The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-09-23
MINISTER coNeER LOOKS FOR
ANOTHER UPRISING.
At HIGH TAXATION
People Infatuated by Governments
Extortionate Demands and Pres
ence Of Missionaries.

washington, Sept. 1S.-China is on
the verge, of another Boxer uprising
which may equal that Of 1900, accord.
ing to mail adyices received at the
state department from Minister Con.
ger, dated last month. The troubles
appear to arise principally from ex.
tortionate taxation combined with re.
sentiment against the presence Of the
missionaries, thus justifying the judg-
ment Of lie state department which
pointed out to the powers that the de-
mand for Excessive indemnities would
result in serious internal aroubles in
China. Mr.. Conger's first advice
bears date of August 6 from Pekin,
and he reports serious anti-foreign
riots near Chentu, in the province of
%Szechuan, in which a number Of ma
tive Christians had beens massacred
and chapels destroyed.
Mr.. Conger appears to have acted
with energy upon telegraphic com
plants from DR.. Canright, an Amer
lean medical missionary at Chentu,
not only addressing the Chinese for
eign Office by letter, but calling there
in perscp to impress upon the officials
the necessity Of immediate action, and
finally succeeding in causing the re-
moval of the local officials who had
failed to repress the riots and pre-
serve life and property.
Mr.. Conger encloses within his re-
port the communications that passed
between himself, DR.. Cartwright and
the foreign Office. Under date Of June
20, from Chentu, DR.. Cartwright tele-
graphed:
"Szechuan repeating troubles of
1900. Chapel burned, 10 Christians
killed. Boxers have been multiplying
for four months; officials taxed"
y Mr.. Conger Immediately telegraph
ed DR.. Cartwright to demand adequate
protection for missionaries and the
native Christians from the local Of
uSAAAOs 1lO d1SO uuulCooCu q AOtC "
Prince Ching at the foreign Office,
stating that there were several Ameri-
can missionaries and many chapels
and converts in Szechuan, and that
it was necessary that immediate pro-
VISION be taken to stamp out these
troubles at their very inception.
Imperial Edict.
In his answer, Prince Ching .enclos-
ed a copy of the following imperial
edict:
Some time ago a number of local
outlaws were banded together in the
district of Use Yang and made trou-
Bile; whereupcn I. dispatched troops
to. dispense them. The leading crimi-
nal. Ii Kang Church, and others were
arrested and executed, but now the
magistrate of the place, Ma Cheng
Chi, reports that at Tch Chu Kim, in
his district, outlaws a thousand strong
suddenly made a night attack and
destroyed a church, which the British
or American society had built. The
preacher Chu. ,Cheng Wei, and four
church members were killed. They
also burned some houses and killed
three Christians. / sent troops in all
haste and, deputed besides an official
with rank of Tao Tai to proceed with
braves to attend to this matter.
. SsC,,ah Eavo1 o~I lo~y1oco O,,%I,,oo 1ye !
should certainly be quickly put down.
They must N nc occasion be allowed
to spread
"We command Kwei Chun to strict
ly order the troops to dispense the
rebels and their followers, to seize the
and to punish them ac-
cordipg to the rigor Of the law and so
nip the rebellion in the bud.
I'VE feel a great pity for the mis-
sionary 81 preacher and others who
for no fault of theirs have lost their
lives, and so command that adequate
relief may be at once given.
Gas for Ma Cheng Chi. the magis-
trate of TIE Yang, it is said. has not
long been in the Office because he
was remiss in taking precautionary
measures, we demand that he be re-
moved from Office and that he be
given a. limited time within which to
capture the criminals.
~As there may be outlaws in other
places who rouse the suspicious Of
people, spread and make trouble, the
local authorities should be instructed
% make careful search and put a stop
to all such things; to take special pre-
cautions SO as to get rid of badNchar-
acters land to encourage the law-abfd-
ing people. They must give real pro
to the chapels and mission
aries without the least remissness.