The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 8, 1900, Page 1

J This Paper not to be taken from Thre VOLUME 69. L\\\\ Illf\() SAN FRANCISCO, \V\'FDNESDAY AUGUST 8, 1200. PRICE FIVE CENTS. FOREIGNERS AT PEKING STILL UNDER | e sie e sfeedmioforfe oot e AMERICANS HAVE PLENT OF COURAGE BUT LITTLE FOOD AND AM'\‘IUNITION R M) WASHINGTON, Aug. 7.—The following cablegram from Minister Conger was received to-night by the State Department: “TSI-NAN YAMEN, Aug. 7.—Secretary of State, Washington: Still besieged. insisting upon our leaving Peking, which would be certain death. little ammunition or provisions. moment. Proof Accumulating That the Chinese Government Is Conniv- ing With the Boxers to Bring About the Assassination of All Foreigners at the Capital. B United States Now Nearer Declar-|; ing War on the Celestial Em-| pire Than [t Has Been Since Minister Conger Was Cut Off From Communication. COLOGNE, Aug. 8.---The Cologne Ga- zette’s Berlin correspondent states that it has it from an authoritative source that | Field Marshal Count Von Waldersee Has L.,:n ‘xppointgd Commander in Chief of the allied troops m Chlna. Specxal DAsp'xt"h to The Call. 1""7" AU, WELLINGTON HOTEL, WASH: 7.—Not only are the imperial troops agai g the foreign Ministers in P(kmg but the Chinese Government seems to be actually conriving to bring L tion. These facts were presented in the d by the State Department this aiter- Conger and made public late to-night. The telephoned to the Presiden While no it is stated on good authority that the rer d ring war on CHina at this moment nce the Ministers were cut off from commu- ugh the authoriti ave had every reason to believe nese Government was responsible for the condition of af- ing, it has tacitly accepted the polite fiction that a 1 control and the imperial authorities were unable to Minister Cc 's latest 1 dispatch dissipates r such belief He ip(”\1\~ of “the Chinese. Government in- sisting upon Peking, which would be certain upon us daily by imperial the previous information received by the o longer be doubt that the Chinese »onsibl ting disorders. It President purposes to le for the ex the is stated to-night that hold that Government to strict accountability for events in Pe- king. WOULD DECLARE WAR. The dispatch from Minister Conger was immediately tele- phoned to the Presid There was some talk between the | I ident and Colo itgomery, who telephoned for Mr. Adee regarding ational phase of the Conger dis- Root arrived the President talked the dispatch both upon this country patch, and when with him as to the and upon other powers. For more than two h urs these officials discussed the sit- uation with the President, and just before Secretary Root ended the interview Adjutant General Corbin, who had been summoned, arrived to dis the military aspect of the situa- tion with the Secretary of War and through him with the Presi- Some of the President’s counselors are strongly in favor ling Congress together for the purpose of making a for- 1 declaration of war. Those cfficials have come to the con- sion that they have ample ground for such action in case it is deemed advisable. At the same time the question of policy necessarily must be considered, and as there is nothing to be gained by a formal declaration, but instead the precipitation of additional compli- cations, it is unlikely that the President will adopt such a course. It has been stated time and again by high officials of the administration that this Government will be the last to declare war on China, and, notwithstanding the indubitable evidence now to hand of the trickery which the Chinese Government con- templated in order to lure foreign representatives to their death no action has been taken looking to such a declaration. DUPLICITY IS PROVED. The President will sleep on the Conger dispatch to-night, and to-morrow he is expected to communicate his views to the State Department, when any changes in the policy of the ad- ministration will be put into effect. While some members of the Cabinet desire a declaration of war, at least one of the parties to tk conference to-night frowns upon the suggestion. He said that he did not see how the Conger message changed the situation in the slightest degree. Of course proof of the duplicity of the Chinese Government is furnished, but because the Chinese are making war upon the l + o0 P > oY i s e D e DeDeDeb cHo e P e G- & Cutun all RSCERSCR SRS P R | Dot oioisdodededsdsdbsrsdededetoededesdosedsdoiedeisied s AMERICAN TROOPS TION AT PEIT Adapted from F e e o e ol e el e R Y WOULD DODGE INDEMNITY. ALL BUREAU, TON HOTEL, TON, Aug. 7.—I4 Hung Chang has informed the powers that China will be unable to pay the monetary indemnity, which she ex- pects the powers to demand as the result of damages sustained by their representatives and .citizens in the empire, and to meet the ex- penses incurred in consequence of the prosecution of military opera- tions. This declaration was not in- vited by the powers, but was made by the Viceroy in the course of a conversation he had with the for- elgn Consuls at Shanghal. Though no formal communication has been made to the Chinese Government by any power on the subject of an indemnity, 11 Hung Chang and the Peking authorities thoroughly understand that the powers will de- mand monetary reparation for the damage done forelgn property, and the military expenses they have in- curred. IN AC- Leslie. WELLING- WASHING- : ; z i : 1 +++++++++++++++++++++-i~+>lf++++ -!—H_—l-'!