The Minneapolis journal., 1901-02-27
PUNIsHING CHINESE

The powers are just now engaged in the
interesting occupation of seeing that the
Chinese government carries out the sec
tion of the program of peace which en-
bodies the beheading of the principal
leaders of the Boxer outrages against for
eigners last year. 1t was found that the
usual method of sending a silver cord to
the condemned dignitaries as a suggestion
to commit suicide wouldn't work, as the
recipients of the cords refused point blank
to strange themselves. The more effective
method of beheading publicly is in use.
After the powers get through with these
executions, what then? How near are
they to the pacification of China?
The indemnity question has not been
touched. The proposition to refer this
difficult subject to the international tri-
bunal at The Hague has not been re-
ceived with much favor, and China would
hardly consent to such reference through
fear of some underhand work. The only
portion of the peace program which is re-
ceiving attention is the punishment Of the
alleged principal culprits under the plan
proposed by Delcasse, the French minis
majority of the powers would seem to
have already gorged themselves with
Chinese blood since last July, Russia and
Germany especially, but they are not sat
isfied, and it is not in evidence that Gen
eral Count Waldersee has entirely given
up his proposed punitive expedition to
Tayuan, which is on the road to Singan- fu,
where the Chinese court has been in re-
tirement since the flight from Peking
last year, If Waldersee contemplates such
an expedition, which will take him to
one of the widest and toughest parts of
China, he may meet with an overwhelm-
ing reverse, as the court has taken the
precaution to mass a large army for the
defense of the capital in Shansi province
The punitive expeditions of Waldersee and
the Russians have done more than any
thing else to intensity the antiforeign
feeling in China. They are a shameful
violation of international law, for they
are undertaken pending peace negotia-
tions.
1t is reported that the Chinese pIeni-
potentiaries have agreed to the demand
for the provisional suspension of all off,
cial examinations during five years in
all towns in which foreigners have been
killed or maltreated. The demand for the
prohibition of the Importation of firearms,
the razing of the forts at Taku, which
constitute the seaward defenses of Peking,
and other forts, and for the armed oc-
cupation of certain localities to be indi-
Gated by the powers, embody the destruc-
tion of the independence of the Chinese
government, and, if carried out, will be
so regarded by the people. If the impe-
rial government comes back to Peking
as the national capital under such con-
ditions, it will come obviously more as a
vassal than a ruler. The program also en-
bodies the reform of the Chinese admin
istration under foreign auspices, the re-
moval of internal taxation (likin taxi and
other transformations, which will make
the average Chinese conservative sick in
his stomach and probably stimulate all
VIC AolCAI 1uollSulIy OI the pronounced
antiforeign element Anybody who ex-
poets smooth sailing for the powers in
the current peace negotiations will find
himself mistaken. The great danger is
that the rapacity of the sphere powers
will presume too much on Chinese capac-
ity to blunder and will go step too far
and arounse the brute force of the en-
pire. The latter is already awakened and
few more Russian and German punitive
expeditions will be apt to give the world
an exhibition of yellow vengeance which
will contain some very tragical elements.