Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-05-06
MINISTER CONGER
Thinks Agreement Will Soon
Be Reached in China.
Sees Little Probability Of Trouble Be-
tween Japan and Russia.
Armies as Rule We're Well Behaved. individual
Soldiers Were Brutes.

New York, May 5.-Minister f. II.
CongeI, who has lately returned to this
country, furnishes an article on the
Chinese situation which will appear in
the coming number of Leslie's Weekly.
Mr.. COnger says in part:
Unless matters have changed very
| materially since left China, six weeks
ago, the powers will reach some con-
clusion in regard to China very soon.
OF course it is difficult for III men to
| agree on anything, especially when
they have II governments with differ
ing views behind them. China is per
fcctly willing to do anything that the
powers agree upon-that is, anything
within her ability to accomplish. She
is only too anxious To expedite these
| matters. and hold down to peaceful
pursuits again.
"Of course the powers must not de-
| mand an indemnity which China will
be physically unable TO raise. 1t is
possible that China will not be able to
meet quite all the expenses Of the war,
but even if there should be slight
| balance left on the wrong side it
would pay the powers far better to
abate n little in the amount of their
again than TO insist on the last farth-
| ing and delay the renewal of CONNER
cial relations.
| 1t is not certain, finally. some ma
| tion may not demand territory of
China in lieu of 4 money indemnity. 1t
| is perfectly certain that if any nation
does make this demand. the partition
of China will follow, and this will in
t.,tsu
tween the powers. These difficulties
| and disputes would be long in the set
Ting. and would lead to terrible con-
| fusion in China. No man can tell how
| long it would be before the country
| would be peaceful and there would be
| constant strife between the powers
and the provinces which they attempt
| ed to govern-all this to the detriment
| of trade.
Russia has so far mitigated her de-
mands that there is not now much
danger Of serious difficulty between
| her and Japan. Personally | am very
| much in favor of the continued exist
ence of China as an empire. governed
by her own emperor. 1t will save us
and all the rest of the world lots of
trouble if the integrity of the empire is
maintained. The empress dowager has
| done much harm. She is not. however.
entirely to blame for the Boxer up
rising. Among her councillors and
! near to her We're many men of strong
antiforeign feeling. and she listened
! only too willingly to what they said.
her own prejudices coinciding with
theirs.
AS far rs the punishment Of Chin
csc officials goes, China has already
done all that she could. Something out
of the ordinary had to be demanded by
, the powers. for it takes a good deal of
punishment to impress this people, and
this was no ordinary offense. In some
cases the officials whose punishment
, was demanded We're more powerful
than the government, and then, of
course, the punishment could not be
enforced. Except in these cases. every
thing was done as the powers de-
mandcd.
AT home I understand that l was
thought bloOdthirsty but in China I
was the most lenient of all the minis
ters, except one. We knew the condi-
tions better than those who We're not
there could possibly know them. Dras-
tic measures We're demanded, but do
not think that we were cruel What
would seem a severe punishment to us
at home would not impress the Chinese
at all, for the reason that they indulge
in so many cruel and unusual punish
ments.
The reports Of cruelty on the part
Continued on page 81