The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-08

| quiring after their welfare, and IS Pc
kin has not yet been restored to ua-
der, and precautionary measures may
not secure absolute safety the foreign
! ministers are being consulted as to the
| proposed plan of detailing troops to
escort them safely to'rientsin for tenn
porary shelter, so that they may be
| free from apprehensiYe anxiety or
| fear"
| We hereby command Jung Lu to ap-
| point as a preliminary step trust
| worthy high civil and military officers.
| who together with reliable and efficient
| troops, shall. at such time as the for
elgn ministers may agree upon for
leaving Pekin escort and protect them
| throughout their journey. Should law
| less characters manifest evils designs
t upon the ministers. or attempt to rob
them, or in any way create trouble.
| they (the high offieials) shall at once
! repress them without fail.
If the foreign ministers before leav-
| ing Pekin should desire to communi-
| cate with their respective Governments
and if their telegraphic messages
| should be in plain language, the Tsung-
H-Yamen shall at once attend to them
without the least delay, thus manifest
ing the utmost friendliness of the inn
perial Government. Respect this -
Signs OF Weakening.
! Viewed in the light of Sir Claude Mac
Donald's statement in his telegram of Au-
| gust 3. that ''the Chinese Government has
refused transmission to kilograms in ci-
| pher until now fact that comedies with
| the Imperial edict resembling the embargo
| Oh cipher dispatches, it is evident to the
| officials that Minister Conger's undated ci-
| pher message received here last night was
transmitted through Chinese sources and
| not surreptitiously.
The fact that the Conger message was
sent from an inland Chinese telegraph sta
ton, eighty miles from Pekin conforms TO
this belief. AS Sir Claude MacDonaId's
| despatch was dated August g. it is suppos-
ed here that the Conger message was writ
ten not earlier than that tine
The Chinese Government apparently re.
scinded its inhibition of cipaer dispatches
on the Sd, although the telegram to Min
lister WI from Director Sheng SAYS that
the edict was not received by the Tsung-
n-Yamen, or Foreign off1ce, in Pekin until
August :.
The removal of the restrictions on ci-
pher dispatches is believed here TO be the
result OF Secretary Hays frank warning TO
Ii Hung Chang. All along the Washing
ten authorities have been hopeful that Mr..
Hays remarks about "unfriendIy attitude"
and heavy responsibility would not fall
on barren ground in refusing full and free
communication. While not addressed for
mally to the Chinese Government, but
merely in the form of responses to enquT-
ries from Ii Hung Chang, it was obvious
to the Government that Ii would not fail
to let the Imperial authorities in Pekin
know the attitude of the United States as
soon as it was possible for him to do so.
The removal of the embargo is regarded
as of the utmost Importance not only for
the reason given. but because it indicates.
to the official mind. that China is begin
ming to weaken. Her refusal to permit ei-
pher messages to be exchanged, because
fighting was going on at Tientsin.' was
regarded here as part of a game OF bluff.
intended to frighten the powers into stop
ping the advance of the allies in the fear
that the ministers would be killed if the
international forces moved nearer to the
capital. Not one of the nations was made
to hesitate, however, by this piece of Chi
nese diplomacy. and it is regarded as sig
nificant that the restrictions on the trans
mission Of cipher dispatches were removed
eoineident with the beginning of the ad-
vance movement from Tientsin
Minister Wu said today that he pre-
sumed that Minister Conger's message re- /
ceived last night was in reply TO the last I
message which he forwarded to the Ameri- |
can Minister from Secretary Hay. Con-
cerning the contents Of Minister Conger's |
Minister Wu was inclined to re-
frain from talking He said that the atti-
tude of his Government has not changed
and that it is his firm belief that war will
rot be. declared by China against the allied |
powers.
Officials in Conference
After the departure of Minister Wu from |
the State Department Secretary Root was
closeted for some time with Acting Seere-
tary Adee. Afterwards he said that the |
despatch from Minister Conger had not |
changed the purpose Of the Government to |
push on with all possible speed TO the re- |
lief of the Ministers at Pekin. He de- /
elared that nothing could be said now in
regard to the movements of more troops
for China.
The Government officials have, as re-
suit of their conferences, decided to send a
message to Minister Conger and its pre-
paratfon has been entrusted to Acting
Secretary Alec. What it will say cannot |
now be ascartained. It is based on Mr..
conger's telegram received last night and
like that telegram will be sent in cipher.