiammatory symptoms in the region of their
! collars. and then came the awful struggle
| of 1898. in which Roosevelt on land and
Sampson on the high seas performed deeds
| of berserker ferocity that since have blown
up several magazines. Once mere the
prophet of peace pipes his inspirat on ard
derides the war with China, which is on
already, and the extraordinary session OF
Congress which is an early. and probably
an immediate, certainty, IL the controlling
advisers -of-President Mckinley have not
gone aeark crazy.
Statesmen, diplomats, and soldiers of all
nations who are familiar with Chinese
character snd conditions, are expecting to
see an afdueus and bloody struggle for
| the relief of the Legations in Pekin. and,
UP TO yesterday. did not believe that the
task in question could be accomplished and
war indemnity with punitive damages
exacted and collected from China without
the employment Of military force much
greater than so far has been provided for
In all probability the events of the next
two or three days will convince even Mr..
Mckinley that he will be compelled to send
at least twenty or thirty thousand troops
to Taku, and perhaps land an independent
expedition at Annoy in the bargain He has
positive evidence at last of the deliberate
treachery of the pekin Government He
knows. on the authority of our own Minis
ter. that the Chinese Foreign Office has
been falsely and perfidiously assuring the
foreign diplomats that their Govern
ments had besought China to escort them
out Of the city. He has proof, therefore,
of an imperial plot 10 place the Ministers
and all other foreigners in a position GER
tain TO resul; in their instant massacre.
His Secretary of the Navy is imbued with
the notion that China viii be good and
submit to whatever we ask or demand,
but other people take a very different view
of the situation.
The legations are still besieged. As late
as last night there was no reason for
thinking that the Chinese troops had
ceased firing upon them. At latest ac-
counts they were under continual pres
sure from the Tsung-li- Yamen. which was
lTElHB 10 loICe tnOin out OF llelT dGIeNSlDie
position and into the hands Of the infuri-
ated Chinese army. The main body of the
relief expedition according to yesterdays
reports, viii not move from Yangtsun I'M
Ill August Is, by which time it is ex-
pected that it will number fifty thousand
men. The Prince OF Tuan, the Empress
Dowager's chief supporter in her war
against civilization, is reported to have
gone to Yangtsun to take command of the
imperial forces resisting the attempt to
rescue the Ministers; and Li-Ping Heng,
the fend who ordered and conducted the
massacre Of the foreigners at Paoting-Fu.
is in supreme command of the Chinese
troops in Pekin.
Yet all these things, we are told do
not constitute state OF war, or a condi-
ton which demands the assembling of
Congress. If President Mckinley has any
facilities at Canton for getting his ear
to the ground he VIII change his opinion
on that question, and VIII lose no time in
effecting a radical change OF front. In re-
fIsing to perform his constitutional duty
in the premises, he should understand that
he is playing with a public sentiment
which may punish his Administration and
party for the offence and affront in No
vember.