Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1900-07-18
A Chinaman on China.

| NuludmdH vi Nulud.
The most intelligent statement of
the Chinese situation has been made
by Chinaman, Ho Vow, council at
San Francisco. He is spoken Of as one
of the ablest men in the diplomatic
service of his government and it is
easy to believe that statement after
reading his analysis of The situation in
his own country.
Ho Vow thinks that the origin of
the whole trouble is primarily with
the attempts that have been made to
change the religion os the Chinese, a
people, he confesses, who have not
yet been educated up to the point of
religious tolerance as that is under
stood in western countries. But the
missionaries alone are not to blame.
Now and then missionary has been
killed by the natives. Such killings
have been made by foreign nations
the pretexts for land grabbing. Ho
Vow admits that the Chinese ought
to be punished for violence to for
eigners, even though the foreigners are
missionaries, but the fact that such
punishments have often been made
the pretexts for land grabbing has
caused the Chinese more and more
to suspect the designs of foreign nations
The last land grabbing of this kind
was done....by the Germans and that
may explain the special hostility of the
Chinese toward that people, resulting
in the killing of the German repre-
sentative. The combination of mis-
sionaries and the land grabbing
avenger is certainly a strong one in the
minds of the prejudiced Cinnamon.
Coming to the immediate trouble Ho
Vow thinks that the bombardment of
theiTaku forts by the allied powers
was frightful blunder That was
declaration of exemplary punishment
to be visited on the Chinese and it
naturally enraged them. He thinks
that if the legations at Pekin have
been injured they were so injured after
the news of the Taku bombardment
reached the Boxers. From a military
standpoint the firing on Taku is now
considered a blunder, for the powers
were not ready to follow up the blow
for the simple reason that they had at
hand neither men nor ships.
The American admiral, Kempff, it
will be remembered, refused to join in
Eae bombardment He had been in
structed by the government in Wash
ington not to participate except to the
extent of protecting Americanlives and
Ho Vow thinks that that
refusal has made the United States
peculiarly the power fit to deal with
the Chinese situation for the Chinese
have confidence in the American pol |
icy. Lii Hung Chang has thought so
well of the American course that he
has suggested that America act as the
intermediary in the pacification of the
empire.
Such is the Chinese view of the sit |
uation and it is peculiarly intelligent
one. But if the firing on the Taku
forts was blunder the killing of the
German representative was a more |
frightful one. And as long as that is
even the United States
could hardly suggest peace for the Ger
man emperor is right in demanding ex-
emplary vengeance for the crime. No
civilized nation can see another civil
lied nations representative murdered.
1t involves the safety of all.-Cedar |
Rapids Republican.
The confirmation ofthe reported mur- |
der of all the foreign legations at Pekin
makes the situation still more compli- |
Gated. China must now make speedy |
reparation.