Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-07-13
.BLAMES TIE MISSIONARIES
Chinese Consul at San Francisco
Says His Countrymen Are Not
Ready for Christianity.
THINKS A sREAT WAR is POSSIBLE.
Bombardment of Taku Forts Has Fren-
sled tho Boxer Fanatics. He Thinks, and
tho Allied Forces Will Need 46O.OO0
Mon to Sr>due tho Northern Province
Al0ne-Advocates q Pacific Course.

San Francisco, July 10.-In regard
to the present situation in China, Ho
Vow, the Chinese consul general in
San Francisco, diplomat only second
in Importance to the Chinese minister
IN Washington, says:
The origin of the whole trouble is in
reference with our religion In China.
I do not question the worthy intentions
of the missionaries who have gone there,
but they have made the mistake of try
ing to convert a people who are not edu-
Gated as a race even to the point of re-
ug1ous federation. Good missionaries
merely waste their energies and incense
the people. Studying the history OF the
world. we find that almost every great
war has been brought on by differences
In religion.
There Is another cause for the present
uprising. aside from the purely religious
work Of the missionaries in PROSECUTING
China to their faith. 1t has so happened
In China that whenever a missionary has
been injured or killed In the country the
nation which he represented has made
the tragedy the occasion for asking
grants of lands from the Chinese govern
ment. I do not mean to say that they
are not right in demanding indemnity
for such misdeeds, but this course, in the
eyes of many of our people, who are ex-
treme1y suspicious. has been miscon-
strued and misrepresented.
am positive from the dispatches have
received that it was the original inten-
ton of both the government and the
Otherwise it would have been easy to
attack them before June 20. I am sure
the government was ready to put forth
every effort to protect them.
To-day cannot speak so confidently.
The bombardment of the Taku forts has
changed the whole aspect of the situa-
ton. AS soon as the tidings of that act
of hostility reached Pekin fear that the
forces which up to that moment had been
held In control by the government would
become frenzied and beyond its control,
for they would reason that they were to
be punished anyway, and all reason for
restraint would then have been gone.
From a political point of view it seems
to be a fatal mistake on the part of
those powers to have taken that aggres-
sive step before they had landed sufficient
forces to be able to support it or to fol-
low 1t up. They stirred up a bee hive.
when not in a position to accomplish any
thing. Instead Of relieving the legations
at Pekin they aggravated the situation,
stirring up ignorant and maddened
populace to frenzy.
The Cinnamon are well armed and they
are well supplied with weapons of the
latest pattern, many of them manufac-
tured in our own great arseEaIs.
Shan Tung province is notable for its
men of fine physique and stature. This
province could probably place in the
preaching six feet in height. Whatever
China may have seen in the past she
is no Insignificant enemy to cope with
to-day Her strength is formidable, and
If it is expended upon invaders the re-
suit will be terrible slaughter.
In my opinion the powers would need
an army of about 100000 men to subdue
this northern province by force.
Should there be general uprising
throughout China, before they could do
any sort Of policing for that great ter
ritory with its 600 people. or bring
them under subsection, they would re-
Quire not less than 1000 900 soldiers and
many millions of dollars would be wasted
and millions of lives be lost before the
entire country could be brought under
subjugation.
These zea1ots are not open to reason
as they are possessed by strange super
stitions. Very many of the boxers, prob
ably by far the greater number, have
never seen an European face and believe
implicitly the horrible things told about
foreigners.
If the members of the legations have
been murdered you cannot bring them
back to life by killing in turn. A peace
full adjustment of the differences might
be had and compensation secured. Such
a policy would save many lives and
enormous expenditures on the part of the
injured nations.