Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-05-11
CONGER ON CHINA.
He believes Integrity Of Empire wiii b e
Maintatned.


Maintained.
New York, May 7.-Minister E. II.
Conger, who a. 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.
or course Il Ia difficult for eleven men
TO agree on anything, especially when
they have eleven governments with dit
fering views behind them. China IL
perfectly willing 10 do anything that
the powers agree upon-that Is. any
thing within her ability to accomplish
She Is only too anxious 20 expedite
matters and settle down to peaceful
pursuits again. or course, the powers
must not demand an indemnity which
China will be physically unable TO raise,
1t IA not certain, that finally. some ma
ton may no demand territory OF Chi
ma In lieu OF q money indemnity. III
Is perfectly certain that II any nation
does make this demand the partition
OF China will follow, and this Will In
evitably cause much dissension be-
tween the powers. These difficulties
and disputes would be long In the set
liihB "ta "OhlN bNSN v
fusion In China.
Russia has so far mitigated her de-
mands that there Is not now much
danger OF serious difficulties between
her and Japan. Personally. i am very
much In favor Of the continued exist.
ence OF China as an empire, governed
by her own emperor IL Will save US
and all the rest Of the world lots OF
trouble II The integrity Of the empire
is maintained.
"As far as the punishment OF Chi
nese officials goes, China has already
done all that she could. Something out
OF the ordinary had to be Dy
the powers, for II takes a good deal Oi
punishment to impress this people, M
this was no ordinary offense. In some
asses the officials whose punishment
was demanded were more powerful
than the government, and then, OF
course, the punishment could not be
enforced. Except In these cases. ev-
erything was o as the powers de-
manded.
AT home ] understood was thought
bloodthirsty, but In China ] was the
most lenient of all the ministers, eX-
cept one. We knew the conditions
better than those who were not there
could possibly know them. Drastic
measures were demanded. but l dc
tnlnk Una VIC "tIe NIutl.
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 OF the soldiers have been grossly
exaggerated, though / am sure that
there was plenty OF brutality on the
part OF individual soldiers. AS an army,
the allies were exceedingly we'll be-
haved. Nor were the stories OF UNI
restricted looting true. In Picking the
soldiers took what they needed. of
course, just as we would have seized
anything that we needed while we
were Gagged up In the compound. had
we been able to fasten upon anything
that would help us TO withstand the
Siege. As for the stories OF mission
aries looting, they are undisguisedly
false. The missionaries did not loot"