The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-11
China QUITE HELPLESS
General Wilson Says She Is at the
Mercy of the Powers.
The Government. He Thinks. VIM
Acceae 10 Afnost Any Demands
However, May Prove the Empires
SaIvation-EarI Ii No Trickster-

Gen James Il. Wilson. who went to
China as commander OF one Of the mill
tary divisions OF the United States re-
lief expedition, arrived in Washington
yesterday afternoon and reported to the
Secretary Of War. As an authority on
China and its peoples General wilson IS
recognized as one of the best in the Unit
| ed States. There is probably no man IN
this country more interested in the de-
Eelopment of the Chinese than General
Wilson. He does not believe all the bad
things said about the present rulers OF
the Empire. nor does he consider that
Ii Hung Chang IS the tricksser pictured
by numerous correspondents. 1he recent
troubles he attributes entirely to had in
influence in the Chinese court.
This influence said General Wilson
last night. made it appear that China
vas strong enough to clear out all Tor
elgners Bad advisers Of the EmDI ess
misled her as to the strength of the En-
pire- China has never had an army able
10 defeat the foreign armies, and never
viii have There is no doubt about the
fact that the Empress. Jung Lu, aAd
Tung Fuh Slang we're Implicated in the
project to exterminRte the foreigners
But thu Empress was misled. and the En-
Refor could DO nothing, They lave at
| last realized their WEAKNESS
China is now at the mercy Of the for
eign Powers: absolutely at ihsir mary
! The question OF settlement depends
( upon the Powers. and must be settled by
] the representatives of the different Gov
ernments at their respec. i've capt.
tai IL China
say what she viii demand. IT
| is for the Powers to say. In my
| Judgment China viii accede TO almtss
any demand made upon her. She can co
nothing else. 10 matter how severe the
/ burden or how enormous the indemnity
submit OF course, II cannot be expected
! the the Emperor, or Jung Bu, OF fung
Fuh Slang would agree to a proposition
/ that they be executed By leasing this
ont CT the demand the Powers can insist
/ upon the strongest claim.
1 General Wilson believes that China's
/ present difficulty viii, however. proye It's
Own salvation. China has for years been
! fighting foreign influence. 1T has fought
its last battle against progress, ne said.
/ and progress has triumphed- After
settlement is reached China viii be opea
/ irrev0cabIy to modern progress
In reply TO a question as to how China
/ would meet any b6rdEasome financial de-
uand. General Wilson said: f'China has no
surplus revenues The Empire IS desperate
" poor. The people ara in dire poverty.
Il viii be No special hardship on China to
demand 2 large financial indemnity. The
revenue system OF the country is enc OF
its greatest evils and 10 meet any stTenu-
Gus demand VIII require that its revenue
system be recognized. I cannot see, how
| ever, how this can be done without the as
! ~ he fcr.nirr s-vTenrta
General Wilson WAS asked about the re-
/ port that Ii Hung Chsng's secretary had
/ bean taken into custody by direction of
! Count ven Naldersee. The press des-
/ patches gave his name as Yiko. General
I Wilson said he met all OF Ii Hung Chang's
! secretaries aud there YVES TO his knowledge
none by that name He explained that Ii
Hung Ebang's chief secretary IS an Ameri-
can FAMED Pothick. upon whom Earl Ii
/ leans very dependentiy. General Wilson
expressed the belief that La Hung Chang
is acting IN perfect good faith fr his efforts
TO effect a settlement with the Powers
| What else is there for him to do2" asked
General Wilson. What can China DO but
! work for a settlement As 10 his creden-
fiais l believe he viii get them at the
/ proper time. He has no desire to deceive
/ the representatives OF The Powers as il
/ could do him no good and benefit China
nothing
Speaking OF Count yon Waldsrsee, Cen
I erai Wilson expressed the opinion that he
| was net personally responsible for the out
/ RACES committed by the Germans. He
! said:
Count Won WaIdersee is a man OF ex-
ceIIent principles and character I cannot
believe that there was any difference Of
| opinion between him and Ceneal Chaffee
ever the question os Iooling Military ex-
| petitions against the Chinese should be
| discontinued They gain 10 good by kill
! ing paaceabie and harmless natives. Il
| should be remembered On the other hand
| that the ProT0caGOn of The Germans is
/ great. Their minister was killed and it s
only natural that they should try to find
| his slayer and punish him In such q sit
| uation 1t is no easy matter to control the
| individual soldier As to General Chat
| fees barring the gate to the Imperial Pal
ace / viii explain the situation. After the
capture OF the Imperial City ii was agreed
| that the gates captured should be held by
! the troops capturing them. The Americans
/ captured the south gate and the japanese
| the north and eastern gate. After the
| troops marched in a body through the Pal
zee nc one was allowed inside without
permission from the general guarding the
gate 10 be entered.
/ when Count 7on Waldersee wanted TO
go through the palace he got permission
from General Chaffee to pass through the
| south gate as IL leads right through the
| Imperial buildings 1t new appears from
| cable reports that General Chaffee re-
fuses permission and has barred the way
through the south gate to the Imperial
! buildings. It is not unna turai that Gen
ersI CAaTee should protest against the
| removal of the old observatory instru-
! menls. These instruments formed the
first acceptance by China two hundred
years ago of western science To take
them from their position ard carry them
away seems to be unnecessary and caIe1,-
lated to excite comment The instruments
are out of date but they are beautiful
specimens OF bronze work Their removal
can dc 10 possible good and il Is difficult
TO see upon what grounds it can be justI-
fed. cannot believe that won Valdez
see would countenance such an act nor
need anyone be surprised. il he did coun-
tenanee II, that General Chaffee should
protest against it,
General Wilson spoke N high praise OF
the Japanese soldiers. He declared tina;
they are simply wonderful Their cour-
age in battle cannot be surpassed, he re-
marked.
Our troops arc brave. They are gTeai
| fighters and the officers of the foreign ar.
mics say SO, but they insist that tbs
| American soldier is not soldier in tbs
/ strict military sense. The European soI-
der does not understand the discipline
in the American Army. He Is differently
| trained and does not consider the Arneri-
car. soldier at all. The Germans In this
respect are perfectly trained, but shey
] are not ahnad - the Ta-s1neSn in SohF;ro