The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-07-21
DISCUSSING THE TRUTH.

l
DISCUSSING THE TRUTH.
Washington, July 16.-Such news as
came to Washington yesterday from
China was distinctly bad. 1t consist
ed CT cablegram to MinisterWu, from
Sheng, the imperial dictator of posts
and telegraphs at Shanghai, and, ac-
cording to the minister, was in reply
to the urgent message he himself had
sent Saturday to that official asking
him to try to secure some news from
the Chinese capital. This cablegram
Minister WI regarded as of sufficient
Importance to carry in person directly
to Secretary Hay, who was waiting at
his home for news. The message, as
evolved from their cipher, was as fol-
lows:
Legations and Governments.
"Pekin news of July 18th says that
Gen. Tuan Fuh Slang, in disobetlience
of imperial orders was about to use
guns. Legations and the government
will be in peril"
COrrObOratiVe of GoOtlnON.
This news is corroborative OF that
contained in recent cablegram from
Mr.. Goodnow, although the consul
generals dispatch gave his Pekin news
the date of the 9th. saying that the
final attack upon the legations with
guns was about to begin on the sew
rnth of July.
1t is surmised here that Mr.. Good
now got bis news from Sheng, who is
certainly in position to secure the first
news from Iekin.
The Significant Feature.
Aside from the gloomy forecast Civ
En- Of the situation and of the terrible
struggle of the legationers against the
inevitable, the significant feature Of
the message is the coupling of the fate
of the imperial government with that
of the foreign ministers. Officials here
get some satisfaction from this por-
ton of the dispatch, as II sustains
them in the position they have held
frcm the first, that the Chinese govern
mcnt is not at war with Christendom,
but is confronting formidable insur-
rection.
breaking the News Gradually.
There still remains a suspicion that
while Mr.. WI is undoubtedly acting
with perfect sincerity, that Sheng, who
is represented to be a clever and adroit
man, may know more of the actual
happenings at Pekin than he is will
ing 10 reveal at once. 1t is feared that
he is trying to prepare the way for
the disclosure of terrible news. hop
ing that by letting it come out gradu-
ally the blow will not fall with such
severity, and perhaps with such dis
sstrous results to his own people as
might be the case if the whole story |
were impaired to the world ct once.
This news. it may be noted, comes
entirely from Chinese sources.
The Last Authentic News.
1t is now 81 days since word has
come directly from any of the unfor-
Inmates besieged ir the legations at |
Pekin. The last message from there |
was from Sir Robert Hart, the English
man in charge of the Chinese customs
service, and was of undoubted authen-
ITCHY. 1t represented the situation of |
the legationers as desperate, and i'm
plored help.
Unprecedented and Improbable.
The last word from Minister Conger
came to the state department from
Pekin under date of June H. AT that
time he asked that Seymour's irtcrna-
tional relief column, which was even
then doomed to fail, should signal its
approach when near PeEin,
ChincIe in America Friendly.
Minister WI feels a natural ir"ita-
ton at the statement printed in some
quarters that the Chinese in the Unit
ed States are making ready to return
to China and that they sympathize
with the Boxers and are lending them
financial aid. Re declares in the most
earnest manner that there is not
word of truth in these statements. He
says that all of the Chinese in the
United States come front southern
China, and are altogether out of sym
pathy with the northern Chinese,
should be Suppressed With a strong
Hand.
The government here has taken note
of the efforts made in some quarters TO
stir up an e2itation against the peace
able Chinese in the United States 1t
feels it is imperatively necessary to use
the entire resources of the govern
ment to suppress any movement that
would ieopardila their safety. Any
hing like a massacre of Chinese in the
Emitted States-would wreck the whole
use of the United States government
IL the settlement which must come of
his Chinese trouble.