[Untitled]
Washington, October 3, 1900.
Memorandum in response to the communication by the Chinese minister on October 2, 1900, of an Imperial edict, dated September 25, ordering the degradation and punishment of Prince Tuan and other high Chinese officials.
The Secretary of State has received from the Chinese minister a memorandum informing him that a cablegram has been received from Director-General Sheng, at Shanghai, stating that by an Imperial edict issued on the 25th of September Prince Chwang, Prince Yih, Secondary Princes Tsai Lien and Tsai Ying are deprived of all their respective ranks and offices; that Prince Tuan is deprived of office, and is handed over to the Imperial clan court, which shall consult and decide upon a severe penalty, and his salary is to be stopped; that Duke Tsai Lan and the president of the censorate Ying Nien are handed over to the said board, who shall consult and decide upon a severe penalty, and that Kang Yi, assistant grand secretary and president of the civil board, and Chao Shu-Chiao, president of the board of punishments, are handed over to the board of censors, who shall consult and decide upon a penalty.
The Secretary of State has communicated this information to the President, who desires to express his gratification at this proof of the desire of the Imperial Government to satisfy the reasonable demands of the foreign powers for the injury and outrage which their legations and their nationals have suffered at the hands of evil-disposed persons in China. He regrets, however, that there is a certain vagueness in regard to the punishment which some of the inculpated persons are to receive. It would be most regretable if Prince Tuan, who appears [Page 297] from the concurrent testimony of the legations in Pekin to have been one of the foremost in the proceedings complained of, should escape such full measure of exemplary punishment as the facts warrant, or if Kang Yi and Chao Shu-Chiao should receive other than their just deserts.
With a view to forming a judgment on these points the United States minister in Pekin will be instructed to report whether the edict completely names the persons deserving chastisement, whether the punishments proposed accord with the gravity of the crimes committed, and in what manner the United States and the other powers are to be assured that satisfactory punishment is inflicted.