Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-07-19
A CABINET MEETING.
Chinese Situation Discussed by Mr..
Mckinley and His Advisers.
No EXTRA SESSION OF CONGRESS-.



Washington, July ia decidedly
more hopeful feeling with regard to
the Chinese situation was apparent in
all administration circles last evening,
The tide of sentiment, which had been
markedly pessimistic, turned with
the announcement of the viceroy OF
the allies at Tien Tsin and the cap
ture of the forts and native city and
gathered further strength from Min
lister Wu's cablegram declaring that
the foreign ministers at Pekin were
safe July 0. Aside from these dis
patches the arrival Of the president
and the special cabinet meeting called
to consider the situation were the
features of the day. The cabinet met
at 2:3O yesterday, less than an hour
after the president reached the white
house. Over a hundred newspaper
men thronged the corridors while the
cabinet was sitting behind closed
doors. The scene resembled the hot
test days of the Spanish war. There
were present Secretary Hay, Secre-
tary Root, Secretary Long, Secretary
Gage and Postmaster General Smith.
At the conclusion of the session,
which lasted 2H hours, Secretary Root
gave out the following formal state
ment of the action of the cabinet:
"rhe president has determined that
the facts now known to us do not
require or justify calling an extra
session of congress, Should future de-
velopments indicate that he is I'M
able to do what is required with the
means now at his command and the
action of congress is necessary to
furnish either men or money or au
thority he will not hesitate to call il
together"
While only this meagre formal
statement was given out it was ascer-
tanned that the whole Chinese situa-
ton was thoroughly discussed by the
cabinet. The decision that an extra
session of congress was not demanded
by existing conditions was the out
come of the showing which both Sec
rotary Long were able to make as
to the force that can be thrown into
China without the authorization OF
additional troops by congress and also
the decidedly more hopeful feeling
by the president and the
of his cabinet as to the safe
ty of Minister Conger and the other
foreigners in Pekin due to the cable
of Minister WI reporting the safety |
of the ministers July ., two days after
their reported massacre, While this
cable is not regarded as conclusive II |
Is accepted in good faith for the |
present. But the administration, ii
can be definitely stated has set in
motion some machinery by which it
is confidently predicted absolutely
news as to the fate of our
minister and the other foreigners at
pekin will he ascertaned Through
what channel the administration ex-
poets to receive this all-important
news is not known, but that definite
statement of the situation in Pekin is
daily, If not hourly, expected can be
stated with the utmost postiveness,
The advices received from Pekin prob
ably will be the determining factor in
blazing the future course of this gov
If Minister Conger has
been murdered an extra session of
seems inevitable, Admiral
Remey's message of the success fol.
lowing the earlier hard fighting at
'rien Tsin helped to relieve the anx-
iety of the president and his advisers,
but Minister Wu's message was re.
sponsible for the really hopeful feel
ing that prevailed. Secretary Root
furnished to the cabinet a summary
of the troops available not only in
this country but in Cuba and Georgia,
1t is his opinion that between 10000
and 10000 troops in all could be
spared for service in China. These
are to be rushed
through at the earliest possible mo.
ment. Most, If not all of them, it is
believed, can be landed by the end
of August or early in September. One
cabinet officer said that beyond those
soldiers already destined for China
from the Philippines no further troops
from the islands would be withdrawn,
unless the situation became much
more ominous.