The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-09-08

GUNBoATs ARE READY
China Sends Word That Foreigners
VIII BIO Protected From Harm
During the Up
rising

WASf1lNGTON, Sept. "a critif,
cal situation has arisen in the prov
ince Of See Chuen, China, where dis
turbances were reported September 3.
The agitation first was confined to,
public meetings, closing Of shops and
refusal to pay taxes. So serious has
the situation become that the Ameri-
can and British women in the vicinity
have withdrawn to places of safety.
While the Chinese Foreign Office
has given assurances of its ability to
protect the foreigners, a British gum
boat is proceeding under orders to-
Chlatung, while three others, one Brit
ish, one German and one French, are
at Chung King.
The United States State Depart
ment. on receiving the news, promptly
instructed the United States legation
at Pekin to communicate with Rear
Admiral Murdoch, in command of the
Saratoga at Woosong, and advise
him to dispose of the American gun
boats in his squadron in way best
calculated to forestall possible danger
to American interests. In addition to
the flagship Saratoga Admiral MUIR
dock has the New Orleans" in easy
call at Shanghai, and two or three gun
boats in the Yang Use River
In a statement issued by the State
Department accounting for the upris-
ing in China, the departments says:
Recently an imperial edict was is
sued placing under the ministry of
communications of the central govern
ment the construction of all trunk
| lines previous to the year 1911.
This measure affected the l.re
which was being built by Chinese prfc
/ vate enterprise in the province of
! SEE Chuen and has doubtless precipi.
tated the present manifestations in a
4 province always considered more than
ordinarily turbulent, and one where
reactionary tendencies, the cry of
China for Chinese and certain
amount of anti-foreign tendency have
made local appreciation Of the econ
> omic and progressive measures of re-
form and industrial development in
troduced by the central government
more slow to be appreciated and
understood than in other parts of
China.
There is no reason whatever to at
tribute the present uprising to the re-
cent railway projects in which the
Unied States is interested In fact
those railways as now planned and
under present concessions lie wholly
outside of the province Of SEE Cha ;.
the question of ultimate extension in
to that province having been set
aside for possible future considera-
ton
Information of the uprising came
to the State Department from Mr..
Williams, the charge d'affaires at Pc
kin, who telegraphed that the situa-
ton in the province OF SEE Chuen,
where serious disorders were occurring
on the Bird instant had become
critical The charge d'affaires tele-
gram shows he is in touch with the
American Methodist missionaries at
Chung King and Chentu and that he is
informed by those missionaries that
none of them have departed, except
that American and British ladies'
nave quit Cnentu LOT Clluns Mig. lax
offices have been destroyed and sew
eral officials have resigned.
The Chinese Foreign Office has
; assured the American legation" says
the statement issued by the State De-
partment, that protection will be Civ
en- all foreigners and their property
and has offered escort to all who de-
sire to leave the disturbed districts.
, The viceroy of SEE Chuen is said to
7 be acting with energy"