- United States and other powers it does not necessarily follow that this Government and others must declare war on her. Minister Conger’s statement that it would be certain death for the Ministers to leave Peking confirms the belief of mem- bers of the Cabinet. The dispatch no longer leaves any question as to the atti- tude of the Chinese Government. Imperial trops are openly firing upon the legations. There is evidently no attempt on the part of the Chinese authorities to keep up the fiction that the Ministers are being attacked by the insurgents, Further than this. the Minister is evidently firmly convinced that the imperial Government, in wishing to have the inmates of the legation start from Peking, is plotting to have them murdered on the way to Tientsin. WILL SPUR ON POWERS. This dispatch will serve to spur the powers onward to more determined efforts to reach Peking without delay. message just as it was received from Minister Conger will be communicated to all the powers to-morrow and copies will be cabled to Rear Admiral Kemey and Major General Chaffea ) CHINESE KRUPP GUN CREW AT WORK. From Illustrated London News. [ D A A A A o The - -+t e o At the White House to—night!; the conviction was expressed ¢ that the troops were doing all in | their power to get forward in the @ direction of Peking. Though no decision was 1 reached to-night it is almost cer- i tain that additional United States‘ ® troops will be hurried to Taku ‘; from the Philippines, even if 1ti T becomes necessary to divert somei : of ' those regiments uow un- der orders to China to replace|+ the men taken from -G ncrali’ MacArthur’s command. General | & MacArthur, in accordance with [; instructions from Washington, is| ¢ holding two regiments at Manila | J ready for service in China in|& Continued on Second Page. Situation more precarious, Rifle firing upon us daily by imperial troops. Two progressive Yamen Ministers beheaded. All connected with legation of United States well at the present MINISTER CONGER REPORTS THAT TO LEAVE WOULD MEAN CERTAIN DEATH .r‘-l-:%i—’fi‘!‘%‘!—!—l—'--r‘r Sl o o o o o =t G o o o L Chinese Government Have abundant courage, but ‘IN CONGER.” t.hme»e Rear Guard | at Feitsang Was | Attacked and Prac- tically Decimated. -9 . - - . ®| . > »/Reports of Sunday’s * 5| Fighting Show That * | Americans Teok an : Active Part in Driv= !l ing Back the Mongol 1| Hordes. . $ o * + 31 > . : $ 3 - 3| was also & had died o jutant Gen- August batt] and eral, \\'\h ington: Ti 3—Conference to-day decided unday. Chinese intrenched east west thrcugh Peitsang. Left of Ch + | nese protected by flooded ground, prac- ¢ | tically unassailable. Japanese, English, ¢ | American forces, about 10,000 stro ® | attacked Chinese right, wes $ | flank. Other forces, Rus about 4000 strong. opposite & | tween river and railroad. + | tion apparently strong & | 30,000 between Pebang and Ya * S s 5 * of river French, de, be- ¢ |or crossing of road over Peiho © | Yangtsin objective. Our force 2000 ¢|/and battery Conemaugh arrived @ | Sixth C: leit (at Tientsin) for ¢ | guard of city and awaiting mounts. # | Ministers safe on 28th of July. b “CHAFFEE.” & | — L | CHINESE RETREATED: PURSUED BY ALLIES Special Cable to The Call and New York Her- ald.. Copyright, 190, by the Herald Pub- lishing Company. CHEFU, Aug. 6-—-The allles attacked | the Peitsang intrenchments on both sides of the Peiho River yesterday morning and | drove out the Chinese. When forced from their outer works the Chinese blew up the bridge. The Japanese crossed the river, | exposed to a murderous cross fire, losing | heavily. The fighting lasted from 3 o'clock until . with heavy losses on both sides. The hinese retreated up the river, pursued by the allles, but the pursuit was diffi- cult, as the river banks had been cut and the ground was flooded. There is a force of about 15,000 Chinese about two days’ march to the south and east of Tientsin, which is guarded by 6000 men of the allled forces with fourteen guns. An imperial edict has been Issued at | Peking that the Tientsin and Taku forts must be retaken at any cost. ‘SEVEN CHINESE | OFFICIALS EXECUTED | | | | Spectal Cable to The Call and New York Her- | ald. Copyright, 1300, by the Herald Pub- | lishing Company. | SHANGHAI Aug. 6—Messages from | Peking of July 29 state that seven Chinese | officfals have been execut including | two members of the Tsung If Yamen. A secret edict has been lssued ordering the decapitation of Taotal Sheng. Yu Yin Lin, Viceroy of Hankow, and Liu Kun Yi, Viceroy of Nankin. PR - THE SECOND DIRECT CABLEGRAM FROM CONGER WASHINGTON, Aug. 7.—The cable- | gram from Minister Conger at Peking is | the second recetved direct from him since June 12. It is the first which has coma | direct from the Minister since the forer going date, the other having been rq. ceived through Minister Wu. The cablegram came in the official cf, pher of the department. It is checked bv the telegraph company as having been | put on the wires at Tsi-nan, a large city about eighty miles southeast of Peking, | on August 7. The dispatch reached the department at 4:20 p. m., but was not | made pubiic until late In the evening. | PROHIBITS EXPORT OF ARMS THE PEFHO FROM TIENTSIN TO PEITSANG WITH THE DIS- POSITION OF THE ALLIED FORCES IN THE ATTACK ON THE LATTER PLACE. AS TOLD THE DISPATCHES. LONDON, Aug. 7.—In accordance with he recently passed bill, the Gazette to- ight proclaims the prohibition of the ex- ort of arms or ammunition to China B i B R T S S I R R SR A SR S S SRS S B+-04-940+9+ 0+ 0sbeg trom today.