The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-12
THE SITUATION IN CHINA
Cause Of Prince Ching's Oppositisn
10 Prince Tuan.
His Motives for AntagonizinE the
Whom He Is Apparently Forming
CoalitiOn-Tke Strength of the In
surscnts Probably Exaggerated.

| NEW YORK. July 1.-Wiiliam Barclay
Parsons who. as the chief engineer of an
| American syndicate owning railway con-
| cessions in China, last year spent num-
| Der of months in the Empire under cir
cumstances the most advantageous for in
| sight into Celestial personalities and char
acteristics, said today: Il attach much
| credit to the current intelligence from
| China that Prince Ching has organized
resistance to Prince Tuan, the Boxers,
and the disloyal soldiery. who have es-
! poused the cause Of the usurper and re-
volutionist; and that he is using all means
| at his command to sUccor and protect the
foreeR legations and all Europeans.
prince Ching is the uncle Of the EN-
peror-who remains such despite his resig-
| nation of the reins of government to the
| Empress Dowager, and notwithstanding
| the naming of Prince Tuans SON as his
| successor, which really means only heir
| apparent'-and he was the head OF the
| Tsung- IL Yamen until deposed in favor
| of Prince Tnan. He therefore has the
| most powerful human motives to antago-
| nize Prince Tuan; the desire to keep the
| throne within his family. and the impulse
| to be revenged upon the usurper who first
| displaced him. and then used his power
| to such violent ends.
But these do not exhaust the motives OF
Prince Ching He is an advanced conser-
vative. For Chinese, he has no little
patriotism. He sincerely desires to see his
| country deveioped-not indeed, European
lied. but still made richer and more power
full b. the application of foreign ideas and
| with the help of foreigners. He not only
| appreciates the value of the latter to China,
| hut has friendly regard for them. Then
| he is a very intelligent and forceful man
one who would count In any civilized
| community. He understands what the
| Western view is OF the destruction OF lesa-
| tons and the massacre of accredited rep
regen.atiyes with the women and children
| of their families. None would compre-
! bend better than he the menace to the in
tegrity and independence of the Empire
| lying in so barbarous tragedy perpe-
| trated by any semblance OF government
ard authority.
"The foregoing considerations furnish to
! anyone who has first-hand knowledge OF
! the character and position OF Prince CHING
I almost a confidence that the dispatches
concerning his intervention are true. That
| it did not occur sooner must be attributed
to the decentralization resulting from The
/ first overwhelming triumph OF Prince
Tuan and his Boxer allies. Undoubtedly,
Prince Ching has ever since been e1erting
himself to the utmost to create an effective
| opposition to the revolutionists, and ii Is
1 evident that he has but recently succeeded.
The ground upon which the London
| Times is disposed to doubt the accuracy
! of the news of Prince Chings diversion
| in favor of the besieged diplomats appears
| to me to have no cogency at all. 1t asks
why, if the Ministers have SO powerful q
protector, they are not enabled to com
| municate directly with their Governments.
| You will observe that the dispatches say
| that Prince Ching's present force consists
! of about 10. GOO. men. These figures tend to
| corroborate the whole story. The prince
| has thus far been unable to raise larger
number Hence, While he can give the
besieged effective assistance. he is not yet
master of the situation. he is not In con-
troll of the telegraph or railways. II l4.OOo
European and japanese troops at Tlentsin
can make no Roadway against the Chinese
horde surrounding them. can Prince Ching
and his 10000 be supposed to have their
own way against the masses Of revolution
lists in Pekin2
..some of the dispatches also state that
Yung Lu, the former Commander-in-Ch Chief
of the Imperial Army. is CO. operating with
Prince Ching against Prince Tuan. This Is
very probable. for Yung Lu is man OF the
same tysa The situation as deciphered
from the news dispatches appears to be
that a coalition is being, or has been,
formed between these men and Chang CEih
Tung. the Wu-chang Viceroy. Liu Kun VI.
the Marking Viceroy; Ii Hung Chang the
Canton Viceroy and Sreng Ta-Jen, the
Director of Railroads and Telegraphs OF
the South.
If so. the elements OF a stable and hon
orable government are already present, and
will become operative SO soon as Prince
Tuan can be put down by Chinese and
foreign power.
Personally am convinced that the for
eign admirals' estimate of the strength OF
the revolutionists is grossly exaggerated.
1t is necessarily derived in large part
from Chinese sources. and every Chinese |
absurdly magnifes everything.
Even the Chinese estimate of the pop |
ulation OF the Empire, which Europeans |
hare accepted. is a grotesque fiction. In |
stead of having 49o0o0.Oo0 inhabitants, !
am confident China has not more than half |
that number.
Among the strongest Impressions now
have, as the result OF my observations
United States has offered to her, In the
present juncture. one of the rarest OPP
pCrtunites that can come to a high
minded nation. Not only by the Chinese
themselves, but by the foreign powers-so
far as their attitude can be gathered from
that of their diplomatic representative in
China-America is regarded as the only
nation which has incurred no suspicion of
seeking territorial aggrandizement at the
expense of the Celestial Kingdom. This
reputation gives this country an excep-
tonal strength of position in the eyes OF
all, and ] thoroughly believe that it Is
open to Us now to assume a leadership
which Will lead directly to these results:
The restoration OF peace, order, and stable
government; the introduction in the Orient
of liberty and freedom: the conservation Of
the integrity Of the Chinese Empire; the
establishment OF the policy Of the open
door, and the complete opening of China
to modern civilization and thus eventually
to Christianity
DR.. CHARLES MACDONALD DEAD.