Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-06-21
KEMpFF TOOK NO PART.
reports Tha. thor Foreign Forces
Did Fighting At Taku.

AAepOrt6 In6Is sOgnor tOrel&uEOTCeo
Did Fighting at Taku.
Washington, June 21.-The navy de-
partment has given out the following
statement regarding the contents of a
dispatch from Admiral Kempff. brought
from Taku to Chez Foo and forwarded
by Commander Taussig of the York
town:
The department has received a ca
sblegram from Admiral kempff. dated
June 20. He says the Taku forts We're
captured by the other foreign forces;
that heavy firing was heard at Tien
Tsin on the evening Of the 18th inst.
He is making common cause With the
foreign powers for general protection.
There are 800 Americans ashore. On
May 81 the number of foreign troops at
Pekin was 430. There are 5000 men
ashore now at Chez Foo. and about 5000
troops, Russian. German and English,
have just arrived.
Owing to the Discrimination of Acting
Secretary Hackett to8take the respon-
albility upon HIS shoulders of making
public any portion of Admiral lSempffss
dispatch. it VAS not until late in the
|afternpen, and after the president had
given his approval, that the rather
meaeer statement of the admiral's COM
Imunication MAS given out. 1t Was then
found to contain little that is new.
Persistent inquiry developed the fact
that the date Of thestelegram Was Chee
Foo, june 90 The admiral'a statement
that heavy firing Vas heard at Tiens
51,sinS on the. evening of the 18th, posi-
| bly, is the basis for the report current
III Europe that Pelin was attacked
that day by the foreign column. tho it
seems incredible that the sound of any
such artillery as.could have been carried
by Admiral Seynour's light column
could have been heard seventy five
miles. he distance from Pellin TO I;ien.
Tsill. Ii is possible that the admiral
means that he himself. at TakI. heard
heavy firing in progress at Ten Tsin,s
Thirty miles distant, tho With an open
Irivel above him at that point. and gun
lboats capable of navigating the channel
lying at Tien Tsin. it would seem that
| he should have been abla in that case to
ascertain what the firing meant in the
TWO days that elapsed between the 18th
land the date of his dispatch.
Naval officers generally bitterly re-
greet that Admiral kempif was not in
The fighting Al Taku. Up o the receipt
Iof his dispatch Yesterday afternoon
I5theyshad continued To hope. even in the
| face OF the foreign reports to the con-
ltNstly, that the American naval forces
had taken some part in repelling the
lsatfack of the Chinese forts. But the
tadrniral's statement that he forts We're
i5captured by the otheraforeign forces
BUSINESSES that hope. The prevailing
Idea among the naval officers is that
| the reducten@of these forts was abso-8
jsluIely necessary 10 the safe progress of
arg International relief expedition to
5''ekiii and that .Admiral Kempff should.
I5have found it 10 be within his duty in
1.-THE protection of ali American inter-
ests 70 haye borne his part in the bur-
lden. Much depends. however upon the
IeNact terms of his Instructions. and, in
lsfact. iii is not vat definitely known
whether or not he actually received all
li9f his instructions. The responsible of
lsficials, therefore, are making no criti-
#cisllls IT the adnlirai's conduct,
| The administration is said to be Very
Emuch embarrassed because Of the
Length Of time which necessarily Will
elapse before the United states milf
Iitaiy reinforcements reach China
4 An evidence of the total unprepared-
1 Mss of the foreign policy in Pekin for
the Boxer uprising is afforded by a
tmaii report u the state department
from Minister Conger. in which he
8@rote from Pekin on April l6 1900. that
.he lad succeeded in obtaining perlnis-
4 sion from the ns-li-yamen 10 admit
free Of duty the goods TO be placed on
dexhibition in the American Warehouses
k in Shanghai Id be established by the
National saeiatinn&of Manufacturers
lEBand was 20 b. given that none Of the
goods would be sold.
4 Evidently the minister was zealousy
ddevoting his attention 70 the introduce
Luton If American wares into China
'5without apprehension Of a reactionars.
movement.