The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1900-08-17
Washington Letter.
from our regular Correspondent.

Wnlle the notice OF the CnlneSe
government that the foreign ministers
in Pekin would not be allowed to send
or receive cipher messages, on account
of the fighting at Tien Tsin, is not Of
ficlally taken as an answer to Secre-
tary Hays vigorous demand, through
Ii Hung Chang, TO be put into COM
munication with Minister Conger, it
is unofficially regarded as such. There
is difference of opinion whether it is
a sort of an eleventh hour bluff to pre-
vent the march OF the allied army to
Pekin, or an open defiance of the allied
powers. So far as this government is
concerned, twill make no change in
the policy of pushing on to Pekin at
the earliest possible moment. Notice
has already been served on the Chinese
government that it will be held res
ponsible for the safety of Minister
Conger
Secretary Root has received an inn
poriant message from Gen. Chaffee,
relating to the march on Pekin, but
for two reasons, it has not been made
public. First, it is not desired that
the Chinese should have an opportuni-
ty to learn anything Of the movements
OF the allied army, and second, it con-
taIns details of lack of harmony among
the officers OF the allied army, which
this government does not care to take
the responsibility OF making known to
the World, because to do so, would be
in a measure, to impeach the sinceri-
tY of one or more of the powers which
are in the alliance, notably Russia and
Germany, and to cause friction and
diplomatic complications which could
do no possible good and might do
much harm. There are good reasons to
doubt whether the march to Pekin
has really begun, although some press
dispatches have reported the army to
be half way to Pekin, which those fam
liar with the ground and existing con-
|ditions consider an impossibility. Ii
Hung Chang has sent a message say
ing that the foreign ministers would
be sent urder an escort from Pekin to
Tien Tsin, but that story gained no
III Washington, because nobody be-
lieves that the foreign ministers who
are known to have twice refused a
similar offer, would trust themselves
to Chinese escort.
Since President Mckinley lett Wash
ington to return to Canton, Secretaries
Hay and Long have gone away on
their vacation This makes it as
plain as the nose On ones face that no
immediate crisis is looked for In
China. and that orders covering every
possible contingency have been sent
to our army officers in China, and our
naval officers in Chinese waters.
Col. G. B. Wing, of Cincinnati, who
usually knows what IS going on in
Ohio politics, is in Washington.
When asked his opinion of the politi-
cal outlook in his state, he said:-
"Ohio will give Mckinley and Roose-
velt not less than $4,000 majority, and
in the present spirit of the people, I
should not be surprised to see their
majority exceed 100000"
Mr.. Edward Lee Hanscomb, New
York business man who has been
sometime in Cuba, where he was when
the official order for the election of
delegates to the Constitutional Con-
vention was promulgated, said of the
situation on the island "The people of
Cuba are generally well satisfied with
the provisions laid down by the ad-
ministratlon for the formation of the
Cuban government. There is a class
| of agitators and adventurers, many of
whom have been placed in govern
ment positions, who would, no doubt,
! like to build the republic along lines
Of their own choosing, but the conser-
lvative and solid classes are more tEan
willing that the government Of the
u. S. shall have hand in launching
lthe new ship of state, such as editing
the proposed new Constitution and
looking, for a time at least, after the
foreign relatlonso of the infant republic
Senator Hoar's manly words IN ans
lwer to question as to his political
|attituce, surprised none OF his Wash
| ington friends and admirers, He said
I0f course shall speak for
Mckinley. ! am as zealously in favor
lof President Nc Kinley's reelection as
Ianybody in the country. / certainly
do not mean to join the party that has
just carried the state Of North Caro-
lima on the sole issue of suppressing
|civi. liberty at home. in tlle interest Of
civil liberty elsewhere. !"