Evening star., 1900-12-03

we sought to remain in peace and friend
| ship. Our declared aims involved no war
| against the Chinese nation. We adhered to
| the legitimate Office Of rescuing the in,psr-
| lied legation. obtaining redress for wrongs
| already suffered, securing wherever possi-
BILE the safety Of American life and prop
| erty in China. and preventing a spread Of
the dicorders or their recurrence.
AS was then said, THE policy OF the Gov
| erEment of the United States is to seek a
solution which may bring about permanent
| safety and peace to China, preserve Chi
| nese territorial and administrative entity,
| project all rights guaranteed to friendly
| powers by treaty and international law,
and safeguard for the world the principle
of equal and impartial trade with all parts
| Of the Chinese Empire"
Faithful to those professions which, as
\ 1t proved. reflected the views and pur-
poses of the other cooperating govern
| ments, all our efforts have been directed
| toward ending the anomalous situation in
| China by negotiations for a settlement at
| the earliest possible moment. AS soon as
| the sacred duty of relieving our legation
| and its dependents was accomplished we
| withdrew from active hostilities. leaving
| our legation under an adequate guard in
| Peking as a channel of negotiation and
settlements course adopted by others Of
| the Interested powers. Overtures Of the
| empowered representatives of the Chinese
| Emperor have been considerably enter
| tanned.
| The Russian proposition looking to the
| restoration of the Imperial power IN
| Picking has been accepted as in full conso-
! nance with our own desires, for We have
| held and hold that effective reparation for
and
ment that will make their recurrence i'm
possible can best be brought about under
an authority which the Chinese nation
| reverences and obeys. While so doing We
forego no jot of our undoubted right to
exact exemplary and deterrent punishment
of the responsible authors and abettors OF
the criminal acts whereby We and other
nations have suffered grievous injury.
NEGOTIATIONS FOR PEACE.
For the real culprits, the evil counselors
who have misled the Imperial judgment
| and diverted the sovereign authority to
their own guilty ends, full expiation be-
comes imperative within the rational lim--s
of retributive justice. Regarding this as
| the initial condition of an acceptable set
tlement between China and the powers, l
said in my message of October 1S to the
Chinese Emperor:
/ trust that negotiations may begin so
soon as and the other offended govern
ments shall be effectively satisfied of Your
Majesty's ability and power to treat with
just sternness the principal offenders, who
are doubly culpable, not alone toward the
foreigners. but toward Your Majesty, un-
der whose rule the purpose of China to
dwell In concord with the world lad hith-
erto found expression in the welcome and
protection assured to strangers.
Taking, as point of departure, the I'm
perial edict appointing Earl Ii Hung Chang
and Prince Ching plenipotentiaries to ar
range settlement. and the edict of Sep
tember 25th. whereby certain high officials
were designated for punishment, this Gov
ernment has moved. in concert with the
other powers, toward the opening Of nego-
tiations, which Mr.. Conger. assisted by Mr.
Rockhill, has been authorized to conduct on
behalf of the United States.
General bases OF negotiation formulated
by the Government of the French Republic
have been accepted with certain reserva-
tions as to details. made necessary by our
own circumstances, but, like similar reser-
| va tions by other powers, open to discussion
in the progress of the negotiations. The
disposition of the Emperor's Government 70
| admit liability for wrongs done to foreign
governments and their nationals, and to act
upon such additional designation of the
guilty persons the foreign ministers at
Peking may be in position to make gives
hope of complete settlement of all oues-
ticns involved. assuring foreign rights of
residence and intercourse on terms Of
equality for all the world.
1 regard as one of the essential factors of
durable adjustment the securnr1ent of
adj fy,lar Of
since insecurity OF those natives who may
embrace alien creeds is a scarcely less eff
fectual assault upon the rights of foreign
worship and teaching than would be the
direct invasion thereof.
The matter of indemnity for our wronged
citizens is a question of grave concern.
Measured In money alone. a sufficient rep
aration may prove to be beyond the ability
of China TO meet. All the powers concur in
emphatic disclaimers Of any purpose of ag-
grandizement through the dismemberment
Of the Empire. am disposed to think tha,
Que compensation may be made in part by
increased guarantees of security for Tor-
e!sn rights and immunities. and, most i'm
portant o. all, by the opening of China 10
the equal commerce Of all the world. These
views have been and will be earnestly ad-
vccated by our representatives.
1Hc 1oFeIHHeHl VI RUSSIA mas put 1Or-
ward suggestion, that in the event of pro-
tracted divergence Of views in regard to in
IDENTITIES the matter may be relegated to
the Court of Arbitration at The Hague. 1
favorably incline to this, believing that high
tribunal could not fail to reach a solution
no less conducive to the stability and en-
larged prosperity Of China itself than i'm
mediately beneficial to the powers.
WITH OTHER POWERS.
Ratifications Of a treaty of extradilion
with the Argentine Republic were ex-
changed on June I'd last.
While the Austro-Hungarian Government
has in the many cases that have been re-
ported Of the arrest of our naturalized citi-
zens for alleged evasion Of military service
faithfully observed the provisions of the
treaty and released such persons from mill
tary obligations. it has in some instances
expelled those whose presence in the COM
munity of their origin was asserted to have
a pernicious influence. Representations
have been made against this course when
ever its adoption has appeared unduly oner-
Gus.