New-York tribune., 1900-07-22
FRENCH VIEW OF SITUATION
REQUEST PURPORTING TO COME FROM
EMPEROR REGARDED AS RUSE-
POSITION OF THE PRESS.
ICopyrieht 1900: BY The New-York Tribune1
[BY CABLE TO THE TRIBUSE.l

[BY CABLE TO THE TRIBUNEl
Paris July 21.-Your correspondent happened
to be at the Quai d'Orsay yesterday, shortly
after the arrival there of the cable message
communicated by the Chinese Minister here.
containing the Emperor of China's request for
President Loubet to exercise French mediation.
The only opinion expressed at the French Min
istry Of Foreign Affairs is that this extraordi-
nary message is merely a stratagem intended to
arouse international jealousy against France
and plant the seeds of dissension among the
Western nations, and also to gain time, which
is felt here to be the immediate object of Chinese
diplomacy.
The Imperial request is very ambiguous. and
whether it emanates from Emperor Kwang Su,
recently reported dead, or from Kwang Su's sue
cessor, is uncertain and this point the
Chinese Minister at Paris can give no informa-
tion whatever. In conversation with an infuen-
tial parsonage at the Quai d'Orsay I was some
what surprised to find that several of the most
experienced officials there who have carefully
collated all official and unofficial dispatches
known to have been received in Paris. London
and Washington, still cling to the hope that
Minister Pichon and some of the other foreign
representatives at Pelling may yet be alive
The present feeling at the Ministry here is
that the fiction that the Powers are not at war
China herself may have already declared war
against Russia, and may do so against other
nations. There has been an interchange of
views on this point at European capitals, and
there seems no doubt that this pretence
will be gravely upheld come what may. as the
most practical method of avoiding International
friction.
Needless to say. NJ. Delcass6's dfgnified and
adroit reply to the Emperor of Chnas message
meets with unqualified approval here, even on
the part of the opposition press. but the Paris
newspapers. with the exception of the Temps,
"D6bats" Figaro" Steele" and "Matin" which
warmly support the Ministry, are at SKIES and
sevens in regard to the policy to be followed in
China. The Nationalist "Liberte" for instance
comes out with flaming editorial calling upon
Europe to entrust Japan with the sole task of
the conquest of Northern China. The "Gaulos ;"
"Autorite" and "Presse'' urge that this man
date should devolve upon Russia alone. The
"Gaulois,' Cri de Paris and "Autorite'' vio-
lently and illogically declare England to blame
for the situation in China because "by her
dilatory attitude and concealment of the real
danger at Pekng she selfshly and perfdiously
hoped to postpone the necessity Of action until
the Transvaal war over"
The "Cri de Paris" "Patrie" Echo de Paris -
Journal and "Nationalste," who may be aptly
to pander to the lowest dregs of the Partisan
population by publishing bitter abuse of Eng
land showing they have not profited by the
lesson that British abstention from the EX-
position has cost. 1t has already cost Paris
something like 10000 900 francs a sufficient
to turn the balance from financial failure of the
Exposition financial success The "Cri de
Paris" says: When the truth is known 1t will
be seen that England is indirectly responsible
for the massacres in the Far East just as she
was responsible for the blood of Armenians as
sassinated in 1895"
Paul de Cassagn makes a violent attack
upon the Government for not coming out fiat
footed and declaring war against unlna. and
accuses the Ministry of usurpation of the
authority Of Parliament in entering upon a cam
paign at estimated cost of over 50OOOO0O
francs without first calling together Parliament
and consulting it, as would have become neces-
sary had war against China been formally de-
cared
In military circles great Importance is at
tached to the skill, courage and knowledge OF
the of artillery displayed by the Chinese
forces at Tien-Tsn and it is felt that efforts on
a much larger scale than anything hitherto
contemplated by the Powers must eventually
be made France is prepared to send forty
thousand men to China, but military experts say
the effort of dispatching that number of well
equipped troops is nothing in comparison with
the efforts to continually supply that force with
sufficient quantities of fresh soldiers to re-
pair the losses by disease and maintain that
number of effectives during a campaign.
GLIB.