The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-06-12
AN 0MIN0US MOVE.

sPEtIAL cABLEGRAW 10 TIE POsT.

Copyright. 1900 by chicago Tribune CompanyD
London, June 12.-The Pekin correspond.
ent or the Times sends the following:
Several changes have been made IN the
personnel Of the tsung Ii yamen Chinese
foreign offce). One Chinese member has
been retired and four Manchurs. who are
rigidly conservative. have been appoint
Cd. Prince Ching. the only member with
d knowledge OF foreign affairs. has been
superseded as president by Prince Tuan.
father Of the crown prince, a powerful
supporter of the Boxer brotherhood.
The British legations new summer
residence in the hills. whose destruction
some time ago was threatened. was total
iy burned during last night by some un-
known Boxers or soldiers. The buildings
had. been formally placed under the pro-
lection Of the Chinese government and
were unOccupied- No lives were lost"
The Tines. commenting upon The rcor-
ganizatioa Of the tsung Ii yamen. consid-
ers its significance unmistaka5le, and
says:
1T means that the Empress Dowager
has finally thrown off the mask and has
resolved to stake everything on her anti
foreign policy. Prince TUan is creature
o. the Empress, who IS known 70 be one
OF the chief patrons Of the Boxers and
a representative Of the most reacti5nary
party in China. That she is a determined
and headstrong woman is not to be dis
ruted She has so far enjoyed an impunity
which has encouraged those qualities, and.
combined with her ignorance of the force
she is defying ana with the malign IN
huence Of her encourage of eunuch5 and
parasites, as well as place hunters, her
willfulness tas induced her TO offer a
direct challenge to the foreign powers.
The challenge is one which they cannot
decline TO take up. They must act, and
they must act together, as indeed they are
doing.
IF the Empress is to have her way,
the position Of no foreign power in China
VIII be worth a months purchase and
western civilization will disappear rom
the country altogether"
Shanghai, June 1.-THE telegraph lines
between Pekin and Tientsin were cut on
June 9, and in the absence OF trustworthy
information the widest rumors are be-
ing circulated. The Chinese native papers
to-day publish alleged kilograms from
Tientsin stating that Gen. Tung Fuh ST.
ang and the Kansu troops had attacked
the foreign guards in the capital. In ad-
dition 10 this a Russian force is reported
TO have landed at Petaiho and TO be going
10 Pekin. Sheng the director of railways.
remains in Shanghai. despite urgent sum
mons To go 10 the scene of the disturb
ances. Local officials consider the return
Of Ii Hung Chang to Chile probable
St Petersburg, June ia report is cir
Culated here that it has been decided TO
carry out the Russian military occupation
of Manchuria. Why such a step should be
considered necessary at the present mo-
ment except on the presumption. so far
unwarranted, that the Boxer rising has
already affected or is likely to soon affect
the province through which the Russians
are running a railway. The persons
spreading the rumOr are quite unable 10
explain the nucleus of such occupancy.
Five thousand COssack police who ar
guarding the railway route are already on
the spot but this number Is very made
G9ate 20 cover the property over dis
tance about as long as that from ST. Pc
tersburg TO Paris.