The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-09-28
A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT
Such Is Germany's Proposal Rega rded.
Only Two Powers UnquaIifiedly As
sent.


from excellent diplomatic sources that
Italy and Austria are the only powers
which have replied favorably and un-
conditionally to Germanys note. 1t is
certainly fact that the replies of Rus
sia and France are almost Identical,
advocating the punishment of the origi-
nators of the anti-foreign assaults, but
not making their surrender an absolute
condition of the peace preliminaries.
Japan takes a middle course, leaning
a little more strongly towards Germany,
while Great Britain declines. A pow
erful argument used against Germany's
position was its establishment of the
precedent that it would permit the
powers in future wars to demand per-
sonages considered by them to be
guilty leaders and that their punish
ment deemed fit before peace negotia-
tions are undertaken.
GERMANY'S ULTIMATUM STORY
DISCREDTTED.
London, September 26.-The British
authorities discredit the report that
Germany will present an ultimatum to
China and Intimate that it was prob
ably concocted at Shanghai. with the
object of causing friction between Ger
many and Great Britain and thus de-
| laying united action. The officials of
| the German embassy declare the
ultimatum story" to be absolutely
groundless.
ENGLAND JOINS AMERICA.
Berlin, September 26.-Late this at
| ternoon the correspondent of the AsSo-
| ciated Press in Berlin showed the Ger
| man foreign office a private dispatch
| from London asserting that Lord Sal
isbury had informed Count Won Hatz-
| feldt- Wildenburg, the German ambas-
| Gl6Or he
of the British government to the Ger
| man note would agree with that of the
United States
The foreign office thereupon reiter-
ated the statement that this assertion
was POSITIVELY false. Upon attention
| being called to the fact that the dis
patch in question did not claim that
| the alleged information had been re-
| ceived from Count Won HatZfeldt, a
| high foreign office official re-read ad-
| vices from the German ambassador and
| then said: Lord Salisbury has asked
| for few days in which to consider the
| matter, desiring to procure certain in
formation before giving final reply. No
answer has yet been given, at least no
| formal answer. There has been some
| oral discussion between Lord Sails
| bury and Count Won HatZfeldt; but it
is not true that Great Britain has final
| ly replied in the same tenor as the
| United tSates.''
| This repeated emphasizing publicly
! of the non-receipt of a formal answer
| has deepened the impression that the
London advices of the Associated Press
concerning the matter are correct, the
opinion being that the German foreign
| office still clingS to the hope of winning
| England over.
WILL GERMANY MODIFY HER
PROPOSALS?
London, September %, Ais a. m.-
Th5 Chinese question is again in the
phase of discussion of the stability OF
the European concert and the likeli-
hood of Germany finding it convenient
to modify her aggressive attitude.
According to the Yokohama c,rrespon-
dent of The Daily Mail, japan assents
to Germany's proposal, but at the Same
time strongly urges that there should
be no prolonged delay in the negotia-
tions. The same authority says that
Japan would decline to follow German
in pursuing the imperial court into
J the interior of China
From Shanghai comes the announce
ment that an imperial edict conferS
| posthumous honorS upon the anti
foreign high comm iSSioner, Ii Ping
Heng, who committed suicide after
the evacuation of Tung Chow, anC
Duke Chung vi, the late em2eror's
father-in-law, who killed himself af
ter the emperor and empress regen
, | left Pekin.
Chinese papers assert that order:
have been issued for the erection of {
new imperial palace at Si-Ngan-Fu
, They also report that Ii Hung Chang
!, has started for Pekin, escorted b!
Russian and japanese troops, and thai
Lu Chan Lin has been appointed vice
roy of Canton. Sheng's yamen con
firms the rumor that Ii Hung Chans
has received secret orders to attemp
; 70 acapture Pekin.
L Scribing the disorders in the vicin
ity Of Canton, the Hong Kong CORE
spC dent of The Times, wiring yeSter
da. says: The American church il
the suburbs of Canton has been de
$ stroyed; and the Catholic church a
E To-Kam-Hang and the foreign GENE
q terry there have been deSecrat ted.