The evening times., 1900-06-25
Circulation Statement.
The War in Chinn.

The War in Chinn.
All technical questions as 10 a state Of
war" in China, disappear with the news
that our little battalion of marines under
Major Waller has been ambuscadeI and
subjected TO loss in killed and wounded,
in ar attempt 10 force a passage into Tieu-
tsin. That. and the other fact thai the
Chinese are fighting the International
forces in that CITY with heavy modern
guns well served, and that their infantry
are armed with Mauser rifles. is ample
proof that il is regular imperial troops
who are engaged. and not an armed mob
of Boxers. There is rot the smallest moral
doubt that the war against the civilized
world which is being wGged by China is
being conducted under orders from the
Government at Pekin. II So then We are
in state Of belligerency as 10 that Gov
ernmeRt- II the de jure executive power
at Pekin has been overthrovn. then We are
nevertheless al war with whatevs- dictator.
council or what not co1stl. ties the de
faCtO control over the Chinese military
forces. IN any event We are az war with
China and il IS well that the Aimiuist-.-
tIoH realizes the truth and is beginning 20
act with some show Of vigl- in the face
OF H. What should have been done three
weeks ago is being attempted now Rear
admiral Remey is going 20 T8}u. and as
many troops Us can be spared from the
Philippines viii be sent as fast as they
can be modified. supplied. ana transport
ed. The situation is not only alarming. il
is terrifying
There We're ClIy three thousand iuterna-
tiouals In Tieu-siu Al latest accounts. as
sailed by thirty thousand Chinese regulars
under Prince Tuan. the majority Of them
soldiers trained constantly Guling The pas-
five years by European officers. Probably
TWO thousand infantry. marines. AID sail
ors. including Waller party have bsen
making heroic attempt to break through
the Chinese lines from Ta5u. 50 far tlay
nave been repuIsed. By todly they should be
re-euforced by a column OF four thousand
Russians and japanese which has beer sent
10 their relief Supp0sing that ali these
interDationais should De able TO effect
junction, the foreign defenders of Tisutsia
would aggregate only uIue thousand and
that might be sufficient only to render sue
cessiu retreat covered by a continuous
rear guard action back to TaAu. But il is
painfully evident frcm the tone OF the de-
spatches that there is but small nope
among the commanders az the mouth Of
the Pei-Ho that anything can be done Tor
the Europeans and Americans inside the
lines At Tientsin in time 10 save them fram
anuihilation
OF the fate OF Vice Admiral Se~uour's
column Of two thousand men. who p vs
been lost to the world for twelve Isvs
we know absolutely nothing. bur the WIS.
may almost be assumed in the face OF Y
perlence with the well-armei aaI WELL
drilled Chinese iufaE-ry and artillery Al
Iientsin. Il is true that Sheug. TIE Dl-
rector Of Telegraphs al Shanghai. has in
dustriously circulated statements rbl-
Seymour had safely reached Fekiu. lur
equally credible native reports assert that
an international force WIS surrounded a-5
lighting at point forty niles uorthwe.t
OF Tlentsin, early last week The f7rrs
referred TO could not have been o,her than
that under Seymour. There may be orTo-
IN the time assigned, or in the direction.
1t is wen 10 note that. when the W ak
Pekln relief column started from Tieutsfn
Prince TUan was at the capital and 90 4
was reported. were the foreign u-driIled Chi
nese regiments II is a sad possibility thar
Tuan, who marched from Pekin tor Tieu-
tsin some time after the sixteenth may
have encountered and slaughtered The
Seymour column on the way.
Such probability tends strongly 20 dis
credit the latest story emanating from
Shanghai. that the foreign LEGATIONS AZ
Pekin were safe on the ninetee. h and
that the ministers were dsmandir. their
passports There is certainly a hare
'nance that it may prove TO be true. but
hardly more. Il might easily be the policy
Of the Empress Dowager 10 Keep back all
Information Of mssacre Of the diplomats
their retinues AID guards in order to de-
lay the despatch Of large European forces
against her
That the Chinese troops in the imDerfa1
city would protect the legations is scarce
ly TO be believed in the light of events.
and that they could protect themss .ves.
even With the addition Of Seymour's col
umn to their strength. is not theorv to
depend upon greatly. If all concerned. in
the capital and in the relief force. are
not dead by this time IL stands 10 reason
that they must be helpless. out Of am
munition and food. and. at best. in con-
ditiOn little short OF hopeless Il may be
two weeks before troops can be massed
az Tientsin in sufficient force to defeat
the Chinese at that place. How long.
then. IS It likely to be before the inter
national forces. viii be able to reach and
reduce PeHin. II is true that a Russian
force OF eight thousand is said 10 be NOV
ing on that city from the north; but. IN
aided by an advance from the south. il
may be open to question that it could ac
cOmplish much
The usual blunder Of despising an enemy
has been committed on all hands again.
The operations on the Pei-Ho have been in
a=gurated under belief that few hun
dred Western soldiers could rout an army
Of hundred thousand Cinnamon. So they
could once, but not now, Since the war
with Japan. China has acquired some OF
the military art. She has AIsusers in
plenty. z full equipment of siege, field
and machine guns, and apparently large
bodies of men who know how to use them
The trouble that is on is not to be settled