New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-07-31
THE CHINESE MENACE.

We are not yet prepared to believe In all its
hideous nakedness the report that the Chinese
Government is holding the Ministers as hos
tages to assure the withdrawal Of the foreign
troops, and that upon the further advance Of
the latter toward the capital 1t win murder
them all. With all allowance for the difference
between the Chinese and the American mind
and its manner of regarding such things, and
for the excitement and passion that now bear
sway at Picking, so dreadful thing as that is
simply unthinkable. unless through the reaIiza-
ton Of the unthinkable it becomes an accom-
plished fact. And that we do not believe 1t has
yet become, or will become. 1t is we'll, how
ever, to consider the circumstances and con-
ditiOns OF the case in a detailed and logical
manner, rather than to meet passion with
passion alone
The Ministers are in China and presumably
at the Imperial capital with the full consent
of the Chinese Government. That is the first
fact. They are there, for example, on precisely
the same terms that Mr.. WI Ting Fang is at
Washington. Being there they are entitled
to their liberty and to free communication by
telegraph, by mail and by person, with their
respective governments. That Is the second
fact, .indisputabIe. But they are deprived of
their liberty and not permitted 10 COM
munieate with their governments. That we
assume is also fact not to be disputed. Well,
then, 1t is the right and the duty of the govern
ments concerned to open communication with
them and to restore their liberty to them. That,
too is a fact not susceptible of reasonable chal-
lenge.
What, then. would this alleged Chinese men
ace imply? That the Chinese Government Is
maintaining. at any rate tolerating. an illegal
state Of affairs aud that unless we acquiesce in
such state Of affairs and refrain from commit
ting a perfectly lawful act, and indeed most
imperative duty It will proceed TO the perpetra-
ton Of an abominable crime. That is the logic
of the situation or would be II this report were
true We cannot yet believe such a thing of
China, even though her ways are not as our
ways. If it were true, and If it were to be
carried into execution, it must be evident TO
the Chinese mind as well as TO every other
that it would be an invitation - reprisals such
as the world has not often seen.
The gist of the whole matter lies in this.
which we have hitherto made clear So long
as the Ministers are held in durance, or are
prevented from communicating freely with
their governments 1t is not an act OF war, but
merely the performance of a lawful duty for
the Powers to seek, with whatever force may
be necessary, to reopen communication with
them and to set them at liberty. But II the
Chinese Government should give them their
liberty and freedom Of cOmmunica ton then the
foreign advance upon Peking could not be con-
tinued without Chinese consent except as an
act of war. The moral is obvious IF the Chi
nese Government does not want the Powers to
be compelled TO do their duty, It should do its
duty. If it wants to stop the advance upon
Picking IT should give the Ministers their lib
erty and put them into free communication
with their governments. There is no other way