The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-12-29
Influx of Foreign Interests Has
Led to Popular Protest
Being Made.
WANT RIGHTS RESTORED.
PEOPLE DEMAND THAT THE AL
IENATION OF THEIR RIGHTS
BY OUTSIDERS BE STOPPED Att
ONCE.

Pekin, Dec. 2s.-The dowager en-
press has given verbal orders to the
interior department and to the police
to suppress all public meetings in Pc
kin, and there is reason to believe this
| order will be extended to the prov
inces.
The popular agitation along the
lines of rights recovery" is growing
in a phenomenal manner. The ques-
ton of provincial, as against federal
sovereignty, enters largely into the
matter Women's societies, schools
for boys and girls, the family news
papers and the political press all are
participating in the agitation, and for
a month past the government here has
been receiving kilograms in increasing
numbers expressing the strong desire
of the senders that the rights which
have been alienated from them by for
eigners be restored to the Chinese.
The movement has reached such mag
nitude that the government is now
striving to fill conciliatory position.
The people of Chekiang province
have sent some delegates here to pro-
tect their interests These delegates
the foreign board has taken into its
confidence, opening its archives to
them and asking them to make care
full examination of the position of the
Chinese government with regard to
Great Britain, and then to recommend
a solution of the difficulty.
The reception accorded these civil
ian delegates by the government and
the admission of representatives OF
provincial councils into state affairs at
Pekin, is without precedent and is be-
lieved to constitute what can be called
the thin edge of the wedge which is to
give constitutional rights. 1t shows
also the Importance of the agitation
which has been going on in Chekiang
province and which undoubtedly is the
cause of the recent edict by the
throne. The agitation embraces the
question Of the patrol Of the West riv-
er by Great Britain in an effort to put
an end to the piracy there, and leading
Englishmen apprehend that the recent
popular hostility will result in an in
quiry into British trade. The govern
Great Britain, whose insistence upon
China's maintenance of her original
position has produced an apparent SOL
idarity among the Chinese ministers.
The pressure of the British govern
| ment is Strengthening the position OF
Yuan Shi Kai, whose popularity and
influence in Pekin is regarded by for
eigners as essential to the safety and
progress of China.
1t is declared here that the foreign
| agitation in the matter of the attitude
| adopted by Japan with regard to Man
| churia and the warning of Russia con-
corning the annulment Of the tele-
| graph convention have led the British
| foreign Office to take action, and it is
understood that this has been in the
| form of representations to the Toxic
| government. France has consented to
the revision of the convention regard
ing land telegraphs, but she has post
poned the discussion with China Of
the cable controversy, as she desires
to secure facilities for the extension
of the submarine line to Vladivostok.
China it is stated here, considers the
attitude taken by Japan to be based
upon impossible claims and Japan, 1t
is averred, is taking advantage of Chi
mas complications with Great Britain
to postpone the negotiations regard
ing Manchuria. She has delayed draft
ing the new postal convention, which
was promised for November. Travel
ers arriving here complain of what
they call the organized incivility and
in some cases even the brutal conduct
of the Japanese trainmen and guards
on the Manchurian railway.