The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-22
Cirenlntfon Statement.
Conger to BE DiScredited.


Conrer to BE Discredited.
Minister Conger is about TO meet the
fate which frequently overtakes the bearer
of unweIcome news. He insists that the
horrors Of the siege and bombaI dmeut of
the legations were inflicted upon him and
his colleagues and the helpless women
and children under their protection, by
the direct orders of the responsible Impe-
rial Government of China. and that the
highest military officials of the Empress
Dowager's court directed the operations.
He positively asserts that it was the pur-
pose of the Imperial Government to re-
duce the legations and to massacre al Of
their inmates. There is not shadow Of
doubt that this opinion is fully shared by
the representatives of other powers who
suffered with Mir. Conger in P5kin. He
aud they, having been On the ground, and
familiar with all the circumstances ante
eedent to the war, must be assumed to
know what they are talking about. The
calm courage which all of them lave
shown under Ile most terrifying condi
lions is sufficient to dispToye the theory
that they have lost ability to advise their
Governments truly in relation to the facts
CT the situation.
But the Administration refuses 10 adopt
that view. To accept the statements and
assurances of Mr. CoHger, which II is il
honor and decency bound to do, would be
to acknowledge THAI it HIS been wrong IN
denying that China officially is making
war on the United States, and such con-
cession could not be made without involv-
irg the confession that duty and the man
date Of the Constitution demand the i'm
mediate assembling of Congress in extra
ordinary session. So Mr., Conger, it is
said, is to be ignored in the promises. and
the question OF Chinese responsibility left
TO Special Commissioner Rockhu who can
be depended upon TO find exactly what the
Administration wants and nothing else
There should be TO room for doubt that
score. Rockhin is the man who, as AS,
sIstaEt Secretary in charge OF the State
Department Consular Bureau during tho
months preceding the Spanish war. made
himself conspicuous by suppressing re-
ports OF Spanish atrocities in Cuba for
warced by our consuls at Matanzas and
elsewhere and ordering them to cease
sending such information.
We are perfectly safe in asserting that
whatever the Administration may choose
to believe OF pretend to believe, the eoun-
try at large viii credit Minister Conger
rather than the typical Hanna official who
has been designated to discredit him.
One may cheeTfully agree with our ex-
ecutive AUTHORITIES that the situation as it
has developed to the present time. is badly
complicated and not little because OF
Administration wavering and Wobbling a
lew days ago the State Department ex-
pressed its qualification that Ii Hung
Chang had been appointed Envoy Extra
ordinary and Minister Plenipctentiary to
negotiate terms OF peace with this and
other countries at war with China. and
suggested that when the legations had
been relieved. through the cooperation of
the Pekin Government with the allied
forces. the United States would be pleased
TO confer with Earl Ii in connection with
his mission
This was a formal recognition Of Lis
status, and of the Imperial Government
under whose commission ne was acting.
1t recognized the government of the En-
press Dowager as supreme in Pekin. and
as responsible for the safety of the min
listers and for honest cooperation with
the powers for their rescue and release.
Instead OF offering OF attempting that
operation, the Imperial Government made
a final and desperate attempt to over
whelm and butcher the Iegationers on the
night preceding the arrival of the relief
column. We fail to see how that act of
perfdy could operate TO extinguish the
responsible government which President
Mckinley had recognized a week Before,
in his edict concerning the appointment of
Earl Ii
II seems to have had such an effect upon
the Executive mind for now the Admin
istration is taking the position that it
cannot treat with the peace envoy because
it is not conscious of the existence of
responsible Government behind him. His
credentials which, prior to the capture of
Pekin. were officially assumed to be regu-
lar, are now mentioned as probably non
existent. The course of reasoning with
which our executive authorities are cred
tied is painful Illustration of their des-
peration under the sickening menace of
a mid-campaign session of Congress, dur
ing which the representatives of the peo-
pie would be certain to call them to ac-
count for violations of plain duty and
contempt for the Constitution they have
sworn to support,