The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-07-26
THIS COUNTRY's ATTITUDE.
me Administration Beltoves' That
Foreigners in Pekin are Safe.

The Administration Beltoves' Thet
Foreigners in Pekin arc Safe.
President Mckinley has received
~nat purports to be direct appeal
| from the Chinese imperial poyernment
70 use his good Cftices to extricste that
government from the diffioult aud dan
Ein'ouS position in which 1t has been
placou as result Of the Boxer unria-
,nE "hu che ensuing hostile attitude of
.no Eteat powers. Although tho exeot
ItHc i ol inc appeal made by the empe ror
~ Ci.lha 10 france has not been made
known 1T Is believed that the nddraas
TO the president is similar in terms 70
tnat communication. In our case the
| com minunlcatl0n was made through
Minister WI to the State department
Ihus lar final answer has not hean
returned. The French government
answered ut once, but that answer will
not serve us. The United States gov.
ernment 1s consclentiously proceeding
upon an entirely different line OF polioy
IN tho treatment OF tho case. Unfor.
tunately, the state department. linda
Itself alonc Ia this, but nevertheless It
Is convinced that Its plan is the best,
and 1t has behind it the consolinp ss-
surahco that at present all the Euro.
pean governments have tacitly ad-
mlItcd an error was made in the be-
ginning In not following the common
sense advice Of the United States naval
commander at Taku
The point OF difference between the
oIato department and the European
governments is that tho latter are pro.
ccculng upon tho belief that all of the
'orclgn ministers and missionaries and
guards At Pekin have boon killed and
insist upon dealing with the Chinese
government upon that basis, thereby
assuming hostile attitude that tends
| Vo destroy the last chance Of availing
OF Whatever friendly sentiment NAV
yet exist among tho powerful Chinese
vlccroys and tho imperial government
Itself. Thus the French reply, rs in.
dicated In tho four conditions laid down
oy M. Delcassee yesterday, sets an i'm
possible task for the imperial govern
mont In It's present straits and tends to
drlVe 1T at once to make terms with
Boxers and Prince Tuan's party.
on the other hand our government
while not guaranteeing the truth OF the
advices from the Chinese government
rs TO the safety OF the foreign minis-
ters, ls willing to accept the statements
temporarily, In the meantime remit
ting mono OF its efforts to get access to
Mr.. Conger through the use Of military
force if need be. BY following out
This policy tho State department ar
gucs that 1t retains two chances In
stead OF ono. 1t may reach Mr.. Conger
with troops and 1t also may secure his
dclivcrance through tho friendly OFF,
ccs OF tho powerful Chinese officials,
which the powers are not likely to OBJ
tain Tor their own people by following
out their present policy.
1t may be stated also that the United
States government has not relinQ uish-
cd and does not intend to relinquish
any part OF its claim for compens alton
and rcparation in the ultimate settle
mcnt. Its position In that respect, 1t
holds, Will not be Affected unfavorsbly
by prosecuting Its efforts to make use
OF tho friendly sentiments OF the Chi
neso officials. particularly deplora-
bic clfcct OF tho reasoning OF tho Euro
Echn governments on this point, in the
estimation OF our government, Ia tn Q
abandonment OF tho idea that there IL
particular need for haste and for TAX
ing even desperate chances In the ef-
fort to get the international relief col
umn through to Pekin.
1t is true that tho latest adyIces
from Taku Indicate that whereas it
was originally estimated by the for
clgn commanders that the expedi itiOn
could not be started before August Is,
1t Is now regarded by them as possible
TO make beginning about the first OF
August. But the military experts
here, who have been closely scanning
all the reports from Tien Tain that ap.
pear TO be worthy OF credit, feel that
oven now the way is Open to Pekin and
that the march shouldbegin with the
force at present OF the Pei Ho. leaving
the powers to bring up re endorsements
TO reopen the base should the first ex-
pcditiOn be cut of. According to the
| latest reports tho country around Tien
Tsin is clear OF hostile Chinese. The
Hover OF the Chinese army In that sec
tion has bcen defeated at T1en Tsin and
thcsc army experts calculate that itg
power is SO broken that that particular
army ncvor can be re organized in sea-
son to offer formidable resistance. So
they argue the time is ripe for stroke
OF bold generalship, such for instance
as French's ride to Kimberly.
The administration is determined to
keep aloof from any movement that
would unnecessarily entangle the gov.
crnment OF the United States in Chi
ncse affairs. 1t Of course must Join
heartily with the other powers In the
effort to got to Pekin, but 1t does not
follow from that corporation that 1t
will be led into taking part In any bick-
erings or dlssensOns that ensue over
the future OF China after our people
havc been taken care OF. 1t is the In
tention Of the administration to with"
draw our forces, military and naval,
after the Americans In Pekin have
been relieved and wash It's hands Of
Chinese affairs, looking only to the pres.ss
crvation OF such privileges as it has
right to retain for Americans.
| --------.szs- e.
This story comes from Kewanee,
| H.: "Thc largest hail stones ever
seen here foil last night in The country