The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-17
TIE ALLIED FORCES REruLsEp.

THE ALLIED fOHtES HEfDLSED.
The repulse suffered by the allied forces
at Tien Tsin will have a far reaching ef-
feet 1t will strengthen the fanatlcal
movement against foreigners. The anti
foreign uprising will now show Hself in
provinces in which thus far there have
been but few signs of it. In the prov
inces in which 1t has gained Roadway
It will grow in intensity and strength.
Let the idea once get firmly lodged in the
minds of the Chinese THAI they are in
vincible-that they are capable of meet
ing the troops of the Christian countries
on something like equal terms-and It
will take all the armies that Europe and
America can send to China 20 make an
impression on them.
1t is evident that they are better solr
diers than they we're when they fought
the Japanese five years ago. They have
been trained since then by some of the
best drill masters of Europe, and they
have been accommodating arms and am
munition. The setback they gave the al
lied forces al Tien Tsln will encourage
them greatly. II will give them conf
dence in themselves such as they have
never before had. Being confident of their
strength and fanatical in their hostility
to foreigners. it may become a serious
question whether foreign Powers will be
able to maintain the foothold they have
upon China's soil 1t is not clear yet that
the Chinese government is in sympathy
with the anti-foreign movement. Some
Of the most powerful >of the viceroys and
of the ministers to foreign countries say
II is not. The fact that the imperial
troops are fighting In the ranks of the in
surgents does not prove that the govern
ment is back of the anti-foTeign move
ment. If II be true that the government
is trying to put down the insurrec-
ton it cannot be said that a state of war
exists between China and the foreign
Powers. The United States have main
tanned that there is nothing yet to show
that they are at war with China. The
British newspapers are disposed to crit
icise che United States for taking this po-
sition, but IL is the correct one. 1t will
be time enough for the United States to
acknowledge that they are at war with
China when Il appears that the Chinese
government approves the outrages which
have been committed against foreigners.
And when it is admitted that a state of
war exists there ought to be no delay on
the part of the President in calling Con-
gress together.
Indeed there is a probability that he
will have to call it together before it is
declared that the nation is at war with
China. If the interests of the United
States in that empire are to be protected
as they should be, there will be need of
many more American soldiers there than
che President is able TO send there with
out authority from Congress. If the up
rising continues 20 spread there will be
need in China for big armies from all of
the Christian Powers.
There does not appear TO be any room
for doubt that all of the members of the
legations and all other foreigners in
Pekin have been massacred. The dis
patches from Chinese sources which we
published yesterday gave such detailed
account of the attack on the legations, and
of the brave and determined resistance
that was made together with the horri-
BILE outrages to which members of the le-
cations were subjected, that there does
not seem to be any reason for doubling
further that tragedy has been enacted
in Pekin that will have far reaching con-
sequences. The Christian Powers will
never be satisfied until there is such re-
paration as is possible for the awful
crime The result of the anti-foreign
movement will not be the shutting out
OF all foreigners from China, as the Box
ers hope, but the opening up of the whole
empire to the freest intercourse with
other nations.