The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-11-20
GLOOMY. PREDICTIONS SENT
FROM CHINA.
REPROACHES FOR POWERS
Foreign Residents Fear Leniency
with Natives Will Bring
Fearful Results.

IcSpOuuCIGo VI 1SSOOAu AASCo' -.
From Pekin to Shanghai it is next to
impossible to meet a European or
American who has resided any length
of time in China. but who believes
that the real trouble has not really
commenced. All bitterly reprcach
the powers for not being more severe
in their measures, particularly for not
absolutely destroying the forbidden
city at Pekin. Residents Of Tien
Tsin, Che Foo and Shanghai say it
was a grave blunder that will in the
neal future cause the loss OF thou
sands of lives and the destruction OF
much property.
It is a we'll authenticated fact that
hardly a Chinaman outside OF the
p~orivnce of Chi Ii believes that the
allies have had any success at all.
Newspapers are sold in Shanghai Civ
ing as graphic details Of the alleged
capture Of Admiral Seymour, General
Chaffee and others, as any OF the
wonderful stories that ssemanated from
the Shanghai liar a few months ago
describing the butchery of the minis
tiers and their families, which were so
freely published in the European and
American papers. Not only are the
details given at full length, but pic
lures are also published showing the
admiral and several generals with
,earques around their necks being tried
before native judges.
Two Cinnamon were beheaded re-
Gently in Shanghai for publishing
s'wilful ISLANDERS and malicious false
hoods in stating that Pekin had
fallen into the hands Of the allies and
that the empress dowager and en-
peror had fed. The most serious part
of the whole affair is considered to be
the fact that the Chinese judges them
selves believed the men were really
lying.
The presence of foreign troops in
Shanghai is not objected to because 1t
means that an immense amount OF
money is being spent there and the
only thing that is worrying the Chi
nese storekeepers is that some day
O s'the ever victorious army of the
Son of Heaven will come and drive
the ''foreign devils' out, a consum-
nation that from IL point OF view
they devoutly hope for, but for tinan-
cial reasons they would rather have
postponed for the present.
It is an acknowledged fact that the
Chinese as a race are indifferent to
pain and practice carelessness with
reference to human life, either their
W or that of others. 1t is a fact,
though at the same time a seeming
contradiction, that heretofore Chm
csc have not shown themselves brave
in battle, at least when it begins to go
against them, acting Oh the principle
THAT be who fights and runs away,
lives to fight another day.
The people in this part of China say
that Chi Ii is but a very small part
of the country, only II province
out of IS, and but of medium size in
population, and that if it took as many
men as it did to subdue Chi III, what
will it take when the whole country
rises as it is ripe to do.
The removal of the empress dow
ager and court recently from Shan ST
to Chen ST is looked upon by the for
eign merchants, missionaries and even
by most of the converts as a danger
and menace. A merchant who has
been 80 years in China told the cores
pondent of the Associated Press that
it was a place almost impossible for
foreign troops to reach, if they so de-
sire and only feasible way was to &C
about 1,5OO miles up Yang Use river
and then 500 miles by land. If this
were attempted, however, they would
have to fight the greater part Of the
way. He believes that the empress
dowager has hold of the situation and
is only ~endeavorlng to make terms IN
the name of the emperor just to gaiI
time and trusts that in the meanwhile
some of the powers may get to fight
ing among themselves.
The empress has issued an edict OF
proclamation announcing her departure
from Pekin, not as a flight, but merely
to be in a more central position ant
Informing all officials that the country
is menaced by foreigners, but that not
enough of them exist in the world tc
disturb the serenity of the court,
Some English missionaries who have
been years in the country and who are
at present in Shanghai, say that the
empress dowager has a better knowl
edge of the Chinese situation, char,
acter of the people and their possible
ties than any other human being
alive; also that she has one or two
very able advisors. These mission
aries believe that her removal Of the
court further into the interior mean
that with time on her side she will
come off victorius. They laugh a
the so-called overtures of the emperor
whom they assert, has as little to sa,
regarding affairs of state as any schoo
boy.
Taking every thing into considera
iton. the ordinarily intelligent strange.