Mr. Conger to Mr.
Hay.
Legation of the United States of America,
Pekin, China, June 5,
1899.
No. 211.]
Sir: In continuation of the subject of Shantung
missionary troubles, detailed in my dispatch No. 148, of February 18
last, I have the honor to report that the local officials having wholly
failed to carry out agreements already made with the missionaries for
settlement, and no arrests or punishments having yet been made as
requested of the tsungli yamen, I called again on the 31st ultimo, and
demanded that some effective action should be immediately taken, and
that nothing less than the arrest and punishment of at least five of the
chief ringleaders, and a settlement of the losses through Mr. Chalfant,
of I-chou-fu, would be satisfactory or accepted.
[Page 169]
This the tsungli yamen finally agreed should be done, and they promised
to write at once to the governor instructing him to order a settlement
of the cases in accordance with my demands.
I left with them a memorandum setting forth what was required, and have
to-day received a note from them saying the governor has been so
instructed. Copies of both are inclosed. I also inclose memoranda of the
interview as written out by the interpreter (Mr. Cheshire) immediately
on our return.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1.]
Memorandum left by Mr. Conger at the Tsungli
Yamen, May 31, 1899.
Regarding the riots against Christians at the stations in Jih chao,
Chu chou, and I Shui Hsien, the yamen, in its communication of
February 8 last, stated that the governor of Shantung wrote that the
prefect and the department magistrate had gone in person and made an
investigation, compelling Mr. Ho and others to rebuild the
missionary property, restore all the stolen things, and to sign an
agreement and thus end the matter.
Yesterday the Rev. Mr. Killie, who has been stationed at I chou Fu,
and is now in Pekin, came to see me and explained the situation of
affairs in that prefecture. He states that nothing whatever had been
done up to the time he left I chou Fu by the officials to settle the
cases at Jih chao, Chu Chou, and I shui, that the ringleaders have
never been arrested and they still threaten the Christians, many of
whom are afraid to return to their homes. Unless the ringleaders are
arrested, punished, and made to give a bond for their future good
behavior, matters will grow from bad to worse.
The names of these men I presented to the yamen some time ago, but I
hand you another herewith, and I must strenuously insist that
telegraphic instructions be sent at once to Shantung to have them
arrested and punished, and orders be issued to settle forthwith the
cases pending with the Rev. Mr. Chalfant, resident at I chou Fu. I
believe that all the cases at Liu Tsun and Man Tang Yu, etc., where
a chapel was destroyed and property of Christians plundered, can be
settled by the prefect of I chou being instructed to confer with
Rev. Mr. Chalfant, but the most important thing to be done is the
arrest of the ringleaders.
I am of the opinion that your excellencies desire is, equally with
myself, that peace and good order should prevail and no further
trouble occur at the places named, thus avoiding endless
correspondence on the subject. But if the ringleaders are not
arrested and punished all efforts to avoid further trouble will be
in vain.
[Inclosure 2.]
The Tsungli Yamen to
Mr.Conger.
Your Excellency: Yesterday your excellency
called at the yamen and had an interview with us. You left a
memorandum concerning the missionary cases that occurred in the
prefecture of I chou. Your excellency requested that a dispatch be
sent to the governor of Shantung to order the pending cases to be
settled immediately by the prefect with the Rev. Mr. Chalfant,
resident at I chou Fu, etc.
In reply we beg to inform your excellency that the yamen at once
transmitted your memorandum to the governor of Shantung for his
information, with directions, in accordance with its terms, to
instruct the prefect of I chou to immediately take up and examine
the cases and deal with them.
On receipt of the governor’s report we will inform your excellency
thereof, and in the meantime send this note for your
information.
[Page 170]
[Inclosure 3.]
Memorandum of an interview between Mr. Conger,
United States minister, and the ministers of the tsungli yamen,
on May 31, 1899.
There were present Hsu Yung-i, Hsu Chingchen, Yuan Chang, Yu Kang,
and Lien fang.
Mr. Conger said he had called on the ministers for the purpose of
again bringing to their attention the missionary cases that occurred
in Chu chou, Jih chao, and I Shui in Shantung, still remaining
unsettled, and which were first brought to the notice of the yamen
in November last. Several communications had passed between the
United States legation and the yamen, but nothing had been
accomplished, the yamen repeatedly stating that the governor of
Shantung had been instructed to take action to cause the arrest of
the ringleaders and indemnify the missionaries and Christians for
the losses sustained, but this proved of no avail; the cases
remained at the present time in exactly the same position as when
they were first brought to the attention of the yamen. What he now
wanted was definite instructions sent to the Shantung governor to
have the cases at once settled and the ringleaders punished. As a
result of the inaction of the officials, the condition of affairs in
the district named had grown from bad to worse. Riots had continued
to occur; the trouble with the Germans may be put down to the fact
that the present cases had not been properly dealt with by the
officials.
Mr. Hsu Yang-i, who was spokesman for the yamen, stated that there
was a good deal of feeling of unrest among the people of Shantung
owing to the floods, but this Mr. Conger thought could have no
bearing on the cases in question. They occurred many miles from the
flooded districts and this was no proper excuse to offer why the
matter had not been properly dealt with a long time ago. He again
insisted that the ringleaders should be arrested and punished. Their
names were well known to the yamen, as a list of them was sent to
the yamen, but he now left with the ministers another list.
Hsu Yung-i said that the list embraced a good many names. To this Mr.
Conger replied he would be satisfied if the five chief rioters,
whose names headed the list, were arrested and punished; he would
not insist on the punishment of the others. Again Mr. Conger
reiterated that the men must be punished, else there would be no
security for the future; that the governor of Shantung should be
instructed to see to this. The cases could be settled by the I-chou
prefect in consultation with Rev. Mr. Chalfant, who resided in
I-chou-Fu, and who knew all about them. Instructions to that effect
should be sent to Shantung.
It was agreed by Mr. Hsu Yung-i that the yamen would write to the
governor of Shantung instructing him to have five of the ringleaders
arrested and punished and to have the cases settled in accordance
with Mr. Conger’s request.
A memorandum of what was wanted was left at the yamen and the
ministers promised to write to Mr. Conger stating what had been sent
by the yamen to the governor of Shantung.
Mr. Hsu said that the yamen would write instead of telegraphing to
the governor, as more could be given in detail by note.
It was pointed out by Mr. Conger that no nation was on a more
friendly footing with China than the United States; that he had
reported these cases to the State Department and his instructions
were that they must be settled. The treaties provided that
missionaries should be protected in their work, but they had not
been carried out in the instances referred to.
