The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-14
IT YIELDS To CHINA.
POLITICS TO THE REAR WHILE
THE OUTRAGES CONTINUE.
GROSVENOR TALKS OF BOTH.
BELIEVES HIS FRIEND CoNGER HAS
BEEN MURDERED.

| His Earnings Trip to Europe.
Believes Republicans Can Push on
to Success without Him-His Po-
IiticnI and Chinese Views-Wu's
Position and COnger's COntrasted.
| Washington, D. c., July 13.-Distress-
ing rumors concerning the fate of foreign
ers in Pekin have been in circulation here
to-day. At the state department the only
| official information received was a brief
dispatch from Consul General Goodnow
of Shanghai, stating that the Governor
OF Shang Tung wires that the Boxers and
soldiers were bombarding the legations for
final attack upon July 7. He is eX-
tremely anxious for the safety of the
ministers and our Chinese friends in Pc
kin. The consul adds that fears of the
worst are generally entertained.
This dispatch, coupled with information
from London that all the Europeans in
Pekin were massacred July 6. had very
depressing effect here. Department OFF,
cials have dong suspected that the various
reports emenating from Shanghai, in each
case from Chinese source, have been
preparing the way for the formal an
nouncement of the determination of the
foreign ministers, and all the hapless peo-
pie who were cooped up in Pekin.
The greatest anxiety prevails in diplo-
matte circles concerning the latest re-
port, and the representatives of China,
Japan, Russia and France were at the
state department to-day, seeking infor-
nation. They were shown the dispatch
of Consul Goodnow, which was not en-
couraging.
Representative Grosvenor of Ohio, ar
| rived here to-day from home on his way
| to New York, to take a brief trip to
Europe. He says, while the preiiminar-
les of the coming Ncampagin are
being arranged. he proposes to take
an ocean voyage to rest up pre-
paratory to engaging actively in the APP
preaching contest He realized a snug sum
from his journalistic and lite~ry work
during the Philadelphia Convention, and
he proposes to spend il in a much-needed
| sea trip He might have continued his
| journalistic course at Kansas City at the
| rate of 800 per day, but he declined the
| proposition. He will be absent about
a month, and when he returns he expects
to have his prediction faeulties in geod-
working orders for Mckinley.
| Gen. Grosvenor says the political out
| look is not causing him as much concern
as the terrible conditions existing in
China. His personal association with
Minister Conger and the dread that the
| latter has met an untimely end at bar
barous hands is forced upon him by the
| conflicting and unsa tsfactory reports
coming from the Far East.
Il aprrehend," said Gen. Grosvenor,
| that Minister Conger and all the for
| eigners in Pekin have been put TO death
-. TE
| that American Ingenuity, combined with
| that of the representa- tives of the foreign
| Powers, would fail to invent some means
| of communication with the outside world
during this long period Of silence II any
| of them were alive. Necessity is the
| mother of invention, and l cannot help be-
| lieving that our representatives and their
| allies. if alive. would have found some
| means of getting word to us a home. In
my judgment, this Chinese question is
| more terrible to contemplate than any
| other we have to deal with. OF course,
| it can cut no figure in the coming po-
| litical campaign, except that 1t will con-
tnue 10 overshadow in the public interest
any subject that may be suggested by
| either of the political parties. Even now
| tidings from China are being discussed
| throughout the land to the exclusion of
| all other topics, and the newspapers are
| relegating national politics to the back
pages TO give the right to Chinese
| news"
In this connection it was suggested to
| Gen. GrosVenor that a striking and
| startling contrast might be drawn be-
| tween the present personal surroundings
of Mr. Conger and the Chinese minister
to the United States. The Chinese minis
| ter is daily seen riding through the
streets of the national capital on a BIZ
cycle, accompanied by his 10-year-old son
and several American children, residents
in the vicinity of the Chinese legation.
| He enjoys the utmost freedom, receives
the kindest treatment and respect, Off
cially and socially, and is at liberty to
| carry on unrestricted and uncensored
| communication with all parts of the
| world.
On the other hand. no one seems pre-
| pared to state officially what the fate of
| Minister Conger has been, or whether at
| this moment he IS in existence AS Gen.
| Grosyenor remarked, If Minister Conger
is stin alive, the so-called imperial edict
might have cleared up the mystery. and
| there are numerous other ways by which
the anxiety of the civilized world may be
relieved by those in authority at the Chi
nese capital
Returning to the political situation,
Gen. Grosvenor says the plan of the cam
paicn viii be formed at once and the pre-
| limiuary skirmshng win be carried on all
along the line The real fighting will come
later on when the weather is little cooler
and the rival leaders have organized their
| forces.
The General says the situation IN Ohio
and other Western states is entirely satis-
factory to the Republicans, but in some
| nlaces there are indica tions of over conf
dence as to the result, and at other points
there are disturbing signs of internal dis
sension over local issues.
Commenting upon the fact that quite
| large percentage of veteran Republican
members Of the House are 10 be deprived
OF a denomination this year, the General
said that 1t is due to a peculiar system of
rotation which prevails in many congress
| sional districts In certain districts there
Is an ron-clad rule to the effect that 10
man shall have more than two terms in
succession. In other districts the people
| seem TO realize that the longer a repre-
| sentative IS retained in Congress. the more
nronninence he attains in Washington and
the more valuable he becomes TO his con-
sutuents The fact that many of The cid
members are 10 give way this year TO new
asnirants for congressional honors docs
NOT indicate that the Republicans for one
moment fear that they will lose con-
| troll of the House in the next Congress.
| rbev realize that there will be a hard
eaht all along the line, and they propose
10 make the most vigorous and aggressive