The evening times., 1900-07-30


wait long to confirm that. Then. again, the
runners. who were alleged to be seryal Is
Of legation rarely specified. seem to have
reached the coast with messages Just WI en-
there was some end to subseTye, some
change in the allies diplomatic front to lie
met. Why should Minister COnger send a
messenger to Shanghai VIXEN he could tet-
ter so to Tientsin?
The ups and downs CT KwaRg-Su and
the Empress are little short Of acrO5atic.
On June 29 they were poisoned The next
day the Empress sent an edlct 10 Shang-
hal concerning the death of Baron Won Ket-
teller, and sought 10 hold foreigners re-
sponsib!e for making the attack on Taku.
The news had gone inland very quickly
but advices come C~lgtwise with exceeding
sIowness Two days later both the En-
press Dowager and Emperor were imD-is-
oned but the Emperor sent, an etlct to
Rankin addressing the Japanesei Russian,
and English Governments.
July found Tuan dictator in Pekin,
and the same day the Empress ordered Ii
Hung Chang to so TO Pekin, All these
stories come from the same Nankin
Shanghai. and Canton Chinese sources,
but, OF course, on different days.
las D Minister COnger's letter and his
answer 10 Secretary Hays message, II IS
merely necessary TO point out two things
to show there is something wrong Dated
widely apart, but received about the same
time, they have the same tone. They con-
vey no news of events. merely stating
condition. and they conclude by saying
that entrance to the city will be hotly con-
tested. II restrained too closely 20 com
municate with his Government he would
know little of what Chinese forces lay
without the city wall, and even then there
are a dozen other things that he would
Nrar.n q
it were all a ruse 10 cause the allies TO
hesitate to advance and so give the Gov
ernment time 10 prepare itself.
DO not doubt that there is govern
ment in Pekin. and a strong one. too, 10
be able to control all lines Of communica-
tion and keep in rein such men OF strong
action as the Governor ot Shantung and
Ii Hung Chang.
Minister Conger says. moreover. that
Pekin is in the hands OF the sOldiery. and
does not state what every common sense
American would natural y state irst-who
is in command of the soldiers. That
brands the message al what IL will be
proven to be. Sir Claude NacDOnald's yer
bal message by a runner Is probably gen.
uIne. II has the proper tone.
''One OF the most significant things in
the various communications Is the way the
official newsmakers have upheld Prince
order. ard the Government. Yet a letter
written July by a Pekin official to a
Shanghai relative. and later given pub
licity. describes the upheaval in Pekin, the
fighting at the legations their end on July
:. and never mentions T. nee Ching who.
il is to be supposed. wOldd figure promi-
nently in such a recital. The refugee at
NiuchwanE leaving the 12th seems 10 con-
firm the statements OF tlis letter.
Believes Empress Is in Power.
Il believe tha5 between June 30 and July
7 the foreigners were cut down slowly by
she'll and rifle fire. 4 handful may be still
alive. / believe the Empress DOWager is
stiU in power and Prince Tuan IS her
agent. and that an effort viii h. made 70
cover Cp the official crime by a pretended
massacre on the way TO Tientsin. or. II the
powers are unwilling 10 treat with Ii Hung
Chang. I think the full story VIII come out.
with enough additional lies and COIOTIng
TO relieve the Imperial Government OF its
political responsibility.
"As to the Boxers, I think they grew
I greater on the hands Of the Empress than
she had fancied they would. She had in
tended 70 use them merely 20 stave of for
[ eign entertainments for a few more years
by numbering the provincial encroachers-
Ii Hung Chang has nothing but his own in
terests to serve"