Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-01-19
HAY down ON CDNG[R
Trouble Between Secretary Hay
and Minister Conger Be-
coming Serious
D'sl'xEs MCCORMICK ALSO
MCCORMICK AL
United States Minister to Russia
Comes in for Large Share of Mr.
Hays Disapproval-RIames conser
For Delay in Negotiations For Sign
ing of the Chinese Treaty. . . 81

in Davenport Times: Rumors III
strained relations between Minister
Coneer, the Iowa man who is req
resenting the United States at Pc
kin. and Secretary Hay regarding Ger
tain details of the recent signing OF
the open Door" treaty with China
have been heard in certain circles IN
Washington during the last few day
Altho state department officials will not
discuss the matter it is learned pri-
yately and on undoubted authority that
these rumors were founded in fact and
that the feeling between Secretary Hay
and Minister Conger had reached
rather dangerous point.
Ii is declared that within the last
few Weeks Mr.. Hay. the secretary 81
state has sent Minister Conger more
sharp messages than he ever sent to Il
foreign representative of the United
States. This feeling is said to have
grown out of Secretary Hays impa :
tience with Minister Conger for his
delay In the negotiations for the sigr-
ing of the Chinese treaty. When Sec-
rotary Hay sent MIR. Conger orders re-
garding the disposition of the treaty
he told him to arrange to have IL
signed as soon rs ii had been passed by
the senate Ii was fully month at
ter the treaty had been ratified here
tina, signatures were affixed in Pekin
During all this time Secretary Hay. !;
is said, was sending Minister Conger
all sorts OF dispatches prodding HIM
for his delay.
Some of the stories of this incident
carried with them a rumor of Mr.. Col
gers probable recall from his post ds
minister to China because of Sec
rotary Hays displeasure. These rum
ors, however, have been promptly dis
credited by officers of the administra
ton and members of the Iowa delega-
ton. The latter stand sQuarely be-
hind Mr.. Conger and would oppose %
the finish any attempt on the part OF
Secretary Hay to carry his feeling IL
the extreme point OF trying to secure
the minister's recall. 1t is said that
Mr.. Hay thinks that Minister Conger
is dilatory and indifferent in the pro-
secution OF his official duties and hl
grows very impatient because H.
thinks that Mr.. Conger does not push
things as he should.
Minister Couger Is by no means The
first one in the United States foreign
service to feel the sting of MIR. Hay :
imperlousness and impatience. Only
recently Minister Mccormick at st.
Petersburg has come in for n large
share of Mr.. Hays disapproval, ans.
the secretary of state has talked
openly of his feeling that the minister
to Russia was not handling matters as
he should. There seems to be no doubt
that Mr.. Hay. who Is quick in his likes
or dislikes, has conceived an unfriendiy
feeling for Minister Conger and is
therefore inclined to call him more
sharply TO account than other menu
bers of the diplomatic service. Mr.. Con-
GER however, because of all that he
went thru at the time Of the Boxer
trouble in China and his gallant &C.
ton at that time has standing IL.
the diplomatic service that can not be
materially affected by Mr.. Hays per-
sonal dislike and the attitude he con.
sequently maintains toward the min
lister.
This is not the first time that the
relations between Minister conger and
the state department have become
strained Shortly after the Boxer trou-
BILE there was a serious complication
resulting from the alleged misunder-
standing by Mr.. conger of an official
dispatch outlining the United States
policy. In his subsequent actions Mr..
Conger was called sharply to account
by the state department but the matter
was never given much publicity.