New-York tribune., 1900-07-12
THE CHINESE STATEMENT.

The imperial message which Mr.. WI Ting
Fang yesterday communicated to the Secretary
of State at Washington is Of the most in
teresting utterances called forth by the present
Chinese troubles matter in what light we re
gard 1t. If it be regarded as a specious and de-
luSiVe attempt to screen the Chinese Govern
ment from the blame due because Of its mis-
deeds. 1t must be considered extraordinarily
adroit and effectively fitted to the known facts
Of the case. IT, on the other hand, it be
ceived as a substantially truthful, or at least
sincere. statement Of the Chinese side Of the
case it amounts TO a serious arragnment of the
Powers and must be uncomfortable reading at
all capitals except Washington. At the latter it
can be regarded with equanimity if not with
satisfaction. since If every word of it be true
there is not in the whole of it a single implied
reprOach of the American policy The COM
plants against the Powers are specifically for
doing what this country alone refrained from
doing.
We are inclined to think that when the real
facts of the case finally sfted from the
lying rumors put forth so abundantly by the
clubs and sensational press of Shanghai it will
appear that this Chinese statement is largely
true We know, in fact that much of ii is eX
actly true It's account of the rise of the Boxer
insurrectiOn is not TO be cOntradicted. Its ad-
mission that the local authorities failed to take
proper notice of that movement bears an air of
honesty. Entirely reasonable, too, Is the state
ment that, the riots at Peking becoming
formidable and beyond the power Of the Gov
ernment at once to control the foreign Minis
ters were requested temporarily to remove to
Tien-Tsin. In fact, we have hitherto been in
formed that such was the case. Finally the
gravamen of the whole case, the complaint Of
the attack upon the Taku forts, accords pre-
csely with many former intimatiOns to the
effect that the allied fleets acted with injudi-
cous haste, and by so doing greatly aggravated
the intestine troubles of China and put the for
eigners at Picking into far greater jeopardy.
These things do not of course, excuse the
Empress for her encouragement Of the anti
foreign agitation-that she did encourage it is,
we believe, beyond dispute. 1t does not excuse
Prince Tuan for his attempted coup d'6tat and
usurpation And it may be that this very mes
sage is put forth in part by those who were re-
sponsbe for the outbreak and are now seeking
to screen themselves. But the paramount fact
is this that there is serious governing body at
Picking. which has all along been opposed to
the Boxers and friendly to foreigners, and
which is now earnestly striving to bring order
out OF chaos and to make safe the lives Of for
eignerS at Peking and elsewhere in the Empire.
1t behOOves all the Powers now intervening in
China to cooperate with that Government both
for It's sake and for their own. And if it be
true that they did act prematurely in firing
upon the Taku forts, the best amends that can
be made will be strenuous effort to facilitate
the work of the Chinese Government in re
storing and maintaining order. AS for this
country, having taken no part in that episode, it
has nothing to regret and nothing for which to
atone The correctness of its course from be
ginning to end is vindicated by the testimony of
the Chinese Government itself