Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-08-09
CHINESE DUPLICI7Y.
The Imperial Government Held Up
to the World by Dr.. Morrison.
NAY CAUSE A DECLARATION OF War


Marching on Pekin.
London, Aug AT last the story
of Pek;n has been told. DR.. Morrison
in yesterdays Times holds up the
Chinese government before the world
as guilty and to degree of infamy
and duplicity that exceeds the sur
mise of it's worst detractors. In the
same dispatch he gives more hope
full view of the prospects of the be-
sieged than has been expressed by
any of the others who have been
heard from.
A letter has been received at Tien
Tsin from the British minister, Sir
Claude Macdonald, dated July "a.
1--WE are surrounded by imperial
troops" he writes, "who are firing
on us continually. The enemy is en-
terprising but cowardly We have
provisions for about fortnight and
are eating our ponies. The Chinese
government, if there be one, has done
nothing whatever to help us. If the
Chinese do not press the attack we
can hold out for, say, ten days. So
no time should be lost if a terrible
massacre is to be avoided"
Yet a Shanghai special says Ii
Hung Chang has received a decree,
dated July 2s, commanding him to in
form the consuls that the ministers
were safe on that date. Evidently
Sir Claude Macdonald was over pessi-
mistic, as DR.. Morrison, under date of
July q, announces the arrival of sup
plies. In view Of this it is quite
within reason that the edict an
nouncing the safety Of the ministers
on the 2Sth is correct.
Sir Claude MacDonald's latest let
ter, while strong indictment Of the
Chinese government, is not nearly so
much so as DR.. Morrison's dispatch.
That correspondent, with the imperial
edicts as authority, declares that as
late as July the imperial govern
ment urged the boxers to continue
their loyal and patriotic services in
exterminating the Christians" He
explains those marvellous changes in
the Chinese attitude which have so
puzzled the world It appears that
all the appeals for intervention and
all the protestations Of friendship
have been due entirely to the vic
tories of the allies at Tien Tsin. The
ministers at Pekin owed their safety
up to July Fl not to government
protection, but to the scarcity of Chi
nese ammunition and to the fear
which the Tien Tsin victories inspired.
When it is remembered how great
reliance is placed upon DR.. Morrison
in England, the Importance of his
exposure of the Chinese government
can scarcely be over-estimated. 1t
seems to Danish all hopes entertained
by Lord Salisbury that the Chinese
government might yet be proved not
directly responsible for the outrage
and it may result in an entire cessa-
ton of the negotiations with Chi
nese diplomatists, if not in an open
declaration of war on the part of the
powers.
Commenting upon DR.. Morrison's |
dispatch the Times says: ut is now
beyond doubt that the frequent as
sertions of the different Chinese rep
that for a month past
the legations have been enjoying the
protection of the throne are, one and
all, unqualified fasehoods. The GU
mulative evidence is overwhelming
that the whole affair has been
throughout under the control and
of the Chinese government.
It now rests with the powers to make
The Chinese government understand
that it will be held fully responsible
Tor whatever happens in Pekin."
Ii Hung's Method Of Preserving Order.
London, Aug. "A letter from
Hong Kong dated July 2, which was
received here yesterday, represents
hat Ii Hung Chang was preserving
order in Canton by a virtual reign
If terror, rendering him well hated
" the disorderly elements. He had
prevented anything in the
nature of a public meeting and thus
'ffectually prevented any of the va
'ious parties, all of them animated by
latred of foreigners, coming to-
,ether to plan rising. During one
week he had executed by strangling
" beheading 70 persons, and it is as
erted that during his viceroyalty no
ess than 1000 were executed. All
uspects, innocent and guilty alike,
we're thrown into prison indscrimi-
lately, which in a majority of cases
vas tantamount to execution.