Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-23
Powers at Present Interested Only in
Releasing Diplomats
NO CONCERT FOR FUTURE ACTION
Final Disposition May Be Left to
Russia and Japan.
FOREIGN NEWS AND GOSSIP

purportng to foretell the action the powers
| intend to take in regard to China. Accord
| ing to unusually well-informed correspond
| ents at Rome, Vienna, Yokohama. Paris
and Berlin, the powers are now celebrating
| as to the ACCESSIBILITY of imprisonlng the
| dowager empress of China, and are busy
arranging the details of the long-looked-for
partition of the celestial empire. These
forecasts bear many evidences of authors
tative inSpira ton. Yet the Associated
| Press is in position to say they have not
a fragment of basis. Upon the authority of
| the British government 1t can be declared
| that no communications have passed be-
! tween the powers regarding any action In
China excepting the relief and release of
| the diplomats shut up in Pekin. When that
| Is accomplished, to use the words of for
| egn office official. cit will be time enough
| for the nations to deliberate on their fur
| Their course of action
| This official added
| mo plan for the eventual settlement of
| the Chinese problem has so far been pre-
| sented to Great Britain, nor even suggested
| to her"
Time for Suzerainty Has Not Come.
| While Lord Salisbury is too cautious to
commit himself to. prophecy regarding the
| outcome of one OF the most remarkable
crises in the worlds history, the Associated
Press learns that he is not inclined to be-
| lieve this Boxer" outbreak will Immediate
| ly bring up that most vital of all points;
that is, the paramount necessity for Eu-
ropean suZerainty over the entire Chinese
empire. To further quote the foreign office
official:
in discussing the utterances of states
men and the writing of correspondents one
must remember they are to be gagged by
standards of comparative ignorance rather
than by comparative knowledge. No Eu-
ropean really knows anything about China.
Some know less than others, but that is
about all II amounts to- We are not par
| leying with the other powers and the other
powers are not parleying with us, for the
simple reason that we are all ignorant of
| the conditions We are facing. Unanimously
We are trusting to the naval officers the
spot. When they are in a position to re-
port to us the extent of the uprising they
may be abe to tell US whether We are fac
| ing rebellion chiefly confined to the north
or whether We are opposed to the whole
| Chinese people and government. Then 1t
Will be feasible, but not until then for the
powers to get together in an attempt to
agree on some method of settling forever
the Chinese problem.
The first thing is to release our respec-
| tive diplomats. That. it seems has not yet
been accomplished, and while that remains
the chief objective, and the naval command
ers or all nations maintain the present har-
mony, Great Britain Is not anxious, nor do
the other powers seem anxious, to bring
up the debatable questions of eventual
settlement. and you may be assured that
all the reports of an International agree
ment on line Of action subsequent to the
restoration to safety of the diplomats at
Pekin are premature and unfounded.''
Attitude of Russia and japan.
The general trend of the best informed
| opinion in London seems to be that the OPP
posing interests of Japan and Russia may
! in themselves precpitate a crisis even be-
fore the Boxer outbreak is stamped out.
though neither of them is believed to be
| to arms at the present moment. Upon this
latter phase of the situation, the all-absorb-
| ing topic of the day. can hear hun
dreds of opinions from men about equally
| well posted. yet scarcely any of them agree.
A well-known American diplomat, though
| frankly confessing he is bewildered by the
countless possibilities involved, tells the
| Associated Press he believes it quite prob
able the crisis will resolve itelf into a
| struggle between Russia and Japan, and
| that perhaps the true way of sizing it up
| is to look at 1t in that light. without paying
| much attention to the DEVELOPMENT of the
| immediate future in the contest between
| the Boxers" and the united forces. That
| estimate Of course. Is made the suppo-
| sition that the Boxers constitute no rep
| resentative part of China.
| London Full of Americana.
| London is teeming with Americans. who
| find difficulty in getting accommodation at
| the hotels. On every steamer night cab
| lodhs are tuIHeu away from Inc ledulnS
metropolitan hosteries, which are reaping
a richer harvest than ever from this class
| of customers Yet in a few days they leave
| for Paris and their rooms are taken by
| more Americans.
| Compared with the eagerness of the hotel
| managers and storekeepers in awaiting
| the coming of Americans, the khedive's ar
| rival in England was merely a triting In
| cident
Among the American visitors this week
| was former Consul General Patrick A. Col
Inns. who is making flying trip to Eng
| land and Ireland on personal business. He
| sails on the Oceanic Scheduled to leave
Liverpool June 20 and Will not be back
| in time for the Kansas City convention
| He paid a pleasant visit to his successor
| Mr.. William NJ. Osborne. and hobnobbed
| with Mr.. Josiah Quincy the former mayor
| of Boston, who is delivering a course OF
| lectures in London on Municipal Govern
ment,' based on Boston's system.
| The few editorials and cablegrams print
| ed here created only mild sort of inter-
/ est in the republican national convention
| at Philadelphia. the result was regarded
| as foregone conclusion. Though most OF
] the correspondents of the English papers
declare President Mckinley's reelection is
| certain, the people here are more likely to
| take keener interest in the democratic ma
| tional convention at Kansas City, for by
the proceedings there it is generally thought
/ the strength of the anti-English, or rather
pro-Boer, element in America may be
| gagged.
American Athletes Arrive.
| The arrival here of the American contin-
| gent who are to compete in the Amateur
| Athletic Associations championship games
| July has awakened English sportsmen
| to the fact that they are likely to lose
many laurels. Princeton's team looks fit
| and well. but the young athletes are much
| afraid of getting out of training before the
| events come off. They have gone to Brigh-
| ton to practice and will probably enter
several events of the London Athletic Club
| meeting June 80. Captain Cregan said to
| a representative of the Associated Press
| that they believed they had fair chance
| of carrying off a few prizes.
| The Syracuse, Pennsylvania. George
| town. Michigan. Chicago and New York
| Athletic Club competitors are now awaited.
| Secretary Herbert of the Amateur Ath-
| letic Association was asked by represent
| tative Of the Associated Press what he
| thought were the chances of the British
| athletes against such an az. r. CATION. Mr..
| Herbert said:
| II fear they are pretty poor. Up to the
| half-mile we have no men equal to yours,
| on paper. of course We have got to make
| allowances for climate and expect all the
| best men in England will compete, but UNI
| fortunately most of the university cracks
| have accepted army commissions and arc
| now in South Africa. No other foreigners
| have entered and as usual In snoring