Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-06-16
The TROUBLES IN CHINA.

poets for such elimination are slim
mer now than they were few days
ago, and they seem to be growing still
simmer every day. The disturbance
has evidently passed the limit where
peaceable settlement was possible.
Bits of information from various
sources previously published in THE
ENQUIRER, have given a fair idea of
the nature of these disturbances but
they have given no satisfactory notion
of their cause. This is still doubt
full question, and it is likely to remain
80 for quite awhile. Protestant mis-
sionaries lay the responsibility upon
the Roman Catholics, and most of the
foreign diplomats charge it against the
sinister designs of Russia. Others as
sign still other causes.
That the Chinese are very econ
servative" people is a long established
fact. With civilization dating back
almost to the days of Adam, it is quite
natural that by this time they should
have become very much set in their
habits, and that they should be op-
posed to the introduction of foreign
innovations and customs is perfectly
natural. Reference, of course, is had
to the great mass of the population.
1t is just as natural that a portion of
their people should realize the advan'
tages that are possessed by foreigners
and desire their advantages for them.
selves. Here is a reasonable basis for
strife, and it is quite likely that some
body has taken advantage of these
conditions; but just how or why does
not appear to be absolutely certain.
The charge against the Roman
Catholics sounds quite plausible. 1t
is to this effect. Included in a treaty
that France made with China great
many years ago, was a provision that
priests should have the rank and au-
thority of viceroys and magistrates.
For years the priests made no practi-
cal use of this concession further than
to secure such respect as was to be de-
rived from the distinction. After a
while, however, they began to assume
the functions of magistrates, and
when the competition became strong
with Protestant missionaries, they
would mako converts of criminals by
securing for them immunity from pun
ishment. In the course of time this
abuse grew to be 80 unbearable that the
people have begun to rise against it.
However much truth there may be in
this, it is probably only a part of the
cause of the present trouble.
A more general accepted view as to
the cause of the disturbance is the
peculiarly aggressive diplomatic policy
of Russia. The Russians have had
their eyes on China for several years,
and when they take notion that they
want anything at all they keep on
wanting until their desire is accom-
plished. That Russian diplomacy has
been in the ascendency in Pekin, at
least during the past four or five years,
there has been no room for question.
Russia has beaten England out on sew.
eral very important propositions, and
aroused the jealousy of all the pow.
ers. At the head of the Old China
party in China is the dowager empress,
the real ruler; and at the head of the
New China party is the emperor, or
nominal ruler. For several years past
the emperor has been held close pris.
oner in his palace at the instance o1
the dowager empress and her advisers,
and it has been believed all along that
Russia has been at the bottom of this
proceeding. 1t has also been believed, ,
and is believed now, that Russia pre-
ciptitated the Old China or Boxer
party with view to deriving advant-
age to herself; and although she is now
apparently cooperating with the other
powers, she is only waiting full de-
velopment of the situation to act as
she may consider her best interests
might require.
Although only threatening, rather
than otherwise at first, the situation is
daily becoming more serious. The
basis of the Boxer organization is nu-
merous local societies linked together
and working for a common object.
They began to intimidate, and later
on to murder Christian converts, and
next they burned mission stations and
killed missionaries until few weeks
ago the whole world was aroused to
the situation. Dispatches of the past
week describe numerous mission sta
tions surrounded by mobs and defend
ed by small squads of marines. AS a
general thing, the mobs are only armed