Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1900-12-06
THE AFFAIRS OF STATE
President Mckinley Discusses Them in a
Lengthy Message.
IMPORTANT MATTERS MENTIONED
Chinese Affairs Given Much Space
Decrease of War Tax Advocated-As to
Pensions, Cuban Matters. Etc, Etc.

Tic IHCDIIIflR OF the new CFUIUTy you D6-
gin the last session of the Fifty-siXth
mgr with evidences on every hand
of Individual and national prosperity and
with proof of the growing strength and
increasing power for the good of repub-
lican Institutions. Your countrymen will
join with you in felicitation that Amer
lean liberty is more firmly established
than ever before, and that love for II
and the determination to preserve 1t are
more universal than at any former per-
fod of our history.
The republic was never so strong, be-
cause never so strongly ~entrenched in
the hearts of the people as now. The
constitution, with few amendments, eX-
lists as it left the hands of its authors.
the additions which have been made to
it proclaim larger freedom and more eX-
has demonstrated in its 124th year of trial
here its stability and security, and Its
efficiency as the best instrument of ma
tional development and the best safeguard
to human rights.
When the Sixth congress assembled in
November. 1900. the population of the
United States was 5,3OS, 4S3. 1t is now
T6. SO4. 799. Then we had sixteen states.
Now we have forty-five. Then our ter
ritory consisted of 909, $50 square miles. 1t
is now 3,S46, 595 square miles. Education,
religion and morality have kept pace
with our advancement in other dlrec-
tions, and while extending its power the
government has adhered to its founda-
ton principles and abated none of them
III u6dnUB Will u new pcOplcS dlIu pOo-
sessions. A nation so preserved and
blessed gives reverent hanks to God
and invokes His guidance and the con-
tinuance of His care and favor.
In our foreign intercourse the domi-
Hant question has been the treatment
of the Chinese problem. Apart from this
our relations with the powers have been
happy.
REVIEW OF AFFAIRS IN CHINA.
The recent troubles in China spring
from the anti-foreign agitation which
for the last three years has been gaming
in strength in the northern provinces.
Their origin lies deep in the character
of the Chinese races and in the tradi-
lions of their government. The Taiplng
rebellion and the opening of the Chinese
ports to foreign trade and settlement
disturbed alike the ~homogenity and the
secluSion of China.
Meanwhile foreign activity made itself
felt in all quarters, not alone on the
coast, but along the great river arteries
and in the remoter districts, carrying new
ideas and introducing new associations
among. a primitive people which had
of Isolation. THE telegraph and the
railway spreading over their land, the
steamers plying on their. waterways, the
merchants and the missionaries pene-
trating year by year to the interior be-
came to the Chinese mind types of an
alien invasion, changing the course OF
their national life and fraught with
vague fore odings of disaster to their
beliefs and their self-control.
For several years before the present
trouble all the OF foreign di-
piomacy, backed by moral demonstra-
lions of the physical force of fleets and
arms have been needed to secure due
respect for the treaty rights of for
eignerS and to obtain satisfaction from
the responsible authorities for the spo-
radio outrages upo the persons and
property OF unoffending s~ojourners which
from time to time occurred at widely
separated points in the northern prov
-inoes, as in the case of the outbreak In
SEE Chuen and Shan Tung.
Posting of anti-foreign placardS became
q daily occurrence, which the repeated
reprobation of the imperial power failed
appeals to the ignorance and Superstl-
tfon of the masses, mendacious and alb
Gurd in their accusations and deeply hos
tile in their spirit. could not but work
particular class of foreigners; they were
Impartial in attacking everything for
eign. An outbreak in Shan Tung; IN
which German Missionaries were slain,
was the too natural result of these
malevolent teachings. The posting of Sc
ditious placards eXhorting to the utter
destruction of foreigners of every
foreign thing continued unrebuked. Hos
tile demonstrations toward the stranger
gained strength by. organization:
The sect, commonly styled the Boxers,
developed greatly in the porvinceS north
of the Yang Use and with the collision
of many notable officials, including some
In the Immediate councils of he throne
itself, became alarmingly aggressive.
No foreigners life outside of the pro-
tected treaty ports was safe. No for
eign interest was secure from Spoliation.
The diplomatic representatives OF the
powers in Pekin strove in vain to check
this movement. Protest was followed by
demand and demand by renewed protest,
TO be met with perfunctcry edicts from
Che palace and evasive and futile assVr-
ance from the tsang-li-yamen. The cir
h nf 4ha PnVnr inHlonPn nQTT0Up6
about Pekin. and while nominally stig-
matized as geditious, it was felt that
the spirit pesvaded the capital itself, that
the imperial forces were imbued with
its doctrines and that immediate coun-
sellers of the empress dowager were in
full sympathy with the anti-foreign move
ment.
The increasing gravity of the condi-
lions in China and the imminence of
peri! TO our OWN diversified interests in
the empire. as we'll as to those of all
the other treaty gossrnments, were soon
appreciated by this government. caus-
ing it profound so)joitude. The United
States, from the ~eaIlies; days of for
eign intercourse with China had followed
10 testify good viii, to further the ex-
tension of lawful trade, to respect the
sovereignty of its government and TO IN
ssuTe by all legitimate and kindly, but
earnest means, the fullest measure OF
protection for the lives and property of
our law-abiding citizens and for the ex-
ercise of their beneficent callings among
the Chinese people.
Mindful of this, it was felt to be APP
propriate that our purpose should be pro-
nounced in favor of such a course as
would hasten united action of the pow
crs at Pekin to promote the adminlstra-
tive reforms SO greatly needed TOT
strengthening the imperial government
and maintaining the integrity of CHINA,
in which we believed the whole western
world to be alike concerned. To these
ends 1 caused to be addressed to the
several powers occupying territory ana
maintaining spheres of influence in China
the circular proposals of 1899 inviting
from them declarations of their lnten-
tions and views as to the ~desirabillty
of the adoption of measures inSuring the
benefits of equality of treatment OF all
foreign trade throughout China.
With gratifying unanimity the re
sponses conceded with this common pol
lev. enabling me to see in the successful
termination of these negotiations proof
of the friendly spirit which animates the
various powers interested in the untram-
meIed development of m and in
dustry of the Chinese empire as a source
of vast benefit to the whole commercial
world.
In this conclusion, which L had the
qualification to announce as a completed
engagement to. the interested powers, on
March 20, 1900, l hopefully discerned a
D~otential factor for the abatement of
the distrust of foreign purposes, which
for a year past had appeared to inspire
fine policy of the imperial government