I have accordingly addressed to the Tsung-li Yamén a communication on the
subject, of which a copy is inclosed.
[Inclosure in No. 2707.]
Pekin, March 11,
1897.
No. 4.]
Your Highnesses and Your Excellencies: The
23d of November last I brought to your attention a demand on the
part of my Government that you should take cognizance of the conduct
of certain officials, who were named by me, relating to the
antiforeign riots which occurred at Kutien the 1st day of August,
1895, and that proper and suitable punishment be decreed against
them.
The 28th day of November last I had the honor to receive from your
highnesses and your excellencies an answer to the above-mentioned
communication. You therein state that on the 22d day of November,
1895, the viceroy at Foochow reported that twenty and more of the
offenders had suffered the death penalty, and twenty more had been
variously punished; that three officials mentioned in Commander
Newell’s report had been degraded; that a year had elapsed since the
case was settled, and that “it is not convenient now to pursue the
matter any further.”
You further state that the claim of Miss Hartford for injuries and
loss of property should be paid.
It is proper to state that I have received information that this
claim has been paid, and in regard to your promptness in discharging
this liability I return thanks.
I transmitted to the honorable Secretary of State a translation of
the communication of your highnesses and your excellencies, and have
received from him instructions to insist by all proper methods on
the punishment of the officials mentioned.
The honorable Secretary remarks that the “argument that it is a year
since the case was settled’ is most extraordinary, and thus (your)
dismissing the subject because it is not convenient to pursue the
matter any further’ is hardly the way this Government would have
expected that of China to endeavor to dispose of such an important
matter.”
I submit to you that it is not too late to investigate the conduct of
the delinquent officials and to punish them for their connivance or
negligence.
I can not too often repeat to you that the only way, or at least the
most efficacious way, to prevent the recurrence of antiforeign riots
in China—which I am sure you desire to prevent—is to hold the
officials responsible for acts of violence perpetrated in their
respective jurisdictions. As long as nothing is done but to pay
damages for injuries done to foreigners, riots will continue. The
payment of damages constitutes no penalty against the rioters. They
may be said even to be benefited by riots which involve destruction
of property, because the repairing of
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damages furnishes many of them work. If the
officials are not punished, the people conclude that you and the
Government of China approve of the riots. This conclusion, indeed,
is inevitable, because in all matters affecting the Government of
China, or the individual subject thereof, a rigid official
accountability is insisted on. What I ask you to do is simply to
treat with the same rigor crimes against foreigners as you now treat
crimes against Chinese subjects.
There is no question but that under the treaties foreigners have the
right to demand such equal treatment, and the sooner China openly
admits this principle to be correct and puts it into practice the
better it will be both for the Government and the people of China
and for the foreigners dwelling in its borders.
