The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-30
AN INTERVIEW WITH Ii.
The Chinese Sf<ItsssI mum Says the
boxers Are RabBIe.

| ed IL China received at the State Depart
ment yesterday was copy of the Hong
kong Press of July 80, containing an in
| teresting interview with Ii Hung Chang
which was obtained as soon as the Chi
| nese statesman arrived from Canton. The
| interview proceeds as follows:
| After the Viceroy had asked mum Der
of questions, chiefly regarding the latest
news to be had from Europe and China con-
| corning the trouble in the north, His EA-
celIcncy was asked if the report was col
! rect that he had been summoned to Pc
kin by the Empress Dowager. He said it
was correct. The conversation was con-
| tinued as follows:
! VIII Your Excellency go with the in
tention of mediating?
9 L shall go to Pek;n for two purposes.
One, to suppress the Boxers, the other, as
| mediatoT-to try and make peace.
1t is generally believed that Your Ex-
! cellency is the only in China at pres
ert who can cope with this difficulty
His Excelleney, laughing, but with en-
| phasis, I believe that myself
: What is Your Excellency's opinion as
| to this Boxer outbreak
a. I believe the Boxers TO be only rab-
/ BILE Of stupid, ignorant people, led away by
| fanaticism, and anti-Christian feeling into
| attacking native Christians. and then their
| foreign teachers-the missionaries
. You do not then regard them as hav-
| ing political motives or class them in the
{ same category as the secret societies in
China, whose object is rebellion and the
/ oveTthr0wing of the dynasty?
" No. I do not. First of all, the Box
eTs are but the common people-the peas
l. yL1
fact that continuous trouble with native
Christians has engendered ill-feeIing
among the peasdntry, and as the Chris
tt2ns in law cases invariably get the bet
ter of them, they thought they must prac-
tice physical exercises to be equal to the
Christians. They commenced to attack
the native converts and then the mis-
sionaries. The reason is therefore,
partly due to anti Christianism and IA
natcism'
Do you think the native Christians
in instances are to blame for this spirit
of opposition
Yes. both Catholics and Protestants
and the missionaries often themselves
give trouble. The Roman Catholics are
the most troublesome.
Do you think the Empress Dowager
has been misled at all-take the tone Of
her last edict. for instance:
Yes I am certain (and here the Vice
roy slapped the chair in emphasis) that
she has been misled and misinfoFmed.
believe the Empress Dowager has not been
informed Of the true state Of affairs Her
Majesty has summoned me to go TO Pekin
to know exactly what has happened. l
firmly believe ii was not the intention Of
the Empress DoWager that these things
should have taken place.
But il IS reported that Iu Lu has
hecr handed over ia he hoard @ Duui Sh-
ments. apparently for his non-sucCess
against the allied forces. He acted under
imperial orders?'
- Can you confirm that, because l DO
not think il can be true2 But even IL II
were true his disgrace for not defeating
an enemy would be merely in accordance
| with the Chinese law. which formally re
! quires the punishment of a defeated gen
! eTal. OF course, it is said generally that
| the forts at Taku suddenly opened fire en-
! the allied feet without warning, but then
! l am in receipt OF an official telegram
about this II appears that either His Ex-
/ ceIlency Yu Lob the Viceroy of Chill or
/ the commander of the forts. am not GER
! tain which, received an ultimatum that
/ he was to dispense the Chinese soldiers
send away the torpedo boats, and render
/ useless the submarine mines at Taku. so
/ that the foreign gunboats could get near
/ the shore and 90 up the river. II was not
! strange that our people should take this to
! mean war-to be asked to clear of as
! they were Perhaps these ignorant people
! did not quite understand things; therefore
/ they began to open fire but whether they
! really commenced firing first I do not
! know
Then this act of war your Excellency
! does it mean that the empire is at war
with the allied powers or only with the
/ forces in Chi-l-in the vicinity of Pekin ,
! Have al
I do not think that this is a decIara~
! ton OF war so I have made no preparation
| for war. I am receiving you and the for
| eign Consuls- here, so we are quite friendly
| Then If this trouble up north meant a
! declaration of war. I should have been no
tilted by telegram by the Central Govern
| menL'
q But in any case you could not get a
| telegram through from Pekin-the wires
! are cute
Well. I got a telegram about Yu
| Lu and the forts-the wires were then
cut
AT this stage of affairs. what is the
/ exact attitude of the viceroys? Are they
/ expected 10 follow the example set in Chi
| Ii and commence aggressive operations? .
| Speaking for myself my first duty IS
| TO protect life and property and to main
! tain order within my jurisdiction I shall
| do nothing aggressive unless ordered but
| Keep Quiet and try to protect foreigners
| and foreign property
| His ExcelIency then asked y hat was the
! general OPTION with regard to China in the
| present crisis.
The interviewer replied that according
| to ministerial statements made in Europe
| the first object of the powers was to restore
| order in China. Certainly Great Britain
| and America desired nothing more than
| adequate protection for their subjects and
| freedom of trade. They sought no terri
! tory.
His EXcellency said he believed that of
! those TWO powers Neither did he think
| that Russia wanted territory, though as an
| Englishman, it might be natural for me
to imply it.
g What is the remedy for the present
| state of affairs, Your EXcellency?'
I cannot say exactly what viii be
done until / see the Empress Dowager NV
opinion is. that first we must try, 10 sup
11-press these Boxers. That will be tione by
| beheading their leaders and dsspersing
| and know nothing. Secondly l believe I
can make peace with the foreign powers
| in a friendly way
| DO you think that by your leaving
! Canton a rebellion. far more serious than
| the trouble in the north. is likely to break
| out here9'
I cannot guarantee to say that there
| will rot be a rebellion. l. of course, can
| not be sure of what may happen. I do not
| believe there will be perfect peace though
there may not be great deal OF trouble,
| and no serious rebellion. Before I take
| my departure l will give orders TO all my
| officers to do their best to preserve order.
I have tried my vt to crush the secret
|