The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-03-14
CHANGE IN RUSSIAN POLICY
FURTHER PUNISHMENIS IN CHINA
ARE OPPOSED.

This Attitude Due to Agreement over
Manchurta-Attempt of Peace Conn
mtssioners to Provoke Discord Among
the Ministers--GuiIty Provinciais
Named-Attitude of Japan and tho
United states Not Yet Known.
Pekin, March 12.-The ministers held
a meeting to-day and discussed the
questions of the punishment OF the pro-
vincial officials who are regarded as re-
sponsible primarily for the Boxer trou-
bles. and who are directly implicated
in the massacre of missionaries and
converts. To the surprise of everybody,
the Russian representative appeared as
an opponent of any further punishment
of Chinese officials, no matter how
guilty they may have been.
This was the first decided break in
the concert of the powers. The Rus
sian representative got his orders from
ST. Petersburg. 1t is understood that
he was told to aid China in every way
lin return for China's signature to an
agreement recognizing Russian pre-
dominance in the whole northern part
of the empire. The Chinese peace COM
missfoners have attempted to minimize
the Importance of this agreement Ill the
hope, 1t Is thought, of provoking dis
cord among the ministers.
The move made by Russia to-day will
please the Chinese for two reasons. In
the first place, it means that the pun
ishment Of the provincial officials will
be STAYED off temporarily, to say the
least, and secondly, it will have ten
dency to break the unanimity of the
powers AS the matter stands now,
Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy,
Austria, Belgium, and Holland are
agreed that these officials should be
punished. The position Of Japan and
America Is uncertain. The action OF
these two countries is deemed most i'm
portant in settling the policy of the al
lies In the opinion of the majority of
the ministers, it is simply a question
whether strict justice shall be admins
tered, and a policy adopted that VIII
bring security to the country or one OF
laxity that will lead to more danger and
trouble.
Investigation made UP to date go to
show that at the lowest calculation 24O
foreigners and 10000 native converts
were murdered as direct outcome OF
the Boxer troubles, which had official
connivance. These nnassacres were dis
tributed about his way: Protestant
missionaries, men, women, and children,
in Shansi, Chill, Mongolia, and Che
kiang (British), 113; Americans and
Scandinavians connected with Ameri-
can societies, rs; Catholics-French,
italian, Netherlands, German, and Bel
gians in Manchuria, Mongolia, Chill,
Human, Szechuan, Kiaochiao, Thibet,
and Honan 40.
Most of the foreign ministers believe
that the perpetrators of these. outrages
deserve severe punishment, and that 1t
should be imposed In order to maintain
Justice. The list contains the names of
40 officials, on whom strict punish
ment is demanded, even so far as the
imposition of death penalty, but the
ministers insist on the beheading only
of eleven namely, the sub-prefect at
Tung-pingchowj province Of Chill; the
official of West Mongolia, where the
bishop of the Netherlansd and three
priests were murdered; the sub-prefect
of East Mongolia; the project of Fuen-
chofu. Shansi province; the magistrate
of Patching; the Taotai of Kueihuan-
ieng: the sub-prefect of Hsinchow; the
Taotai of Shansi; the military governor
of Mukden, and two officials at Gnu
chan and Chekiang. The ministers Will
ALSO demand posthumous punishment
for Yu Lu, late viceroy of Tientsin.
They will demand, in addition, that all
the other guilty persons shall be SEN
fenced to such punishments as impris-
onment, Punishment, and degradation.
Such treatment, it is declared. is better
than the Russian policy of killing thou
sands of helpless people in North Man
churia.
One Of the ministers said to-day that
If the representatives of the powers
should yield in the matter of the killing
of one of these guilty officials there
never would be security hereafter for a
missionary or foreign merchant under
the Chinese government. The same d.
n1omat said that if the American gov
eminent were now Indifferent to this
question all its foreign prestige and in
terest in the welfare Of it's citizens
would suffer.