Minister Rockhill
to the Secretary of State.
American Legation,
Peking, August 17,
1905.
No. 61.]
Sir: In further reference to my telegram of the
15th instant, reporting on the general situation in China resulting from
the boycott of American trade, as directed by you, I have the honor to
state as complementary thereto that my report was based on the reports
received nearly daily from our consular officers. I need not, I think,
detail the latest reports to you, as I am advised by our consuls that
they are regularly reporting to the Department on conditions in their
districts. Briefly stated, my reports show that at Niuchwang, Tientsin,
Chin-kiang, Hankow, Hangchow, Fuchau, and Nanking nothing has occurred
of a nature to disturb trade or cause undue apprehension.
At Chefoo the boycott has caused some agitation, but nothing at all
serious has occurred. The same may be said of Amoy, though the agitation
there has, it would seem, been more serious.
At Canton, as was to be feared, the agitation has been great, and the
boycott carried out to a certain extent, but it has not the full and
hearty support of the mercantile classes.
* * * * * * *
The situation is only serious at Shanghai. Our consul-general reported to
me that while American trade was suffering heavily, and [Page 217] it was feared that it would take it a long
time to regain the ground lost during the boycott, he saw signs that the
Chinese were weakening as the possible direct losses to them became more
apparent. The leader of the movement, Tseng Shao-ching, was chiefly
depending for keeping up the agitation on the students, the most violent
of whom are those who have studied abroad and in whose hands the
movement is becoming an antiforeign one. Tseng has no longer the
influence he appears to have had with the merchants, as it was against
the latter’s wishes that the recent decision was reached to cancel
contracts for all classes of American goods. Great anxiety is felt on
account of this last move, which may bring bankruptcy to many Chinese
and large losses to the American and other foreign firms dealing in
American goods.
This apprehension has grown so great that the foreign chamber of commerce
got the consular body at Shanghai to telegraph on the 11th instant to
the dean of the diplomatic corps to take action to “stop the action of
the agitators and to pacify popular opinion. * * *” The diplomatic corps
seems not disposed to act on this telegraphic request, but to await full
reports by the respective consuls on the situation.
The viceroy at Nanking appears to be waking up to the gravity of the
situation and has promised to take action. The viceroy at Fuchau has
also shown in the Amoy affair a willingness to take strong steps to
arrest the agitation. The viceroy at Canton has not so far done much to
put a stop to the movement, but, judging from the little headway the
boycott would seem to be making there I hope the situation will not grow
more serious.
The inclosed translation of the proclamation recently issued at Wuhu
shows probably the nature and scope of the instructions sent out by the
foreign office here at my request. If I am correct in this belief the
instructions were, as I surmised, inadequate to meet the situation, but
it will slowly awaken to the proper comprehension of its duties.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
[From the North China Daily News, August 11, 1905.]
Notes of native affairs.—The American
boycott.
We have received a copy of the following proclamation from Wuhu,
which we translate, the contents of which will explain themselves.
We hope our Chinese fellow-residents will carefully weigh the
matter, and now that they have gained the desired attention to their
wants on the part of the American Government, press, and people,
they should follow the advice of the Waiwu Pu, as stated in this
proclamation—namely, quietly and patiently await the result of that
board’s deliberations before proceeding further with a movement that
has become so injurious to all concerned.
“proclamation.
“Ch’iao, wearing the brevet second-grade red button, and expectant
taot’ai of Anhui Province and chief commissioner of the Wuhu bureau
of commerce, issues the following proclamation for the information
of all concerned:
“On the 13th of July I received a dispatch from his excellency the
governor, stating that the Waiwu Pu, having received telegrams from
Chinese merchants of various ports stating that they had inaugurated
a boycott on American goods as a means of protesting against the
unjust clauses of the new exclusion treaty and requesting the Waiwu
Pu not to sign the new treaty as it stood, the said Waiwu Pu had
replied that the draft of the new treaty had been drawn up by
Minister Liang-Cheng in Washington, who sent a draft to the American
foreign office, but that it had not yet been settled upon.
Furthermore, United [Page 218] States
Minister Rockhill, who had arrived in Peking, had in a conference
with the Waiwu Pu regarding the new treaty spoken in a friendly and
affable manner, nor was there any indication of coercing our
government to sign the draft of the new treaty as it stood.
Moreover, the said United States minister had signified his
willingness to telegraph to his government to change for the better
any of the objectionable clauses in the proposed new treaty. It is,
however, feared that the Chinese merchants in question may have
acted in a moment of impulse, although it is recognized that the
step they have taken in unanimously proposing the boycotting of
American goods and manufactures either through the columns of the
press or by expresses was inspired by just anger at the treatment of
their fellow-countrymen entering the United States. There is cause
for apprehension, however, that evil characters may take the
opportunity to create disturbances and influence the ignorant masses
to break the peace. In view of this, therefore, the Waiwu Pu states
that it is most important that steps be taken to exhort everyone to
be patient and quietly await the result of the said board’s
deliberations on the subject. His excellency the governor, having
sent a reply by telegram to the Waiwu Pu, now instructs the bureau
of commerce to issue this proclamation to inform all concerned that
as the new treaty is still being deliberated upon by the Waiwu Pu
and that nothing definite has as yet been decided, all gentry,
merchants, and literati are exhorted to wait patiently for the
instructions of the Waiwu Pu and cast away all doubts and
suspicions, and they are also further asked to exhort the laboring
classes and common people among them to await the result of the
deliberations of the Waiwu Pu in the same manner and refrain from
listening to the evil influences of the rowdy element, and thereby
avoid creating disturbances which will only end to their own
detriment. Let all respectfully obey.
An important proclamation.
Kuanghsü, XXXI year, 28th day, 6th moon
(July 30, 1905).
