The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-07-24


European chancellorieS can object,
openly at least. The president express
ly states that his mediation is subject
to the approval of the powers; he will
not attempt to force it upon Europe
And the Chinese government must pro
duce the ministers in safety.
Minister WI declares that his govern
ment will meet that obligation, in
proof of which he produced Sheng's
telegram, in which he expressed inn
plicit confidence Certainly, if the last
promise is baseless, the Chinese gov
ernment is a party to one OF the most
barefaced deceptions practiced upon an
other nation, in the estimation of the
state department.
The department does not doubt Min
lister Wu'S sincerity in any case and as
for that official he is so confident that
the United States government is the
only one in the wOFld to which China
ment, that he has exhausted every eff
fort personally by appeal and otherwise
to save all the foreign ministers in
Pekin if possible, but at any rate to
insure the safety of Mr.. Conger<
The Sheng telegram was made public
at the state department in the follow
ig statement:
Mr.. WI visited the state department
this morning Ouly 2D and handed to
the acting secretary of state the follow
ing text of a cable message explaining
that it was a cabIegram from Director
General Sheng at Shanghai, dated July
%, 1900, to the Chinese minister at Lon
don, by whom it had been retransmit-
ted to Minister WI and received by the
latter on the night of the same day.
" News from Pekin Of 22d day of 9Th
moon, corresponding to July IS, says
Wen Jul, by direction of the tsung Ii
yamen, went to see the various foreign
ministers and found not one of them
harmed. Jung Lu proposes to memoir
ialize the imperial government to supply
them with provisions at once and then
devise plans to detail troops to escort
them to Tien TSin. "
A JAPANESE VIEW.
Chicago, July PA special to the
Tribune from San Francisco says:
kogota Takahira, the new japanese
plenipotentiary to the United States,
who arrived on the steamer America.
Maru. said of the political situation in
the east:
1T is difficult to express an opinion
concerning the grave reports from
China for the reason that in spite of
all the rumors published, we have abso-
lutely no communication open with the
district involved and we cannot tell
how much, if any, of what we hear
is reliable.
IF the tragica1 events have actually
occurred we must inquire how much
influence the government troops Of
China have over the insurgents before
we. can fix the matter of responsibility.
We have no reason at present to be-
ieVe that the emperor and the empress
dowager have any agency in the pres
ent trouble.
up to- the present outbreak the at
titude of the Chinese government
towards the foreign powers had been
most friendly. Even among the Chi
nese people there are certain mandar-
ins who are frankly friends of prog
ress and desirous of maintaining cordial
relations with the powers - ,..~t
By special commanded the emperor,
Mr. Takahira during his few hours
stay in Honolulu made searching in
quiry into the recent labor troubles in
the islands. He says the rest rictiOnS
put on the emigration of Japanese by
the japanese government are expected
to last only until the unsettled con-
ditions caused by annexation have
passed.
HELD AS HOSTAGES.
London, July 24.-One month to the
day has elapsed since Sir Robert Hart,
director of the Chinese maritime Gus
TOMS smuggled out of Pekin the last
piece OF news that appeals authorita-
lively to Europe, and apparently the
only method by which the Chinese
court can vindicate its veracity here is
to transmit another autograph message
from some equally authoritative source.
Admittedly the Tsung Ii Yamen
(Chinese foreign ofice) possesses facili-
ties to set all doubts at rest. Lii Hung
Chang'S reported statement to the
effect that while the foreigners are
alive, they would be killed Immediately
il the allied forces neared Pekin, is re-
garded by those who credit the re-
ported survival of the foreign ministers
as an indication that the latter are held
as hostages and that their lives will be
made the subject of negotiations by the
Chinese. Hence Lii Hung Changs
anxiety to keep the powers from Pekin
KEMPFFS DIGNITY SUFFERS.
The Globes naval correspondent at
Taku writes:
Admiral Kempff has raised a storm
1..kz Z
is second in command of the station.
and thus entitled to eleven guns as rear
admiral, and this was recently given
him by the Endymion at Yokohama He
claimed thirteen guns, stating that no
American admiral got eleven guns,
their values being Full admiral, II;
vice admiral. Is; rear admiral. 13. The
United States having started the grade
of admiral it is probable Kempff
thought out the regulations in pure ig
norance, as there appears to be no rea-
son why a United States rear admiral
shoulG be worth more powder than any
other rear admiral. To his protest Rear
Admiral Kempff was informed that the
captain of the Endymion will give him
as many guns as he wanted if there
was sufficient powder on the ship, but
until they published their regulations
we had to go by ours. The Orlando
(British armOred ship arriving at
Taku knew nothing of this squabble,
and rubbed it in by saluting the Chi
nese rear admiral with thirteen guns,
then the Russian rear admiral with
thirteen and then the United States
rear admiral with eleven guns.
Whether distance made it difficult for
them to distinguish the number or a
delicate hint was intended the Newark
had the good taste to return thifteens
SITUATION AT TIEN TSIN.
Washington, July 24.-The following
telegram has been received from the
japanese minister of foreign affairs, un-
i. = -. OIL t.
the report of the Japanese consul at
Tien Tsin, who wired it on the 21st:
1.-THE japanese troops behaved ad-
nirably and maintained strict discipline
after the fall of Tien Tsin city. The
Chinese who remained in the city and
those who lived outside came to the
japanese quarters with a large flag
bearing. an inscription expressing their