The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-12
THE DIPLOMACY lF PEkIN
ONE DAYS WORK OF A FOREIGN
OFFICIAL WITH THE
CHINESE
CRooKEDEsT PEOPLE ON EARTH
ThIn1y Yelled InsOIence Which Has
Long Characterized Court In
tercOurse With tho
Foreigners.
London Telegraph.

Ten o'clock has come, the morning ride
Is over, and the legations Of Christian
Europe are at work, plotting and coun-
ter-plotttng one with another for the
benefit Of those placid Orientals who are
silently longing for the day when they
can slam the gates to and make hoIi-
day for the Pelcin mob with our with
ing bodies. A dozen horsemen trot past
They are followed by a motley group 4
runners in various advanced stages o&
raggedness. Then come two or three
chairs with four bearers and few more
horsemen They trot over the bridge ana
turn sharply to the right The princes
and mtnisters-that is, the members Of
the Tsung- Ii-yamen-are visiting the
British minister. This morning at the
grand councillors have creaked and
bumped through the streets to the pal
ace where they attend the customary
audience. Yesterdays proceedings Of the
Yamen have been recorded in a preCis,
and are now in the empress hands. For
three hours they have been on their knees
before her and words" have passed. a
difficulty has arisen. A demand must be
shuf1ied out of. 1t will hurt the imperial
face to admit that the last attack on EU-
ropeans between the Yang-Ting- Gate and
the railway terminus is worth notice.
The minister has demanded the tmme-
date and condign punishment of the Of
tenders. and threatened to bring up
guards.
Messieurs the princes have come to find
how far they can safely go in the direc-
ton OF refusing redress. They pass
the gates. The chairs pause. Red cards
have been delivered and they step out Of
their frowsy sedans. In they troop, and
when the necessary compliments have
passed, and each man has Sat down at
precisely the same second, business be-
gins. OF a surety we are wrong to at
tribute evil motives to them. They have
come to express profound regret. Sharp
and short viii be the fate Of such Of the
offenders as may be caught, and the en-
tire and undivided attention Of the police
is devoted to the task of catching them
Caught Very probably they have already
been caught. Certain? Well, not abso-
lutely, but it is at the utmost a ques-
ton OF a day or two. Clearly 1t Is not
a case of sufficient gravity to justify
such an uncourteOuS step as bringing an
additional guard to Pekin-just as If the
authorities intended to neglect their du-
ties. Any proclamation? In truth the
only question was the precise terms
which would be most acceptable to the
legations.
The minister almost monosyllabically
presses for something more definite. Re
ply follows reply, and presently all the
ministers seem to desire to talk at the
same time Half an hour passes, and
there is a Slight change in their attitude.
They talk less of what they have done
and more of their willingness to do any
thing and everything. Finally a under
standing is arrived at. and off they go In
their greasy pomp. In two days more a
written communication is received from
the TSuag-l -Yamen, couched in terms
as fnsolent as can be disguised in diplo-
matte form. and simultaneously procIa-
nation issues as nearly as possible de-
claring that it was all the victims fault
and that no more European ears should
be nailed to the pump. This is the net
result Of the fine words of their exceIIen-
cies the princes and minister's Then come
several repetitions Of the same game, I'M
til at length when 1t is known that the
additional guard is coming up next day,
the authorities climb down just so many
inches as long experience teaches them
will suffice to stop the advent of the bar
barians, and yet leave the business open
for intermeinable correspondence.
With more or less variation in detail.
but similarity In essence, every foreign
minister spends large part of his time
thus. Sometimes the trouble is provincial.
and that affords additional scope for irri-
IdIiOH anu representation. Sometimes
the question divides the Legations into
hostile groups. and then the Chinese sim
ply reVel. Every minister knows I'm his
heart that nothing but force is a remedy,
and they turn to look atone ancient
gun and twenty guards. A happy life.
truly Tifiin hour comes as q welcome
relief Hot though II be- It brings q ees-
sation from weary, fruItless labor.
Friends come In, and the conversation is
or home and civilization The envied nnaS
are those who can hope soon to bid good
Dye to this vast center of barbaric filth
and corruption. After that more work
Letters and reports. cables TO be coded
and the question OF the honorable mem
Der For Little Pudd1eten to be answered
with ful detail and statistics and so q
weary day passes until 4 O'Clock strikes
and another ride or the club with &c
cool reading room and q game Of yvbiat
TO dinner. i0"S "p
Set this picture as the merest sneclx &,
an ocean or ruthless +errmIty and hitter
ness. Surround It by frowrfr1p, ,ra1t.
Sfdled by an armed horde furnished vyItt
the most modern and effective yeanona
OF scientific war. Add mon Cher coI
league, whose business I'm uga g. %
counterpart and trip you MP. Recouact
lhat your ceuntrymen know and care
nothing. Then bring a crowd of wornar
anu children, wives and daughters and
apostles Of Christianity to share ,,0,,-
perlis' and you have faint notion of tba
lives OF your ambassadors and .a-,-o-, -
atives during a peaceful day In Pel,sn