The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-16

The Crisis in China.

There IS good reason to believe that the
diplomatic farce at Pezin has about come
TO an end. The ministers. No doubt. have
done the best they could in the circum-
stances but they have fallen to the ground
between the two stools of home Govern
menJs ignorant of the situation. and of
Chinese character and purposes; and the
locally known impossGbility OF forcing the
CeIestials TO act in good faith The lat
ezI Developments seem 10 justify the posi-
ton taken by our representative, Mr.. Con-
ger. as long as he was allowed to occupy
it. namely, that unrelentiBg force was The
only available means TO bring China to sub
mission and guarantees OF good conduct.
For taking and acting on this view Min
}ter Conger has been severely criticised
md practically if not formally rebuked by
The Administration; but events promise 10
prove that he was right and his masters
wrong--which is their habit. Count Won
Waldersee and Sir Ernest Satow. the Brit
ish Minister, have always held the opinion
that It is useless to treat the Chinese to a
diet Of pompous and pUnctilious milk and
water diplomacy as If they were COM
mGuiJy Of DeaceabIy disposed Quakers In
deed. both the German and the British
Governments have felt all along that it
was a fatal mistake TO suspend joint mill
Iary operations or TO give the Empress
Dowager and her retinue of princeIy and
ducal butchers And torJurers the smallest
hope Of peace IN advance OF absolute sur
render
Russia and the United States made tie
CEaVTCrrc 7,rourr-a --,g,,a 5-,g-.c-cfE1a
Rasso-AmeTican cut and scuJtle forced
the Powers to abandon a policy which
might have succeeded for one which. in
the eyes Of all authorities on Asiatic af-
fairs. was hopeless ab fnitio. and now we
have the first net results. The Empress
Dowager has notified her ENJOYS at Pekin
that the demands of the Powers are pre-
posterous and viii not be granted. ard
the pleniDOtentiary powers Of Ii Hung
Chang and Ching have been withdrawn.
Hereafter they are only TO act Under
direct instructions from the court. and
they viii only be permitted to negotiate
with The ministers ad referendum.
The impression conveyed by our China
dispatches is that this sudden develop
ment IS due to the fact that the Empress
DONG5ef IS surrounded and CCc-Ced
number OF reacuonary leaders. some of
whose heads are demanded by the foreign
ers. and that she Is practically al their
mercy. The truth is more likely to he
that her intimate connection with these
leaders, who include Prince Tuan. Tung
Fuh Slang. and others of the worst class,
has never been severed. and that she is
and always has been heart and soul with
them in their atrocious purposes Her
latest action. which is tantamount 10 def
ance, probably is based upon a court the
ory that there are now troops. arms, and
ammunition enough assembled oorver:ent-
y il Northern China to justify IN early
resumption of hostilities- This .iew nav
or may not be correct, but it IS supported
by the current belief in China that. should
war be renewed, the United States and
Russia. and possibly France. you'd abstain
from participation and 50 there would be
only Great Britain, Germany. and France
20 fight Further news from the scene of
trouble viii be awaited with interest The
Chinese puzzle appears harder TO solye
than ever