Mr. Denby to Mr. Olney.
Peking, September 19, 1895. (Received Nov. 8.)
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that I had an interview yesterday with the members of the Tsung-li Yamên on the subject of our sending to Chengtu an independent commission. The discussion was substantially similar to that which was had in the interview which I reported in my dispatch No. 2343 of the 9th instant.
The Yamên insisted that the provincial judge had been appointed to confer with the British consul at Chungking and that this procedure was in accordance with my communication on the subject sent in July; that the Emperor could not be asked to make another appointment; that the matter was trivial; that the Americans had not suffered much; that the matters were in train of being settled; that the sitting of a commission now would create delay; that the route was long and difficult, etc.
I answered that the scheme of holding a joint commission with the British consul had been long since abandoned; that the British minister had never seen his way clear to send Mr. Tratman to Chengtu, and that neither the British minister nor I had ever agreed that the commission should sit at Chungking; that the commission had never been organized and the Yamên had never brought the matter up until I demanded a separate commission; that by the reading of the Chefoo convention, of which I had sent them a copy, we were authorized to send an investigating commission to the spot where the injuries had been committed; that we would not send a commission to Chinkiang to investigate outrages done at Canton; that the commission would do China no harm, but good, because if China honestly assisted us to procure the facts, the world would take it that she would do her duty in punishing the guilty; that I did not insist that a high official should be sent from Peking, but one might be sent from Hankow or some other city; that, if the matter were left to me, I would undoubtedly direct the commission to go, whether China consented to be represented on it or not.
I then demanded whether China would furnish the commission a suitable escort or whether we should be compelled to send an escort of American marines. They said that if the commission went they would be compelled to furnish an escort. I said I would then telegraph my Government that China agreed to furnish an escort but did not agree to appoint a commissioner to sit with the American members. I wrote a telegram to that effect and read it to them. They said I must not send it. They wanted to consult with me. I said we had been consulting a long time. They said they could not give me a positive answer then but would send one as soon as possible.
There was a great deal of talk about the good relations with the United States and my own good feelings toward China, but I told them we were doing no harm to China, and were simply insisting on a plain treaty right which they had accorded to the English and French.
[Page 141]The prospects of cooperation are at the present moment favorable, but in any event the commission should go to Chengtu, unless a complete and entirely satisfactory arrangement is made immediately.
I have, etc.,