The evening times., 1900-07-09
Circulation statenent.
The Chinese situation.

UP IN FeEln, lhe reports from Cnlna suS-
gesting hope for ;he legations. alternating
with others alleging their destruction. are
particularly exaspersting AS to all OF
them it may be said that they are untrust-
worthy and unworthy Of belief save in In
stances where native reports cropping out
simultaneously at widely separated places
tell substantially the same story. and then
acceptance is justified only to the extent
OF an inference that such identical state
mcnts Of alleged facts. when agreeing with
assumed circumstances and conditions,
doubtless have common origin and foun-
dation. and probably are true in whole or
sn part.
The latest report Of a favorable charac-
Ter, given out by the Chinese Director OF
Telegraphs. Sheng. at Shanghai. which was
that the legations were holding out well
on July 4. but were short Of food. has been
accepted by the consular body ct the port,
and the British Consul Warren has adopt
ed il as true and so notified his Govern
ment- But. as usual. when Sheng is cor
nered he shows himself the liar we have
seen him to be from the beginning Of the
outbreak. He eonfesses that the runner
upon whose information he declared the le-
cations TO be safe on July left Pekiu on
June 2s. All the native gossip of Shanghai
snd ChefOo is and has been definite in
claiming that the legations were wiped out
and the men. women, and children within
their protection murdered on June 80 or
July L There is little room for doubt that
the Chinese authorities in the two cities
named received news TO that effect three
or four days ago. and that it was given out
in one way or another to the leading ma
tiyes in both places. It Is significant that
the Russian Government has been given
what it regards as reliable informs tion
that its Minister at Pekin has been tor
tured and murdered. If he has been. all
the presumptiOns are that his colleagues
have been killed
We should be only TOO glad to believe
IN the stories that Prince Ching is head
ing a counter-rsvOIution in Pekin. against
Prince Tuan and the Boxers. and that the
former is protecting the legations. 1t
would be a great relief. if We could credit
the statement. that large mixed force
Of Russians and japanese has penetrated
TO Pekin from Tientsin against all opposi-
tion. and thus. perhaps, rescued the for
eigners. Bet neither story acoards with
either collateral facts or probability.
There is not a question that Sheng. at
Shanghai, is in constant communication
with Pekin.- OF that. if he chose. he could
release the truth OF the situation at the
capital from the time communications
later IL. therefore. he wished to reas-
sure the civilized world and show that its
fears for the legations are exaggerated. he
could easily secure messages from some
Of the beleaguered foreign representatives.
Eupposing Ching and a loyal army to be
lighting to save them. through runners
which Ching could find means for sending
Through. The Ching story therefore is not
likely to have any basis in fact
We are compelled to regard the defeat
pr Tuan's forces by Russo-Japauese col
Gmn, with equal incredulity. 1t is. Of
course. a bare possibility tbst some civ
Gized army may have fought IS way to Pc
kin from the north It would not be OF
mixed nationality. but Russian. from that
direction. But from Tientsln no advance
has been reported since three thousand
Russians marched out to follow uD and
re-enforce Vice Admiral Seymour. on June
il. never TO be heard from in any way from
that day to this. From all the foregoing
the inevitable deduction is that the worst
has happened. and that there IS a conspira-
cy among the Chinese officials in touch
with the allies at Shanghai. Chefoo. and
elsewhere to keep the news back as long
as possible. and to confuse and delude for
eign commanders, consuls. and Govern
ments with manufactured statements In
short, we are unable TO extract one soIi-
tary grain Of hope or comfort from the
phantasmagoria CT native assertions. tend
ing to create an impression that the Iega-
tioR people are still in being
What we do know is that the conditions
at Tientsin are acknowledged to be serious.
and probably are desperate. The official
reports OF the various international com
msnders have every appearance of an in
tention to prepare the public of Europe
and America FOR retreat upon Taku,
which may not be accomplished without
heavy loss. Women and children. it is
said, nave been ordered away and. as the
railway is cut again and there is no com
Elunication except by way Of the river.
they can only retire by river craft under
convoy Of torpedo boats and armed
launches II is quite possible that the stiff
fight the garrison is mailing is to cover
this movement which would necessarily be