The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-11


ton of the bombardment is fully conceded
by China there is no other course open
but to press steadily onward in the mission
OF relief
The Conger dispatch was received before
daylight at the Chinese legation. and as
soon as the official day opened Minister
WI presented 1t to acting Secretary Adee.
at the State Department. 1t was in the
American cipher. and was found 10 be an
Identical note with that of the other min
listers at Peking Chat OF the French min
lister. NJ. Pichon. already having appeared),
with the additional fact that seven MEM
bers of the American guard had been killed
and sixteen wounded
The discussion with the President led to
the determination to reply 10 the Conger
message al once. and accordingly Secretary
Root and acting Secretary Adee conferred
on the terms OF this reply. The text was
ready by 3 o'clock, and Il was forwarded
late in the day. 1t was announced officially
and positively that this message would not
be made public, either in whole or in SUBJ
stance 1t was made plain, however. that
the message was sufficiently guarded as
not to further increase the jeopardy of our
minister in case the Chinese have access to
sage, they are believed to make plain that
this government will not advise. much less
direct. Mr.. Conger to leave Peking under
Chinese escort, when the minister has ad-
vised Washington that this would mean
certain death
Moreover, the reply doubtless lets the
minister know that there is an unaccount-
able error in the statement of the Chinese
government, as conveyed TO him through
the Tsung Ii Yamen. that the foreign gov
ernments had urged repeatedly that the
ministers be sent out of Peking under suit
able escort. This clause, contained in Mr..
Conger's latest dispatch, clearly shows that
the Chinese government is leading him to
believe that ii is the wish of Washington
that he leave under a Chinese escort
whereas the United States government
never has entertained for a moment the
idea of having the minister set out on the
dangerous pilgrimage from Peking to the
coast under Chinese protection.
There is probability that the attention
of the Chinese government will be directed
TO its apparent double dealing as indi-
Gated by the Conger dispatch. This gov
ernment has transmitted to the other pow
ers interested the note to the Chinese gov
ernment intrusted TO Minister WI on the
night of the Sth 1t has assurances from
the other powers that they have not adj
vised their representatives to accept Chi
nese escort from Peking. 1t was officially
stated at the close of the day that no
further representa- tions have been made TO
the Chinese government since the Adee note
of the sth and that none will be made until
the Chinese government has given some
indication of the attitude 1t will assume in
complying with or denying the demands of
the United States.
While the State Department is continu-
ing TO dispatch messages to Minister Con-
ger on the assurance of the Chinese gov
ernment that communication is uninter-
rupted it is doing so with comparatively
small hope of their delivery. This asser-
tion was borne out tonight when Secre-
tary Root said that there was no con-
vincing evidence I'm possession of this gov
ernment that any of our dispatches really
had reached Minister Conger This in
dicates that the minister has not given
direct and satisfactory answer to any of
the queries that have been addressed him
by the Department of State.
No additional dispatches were received to-
day bearing on the military situation,
either from General Chaffee or Admiral
Remey. and the last information leaves the
international forces at Yang-Tsun last
Monday night.
Orders have been issued for additional
teams TO be sent from Manila to China TO
increase the available transportation nee
essary for the movement of General Chat
fees army. These teams can be procured
much sooner from Manila than from this
country.
1t is authoritatively stated that the United
States government will accept Count
Waldersee as the commander of the inter-
national forces in China if the necessity ex-
lists at the time of his arrival in that coun-
try for an international army to begin a
campaign.
The Navy Department to-day received
cablegram from Shanghai which, it is un-
derstood. gives notice of the intention of
Admiral Seymour TO land troops there for
the defense of the city. The Shanghai
newspapers, according to the cable, while
acquiescing In the landing of the British
troops, deprecate the idea that Englands
example should be followed by the other
powers. The United States now has two
warships at Shanghai to safeguard Amer
lean interests in case of trouble there-the
gunboats Castine and Princeton. The latter
arrived at Shanghai to-day.
Mr.. Wu, the Chinese minister, is display
ing a great deal of interest in the reports
that Ii Hung Chang has been appointed
a minister plenipotentiary to negotiate
peace with the powers. He said tonight
that he had not received any confirmation
of the reports.