Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1900-07-29
ASSURANCES OF THE
FOREIGNERS SAFETY
Dispatch Either From Yuan
or Ii Hung Chang.
ARE OF CHINESE ORIGIN


Statements Have Tendency to Dis
pei the Pessimistic Feeling.
WASHINGTON, July 28.-Coming from
three separate quarters the assurance
that the foreign ministers at Picking
were alive and we'll on July IA had the
tendency to dissipate the pessimistic
view which the state department. has
been taking for the last few days as to
the situation in Poking It is true that
a comparison Of the various edicts and
statements bearing on this subject ap-
pear to demonstrate the fact that they
all came from one fountain head, either
Yuan Shin Ki or Ii Hung Chang.
But the persistence with which the
stories Of the safety of the ministers are
circulated undoubtedly is shaking the
belief Of those who had heretofore been
satisfied that oil the ministers in Picking
were dead.
Assurances have come from Mr.. Fows
Ter, the American consul at Che Foo;
from Mr.. McWRde, the American consul
at Canton. and from Minister Wa, the
Chinese minister here. The latter came
to the state department early expressly
to deliver an edict received by him to
Secretary Hay. 1t Is similar In form to
the edict published in London. The
minister says that the only differences
are those involved in separate transla-
tons. Mr.. Wu's translation Of Sheng's
dispatch is as follows:
fortunately all ministers, except
Baron Won Ketteler, are alive and un-
ho5V 81
with vegetables, fruits and provisions
by the government to show its sympa-
thy for them.
If Mr.. Wa had any doubt as to the
safety of the ministers it seems to have
dissipated by this edict. He labored
earnestly with Secretary Hay to con-
vince him that he was bound TO accept
this official declaration of the Chinese
government In making the statement
touching the ministers the Chinese gov
eminent assumed serious responsible
ity to the world at large. He declared
that it could not be conceived that such
responsibility would be lightly assumed,
and therefore did not hesitate to assert
his positive personal conviction that the
ministers were alive on July "a.
When his attention was called to the
apparent failure of Yuan Shi Kai to &C
code to Consul FoWler's request that the
allied admirals be put into cOmmunica-
ton with the ministers Mr.. WI
shrugged hts shoulders in a deprecatory
manner and merely replied that Chinese
were so different from other people that
usual tests could not be applied TO them;
it would not be possible to predict what
they would do under conditions that
would be easily met by Europeans or
Americans 1t was possible, he added,
that Yuan was undertaking to do what
the admirals wished, only Ii would be
first necessary for him to consult the
Picking authorities and that would take
time He could not say when an an
swer could be expected from his last
message to Oonger.
A dispatch from Consul Fowler corr
veying assurances from Yuan Shih Kl,
the governor Of Shan Tung, that the for
eign ministers were well on July % and
had been provisioned in connection that
the constantly reiterated assurances
from other Chinese sources of the safety
of the ministers, have raised anew the
theory at the state department which Is
being speCulated on. The assurances
have been given IN answer to q repeated
demand Of the various European gov
ernments that they be placed in comnu-
nicatlon with their ministers and the
last assurance of Yuan was in answer to
the specific demand of the foreign adj
mirals for direct communication. Yuan's
announcement that the imperial govern
ment at Picking not only asserts the
safety Of the ministers, but declares
that they have been prOvisioned, if ao-
copied as true, this indicates that the
ministers have been communicated
with. The inquiry then naturally arises:
eff the ministers have been provis-
toned why does not the Chinese govern
ment, knowing as 1t does that the whole
world is demanding a direct message
from the besieged legationers, allow
them to communicate with their gov
ernments? Why not furnish direct and
unequivocal evidence of the safety Of
the ministers instead of this repetition
of an assurance which the world hest.
tates to accept?
The failure to pursue the direct meth
cd which must be available tends almost
irrespectively to the suspicion that some
thing has happened In Peking which
the Chinese government desires to con-
ceal from the powers; that it Is afraid
to allow the true story to be revealed
until some sort of terms have been made
with the powers, which are waiting at
the gates Of tho empire. Just what
that something is furnishes a fruitful
theme for speculation, but no satlsfac-
tory conclusion can be reached until the
forces enter Picking or the legationers
arrive at Tien Tsin.