The true northerner., 1900-08-10
THE FIRST
BATTLE
n COLLISION REPORTED BETWEEN
THE ALLIES AND CHINESE.
OPINIONS DIVIDED As TO WHAT IT'S
EFFECrs WILL HE.
no DoUDT or TiIE SAFETY OF
MINISTER'S AT PENN.

ment received through Admiral Remey
ana Commander Taussig, of reported
heavy lighting on the road between Tien
Tsin was the news of interest in the
Chinese situation Monday. Little
doubt was expressed at the navy de-
partment that the news was substan-
TALLY correct 1t is probable that a
later report may reduce the list OF cas-
ualties among the international forces,
but il is evident that the move ON
Pekin is at last fairly under way, and
that strong opposition has been en-
cOuntered. Ihe war department OH
cials WHO have been exceeding reticent
for several days as TO news from Tie
seat of war, admitted Monday when
| the naval dispatches were received,
that the news of the battle was not un-
expected.
Effects of the Battle.
Opinion among various officials now
! in Washington is somewhat divided as
TO Just what is preSaged by these
events. The more optimistic are in
ciined to think that such severe blow
as the Chinese must have received ut
Peitsang will result in the speedy dis
| integration of the forces now opposing
the march of the International column.
| Ia the line with this prediction. ii was
! prophesied that the Chinese govern
ment would find means To send the
ministers from Pekin under escort and
| thus staye off the advance upon the
capital. On the other hand there was
a number of officials in a position TO
! Judge equally well who held that the
! fight at Peitsang was only the begin
ming Of a strenuous resistance that
would be continued to the gates of
| Pekin or beyond. 1t was urged in sup
port of this view that the Chinese had
! 100 men to lose against one Of the al
! lies: that they were well armed with
modern guns and had apparently an
abundance Of ammunition.
Scene of the Battle.
According TO the information in pos
session of the war department, the
town of Peitsang is at the head of tide
water on the Pei-Ho between eleven
and twelve miles by road beyond Tien
| Tsin. Ii is a village Of mud huts, OF
considerable size, but not walled. The
river at this point is not navigable by
anything larger than a good sized
steam launch, and it is thought that
the troops probably reached there in
small boats, towed by the naval
| launches The country all along the
river between Pekin and Tien Tsin is
a low, alluvian plain most impossible
for wheeled vehicles in the wet season
and under quite a high state of culti-
walton. 1t presents no natural defen-
sive features, and the war department
knows no strategic reason why the
Chinese should have made stand
there rather than at any of the other
dozen villages east of the walled town
of Tung Chow, where is stored an
! immense amount of provisions on
which the city of Pekin would have to
/ depend in case of siege.
Blow to Chinese.
From the fact that the engagement
| lasted seven and a half hours, it is
argued in the department that either
the Chinese must have been heavily
! intrenched or that there was an i'm
mense horde of them TO so stubbornly
contest the advance OF the 10000 inter
national troops. 1t is figured by Mill
tary experts that a loss of 200 killed
and wounded on the part Of the allies
/
to six times as many Dy the Chinese
1t is possible that blow of this mag
nitude may break the resistance of the
Chinese to the advance OF the foreign
column but on the other hand il is
possible that this may be one of
large number OF places on the road
that have been intrenched with view
to falling back and contesting the for
| eign advance SO as to delay as long as
| possible the arrival of the foreigners
at Pekin. Unless the opposition sud
denly breaks down, the military ex-
perts look for a desperate engagement
when the troops reach the walled city
of Tung Chow, which is said to be
even more favorably located for pur-
poses OF defense than was Tien Tsin.
Our Policy Unchanged.
The position of the United States
| automatically remains unchanged.
This government will not consent to
the removal of the ministers and for
eigners from Pekin until there is free
communication by the powers from
their ministers. Nor will this govern
ment consent to communication in
plain language alone, but insists that
| NipntI IiCooo6tS pass AlGNlg DC-
tween Minister Conger and our state
department. 1t is emphatically stated
that unless such messages are ex-
changed the United States cannot
know beyond question that the mes
sages were not garbied and both the
United States government and the
ministers misled.
| Ministers safe at Pel<in.
There seems To be no doubt about
/ the safety of the ministers at Pekin
for the present, and that they will re-
main where they will be able to pro-
tect themselves, and will not be in
duced TO accept any offers OF the
! Chinese government to escort them TO
Tien Tsin until they have had COM
munication with their governments.
Confidence is expressed, however. that
the Chinese government will soon see
the necessity of accepting the terms
laid down IN Secretary Hays note to
] Consul Goodnow. Ii Is stated that IL
| all the international forces in the vi
cinity of Taku can be landed and the