Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-07-25

and VIII Have an Impsrtanf Mis-
sion.
| WASHINGTON, July 24.-The De-
partpent of State made public the Chi
nese appeal for mediation ana the
Presidents reply; Minister WI brought
to the Department a copy OF the identi-
cal telegram sent out BY Sheng to thu
powers, repeating the Chinese assur-
ance of the safety of che legationera
up to the 18th instant; and finally Spe-
cial Commissioner Rockhih returned to
Washington and began to prepare for
his journey to China. Such were the
developments of the morning so far as
China was concerned.
| The Chinese appeal is unquestionably
an adroit production. The Presidents
answer is equally clever and more sim
cere; that is the opinion or the officials
here who have carefully studied both.
The President has succeeded in asking
for conditions precedent to mediation
quite as valuable as those laid down in
Europe, yet he has so tempered his re-
quirements as TO make them unexcep-
tionable to the Chinese government.
AT the same time, there Is nothing in
the note to which the European chan
cellor can object, openly at least The
President expressly states that his med
iation is subject
To the Approval Of the Povverst
he will not attempt TO force 1t upon
Europe. And the Chinese government
must produce the ministers in safety.
Minister WI declares that his gov
eminent will meet that obligation, in
proof of which he produced Sheng's
telegram in which he expressed i'm
plicit confidence Certainly Ii the last
promise is baseless, the Chinese govern
ment Is party to one OF the most bare
faced receptions practlcea upon an
other nation, in the estimation of the
State Department. The department
does not doubt Minister Was sincerity
in any case, and as for that official he
is conddenf that the United States gov
eminent is the only one Ia the world
to which China can look for fair and
friendly treatment, that he has ex-
hausted every effort. personally, by APP
peal and otherwise, to save all the for
eign ministers in Pekin If possible, but
at any rate to ensure the safety OF Mr..
Conger. The Sheng telegram was
made public at the State Department
in the following statement:
The sheng Message.
Minister WI visited the State De-
partment this morning July 24) and
handed to the acting secretary OF state
the following text of a cable message.
explaining that it was cablegram
from Director General Sheng, at Shang-
hal, dated July 23d, 1900, TO the Chi
neses minister at London, by whom it
had been retransmitted to Minister
WI and received by the latter on the
night of the same day.
News from Pekin of 22d day of
9Th moon corresponding to July 18th,
says Wen Jul, by direction of the
Tsung-Li-Yamen, went to see the vari-
Gus foreign ministers and found not
one Of them harmed. Jung Lu pro-
poses to memorabilia imperial govern
ment to supply them with provisions
at once. and then devise a plan to de-
tail troops to escort them to Tien
Tsin''
w. w. Rockhill, who has been select
ed as special commissioner by the
President to go to China, returned to
! Washington this morning from Block
island, and began Immediately prepar-
ing for his long journey. he has de-
| cided
To Take Mrs. Rsckhill with Him
and sail from San Francisco on the
American Maru, OF the Japanese line.
He viii leave Mrs. Rockhlll at Yoko-
hama or Nagasaki, while he goes on
to Shanghai. At that point he will de-
termine in which direction TO proceed.
4 NJ TtOSALtll uOS5 mol u0uEfESLlLudt8
the extent OF the task set for him by
1 the President. He Is to act as the eyes
/ and ears Of the administration in
China, to make careful inquiry into
the existing conditions. to learn the
exact causes Of the present uprising
and report the facts directly TO the
President for his guidance in the ulti-
mate settlement and In framing his
policy for the future.
| This task will involve large amount
Of travel in China Mr.. Rockhiil is OF
the opinion that it will not be sufi-
cient to merely look into conditions IN
Shan Tung province and perhaps In
Pekin, if he can obtain access TO that
capital. He also must visit other prov
inces and cities where there Is disquiet
and danger TO foreign interests, and
this win be fraught with perhaps some
personal rfsk. But 1t is regarded as
a necessary undertaking If the Presi-
dent Is to be put IN possession Of q
comprehensive understanding Of cM-