The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-09-11
FRANCE IN A DILEMMA
CONFLICT BETWEEN INTEREST AND IN
CLlNATlON IN CHINA
WHETHER To FOLLOW RUSSIA
Or to Side With Germany Puzzling the
French Government-Her Interests
With Germany; Her Sympathies
Against Her-Her Friendship for
Russia ut TO Severe Test by Over
bearing Conduct of Russian Com
mander I'm Ch ma.
Copyrighted by Associated Press.)

Copyrighted by Associated Press)
Paris, September S.-France is in a
dilemma. Russia's proposition 10
withdraw from Pekin has resolved |
itself into a problem for her which |
French statesmen are now 'tackling |
very gingerly The complete with
drawal from Pekin, after careful con- |
sideratio is now deemed not TO be al |
together in line with Frances interests. |
France is now forced TO choose be |
tween the course she would rather |
adopt and the policy dictated TO her |
by the Russian alliance, and French |
state craft has been devoted for the |
past week to an endeavor to splice |
these two conflicting policies into a
compromise which will not jeopardize
her friendship with Russia and, at the
same time, will not prejudice her own
position in China. The suggestion,
therefore, that while the bulk OF the
troO.s toe Withdrawn tIom Pekin a
small International guard be still re-
tained in the city comes as a peculiarly
acceptable idea TO France. Russia and
Germany appear TO be the only serious
stumbling blocks in the way of gen
eral acceptance of this compromise,
the first named desiring the total with
drawal of the allied forces and the
latter wishing a continued occupatio
Should the proposal fall through and
Russia and America withdraw all their
troops France would undoubtedly fol-
low suit. 1t would be too rude
shock to the RuSSo-French alliance
for France to abandon her ally and re-
main in Pekin with, as her associates,
her hereditary enemies England and
Germany. The French government
appreciates the great element of wis
| dom in the Muscovite proposal, recog-
nizing that a continuance of the form
| of occupation would prevent early and
direct negotiations with the empress
| dowager- who fears to return to the
| capital, and that moreover, the ad-
ministration of the affairs of the city
would throw immense responsibility
and labor upon the European COM
manderS. They would need to under
take the proper policing of Pekin, with
| it's millions of inhabitants, all of
| whom are now filled with hatred for
| the foreign DEVILS" to arrange Sani-
tary and fire precautions and an end
4 less list of other municipal details.
| The provisioning of and keeping open
| communication from the seacoast for
| a big force in Pekin during the winter,
| when the country is snow covered and
| frozen, also presents a problem of eX-
| treme difficulty.
| AnOtDSr move Wnlcn Wsillkt lmIeS
! France ia follow Russia, if the latter
withdra Wzs her troops, is the fact that
| the French forces would thereby avojd d
| remaining under the command of
| Field Marshal Count Won Waldersee.
| An eye opener as TO lack of accord
between the various military COM
\ man0enS in China is furnished by the
! report ef Captain MaroIles- who COM
manded the French contingent UP to
| the time of the capture of Tien TSin.
MarolleS relates each DAYS events in
the form of a diary, in which appear
statements which Paris paper de-
ScElbeE aE tantanlOUnt ito a masked
indictment of the Russian general,
Stessel, who with the obstinacy of a
| soldier executing an order, it says.
| wished to win or even to be beaten
alone. The result of this ambition was
| the less of hundreds of lives. Maroll-
| IS, under date of June 9th, writes:
Russians attacked fhe arsenal al
Tfen TTsin without notifying apr one
but eventually the German and then
the English contingent had to coop
| crate, which was not agreeable tO
them. 1t is apparent that there is nc
| accord between the military chiefs"
Two days later Marolles writes:
4 ''The Russians made a reconnaissance
on the left bank, without notifying any
| one, when a fusilade began and the
town suffered an hopr's lombard
| menr
Il After recounting other instances OF
! the isolated action of General StAssel
he says on July 3rd, General S1eSsel
advised him that he would Withdraw
the next day the outpost at the rail-
| road depot, which was indispensable
| to the French concesSi0n.
The next entry is dated July 4th
and reads: The Russians evacuated
the railroad depot at 7:53 o'clock this
morning. AS the post y absolutely
indispenSio Ole to protect the French
| concession, a force of japanese, French
and English occupied it,
Marches report thus shows thai
there was no accord, even between lhe
French and Russians
The letter of Admiral Seymour tc
} the Frenoh commander, egGgizing IL
splendid conduct of the French contiI
gent OF his Pekin relief force has cre-
ated a most pleasant impression her.
and has proved of much greater val
ue In improving the Anglo-French re-
lations than he could possibly nave an
| ticipated.
| What was known As The Massca, in
| cldent between France and England
arising from the French claim, which
the British disputed, to a coaling sta
ton on the coast of Muscat. Arabia
is now finally settled, France having
made good her claim.
The nationalist mayor and muniei-
pality OF Paris received a bad snub
this week Taking advantage Of the
presidential banquet offered to all the
mayors Of France, they issued invi-
tatfons to a reception to the mayors at
the Paris hotel de Vile Instead Of
| an enthusiastic response they received
quite a number Of uncompIimentary
refuSals from the socialist MAYORS, in
eludiHg the mayor of Lyons, the second
largest city in France.