The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1900-11-22
NEGOTIATIONS AT PEKING.
Adequate Punishment al Guilty Chinese
Officials VIII Be Insisted UFon-POsi=
ton of United States Government.

The most important move in the Chi
neSe situation during the past few days
was the issuance of an Imperial decree
under date of Nov. 13; at least. Minister
WI and other Chinese Ministers received
what purports to be Il statement concern,
ing one from Director-General Shcng. The
latter says in his cablegram:
IAN Imperial decree of Nov. IL de-
prives Prince Tuan and Prince ChwanS
of their ranks and offices. and orders them
to be imprisoned for life; Prince Iih and
secondary Prince Wing TO be imprisoned;
secondary Prince Lieu to be deprived of
his rank: Duke Ian and Wing Men to be
degraded in rank; Rang VI being dead. no
penalty can be imposed upon him. and
Chao-Shu- Chiao to be degraded but re-
tanned in office. and Eu SSien TO be eXiied
, to the fartheSt boundary.
1t is noticed that Prince Tuan. against
whom the most of the avenging feeling
of the foreigners is directed, as being Il
personally prime mover i'll the atrocities,
manages to remain in Il situation from
which, when the storm blows over, there
is nothing to prevent an eNtrlcation by
pardon of the Emperor and Empress. He
and the other officials mentioned are
, among the highest in China and comprise
now most, if not all. of these against
whom the Powers demand rigorous pun
iShment. -Tuan, according TO 4 previous
edict, has been degraded and his office
and servants taken away. But the SINGER
ity of the whole thing is much to be ques-
toned. and it would be difficult for the
world to find out, unless the officials of
the Powers are especially and authori-
tatively observant, whether Tuan and 9TH
ers are punished ut all. Two of Tuan's
associates were specifically mentioned for
punishment i'll Secretary Hays note of
Oct. ;, advising the Chinese Government
that this Government would expect these
officials TO receive their deserts. Rang
vi is one of the officials alleged to have
died suddenly after the demands were
made; Yu HSien is another reported to
have committed suicide
= 1t is believed that the foreign ministers
at Picking will soon be ready to present
their formulated demands to Ii Hung
Chang and Prince Ching. 1t is said
that the last meeting developed fewer
differences over important points than
was expected which is accounted for on
the belief that the Ministers had received
definite instructions from their home Gov
ernments.
The United States Government regards
some of the propositions agreed upon as
unwisc. but has not felt that that fact
justified the United States in withdrawing
from the concert of the Powers. There
have been rather severe criticisms in the
English press regarding our attitude
which. as is so often the case in Europe
has been misunderstood. An authoritative
statement was UnOfficially published in the
newspapers as the result of these attacks
in which it was stated that so far from
the Government interpOsing any obstacles
to an agreement among the Powers at Pc
king, MIR. Conger has been instructed fire.
quently and in urgent terms TO do every
thing possible to bring about speedy
agreement This Government took no part
in the expedition to PaO Ting Flu. but it
made no protest against it, and has given
no expression of opinion TO the other
Powers as TO its prOpriety. This Gov
eminent is in agreement with the Powers
IN demanding severe and adequate punish
ment of the principal wrong-doers. indem-
nifty for the past and security for the fu-
ture. 1t does not, however, at this dis
lance, presume to decide who are the
most guilty, what punishment must be
inflicted in each particular case and what
sentences are possible of execution. These
matters, as well as that of the indemnity,
are left to the negotiators on the spot
1t is to be presumed that they will not
exact reparation, either personal or pc
cuniary, which it would be beyond the
power of China to carry out.
Pressure is being brought upon Secre-
tary Hay To secure early peace in China
he has been petitioned by nearly all the
leading cotton manufacturers of the South
to take such action as NAV be possible to
prevent the interference by any European
Power that might close the foreign mar
kets to the important cotton manufactures
OF the United States, as well as injuring
many other American interests. The ne
tltloners declare that the open door" pol-
icy IS necessary to secure the retention
OF the important trade in cotton drills
and shirtings. The petitioners represent
Sl5,OOO,OO0 in capital and claim they have
lost half their trade since the Boxer up
rising.
1t cannot be conceded. however. that
dlsapproyal is entertained of the attitude
of the German military commander in
emma, as the primitive expeditions are
calculated TO cause fresh outbreaks. The
purpose of the State Department is 10
prevent the destruction of the Chinese in
tegrlty upon pretexts; TO maintain the
open door secure indemnities for the
past and guarantees for the future. Re
ports from influential Chinese sources are
10 the effect that American prestige has
becn augmented instead of injured by the
moderate course adopted, although il is
safe to say that such persons as the EN-
perOr and Empress themselves care moth
ing for the slaughter of several hundreds
OF Chinese However, the Empress has
seen ut 20 censure Chang and Ching for
thelr failure 10 prevent the dispatch of
the primitive expeditions into the interior.
Ana The amusing thing about il all is that
the Kaiser, who exhortcd his soldiers TO
1earfully avenge Ketteler and other muir
dered Germans, now processes Indignation
because ms soldiers have masSacred with
q free hand, looted tombs and otherwise
behaved like their barbarian ancestors.
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