Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 6, 1910
File No. 24074/13.
Minister Calhoun to the Secretary of State.
Peking, May 12, 1910.
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith various clippiags from the North China Daily News, Peking and Tientsin Times, Japan Daily Mail, Peking Daily News, and the China Tribune on the subject of the recent riots at Chang-sha and throughout the Province of Hunan. I respectfully call the department’s especial attention to the leader in the Peking Daily News of April 23, 1910, entitled. “The primary cause of the Changsha riots.”
I have, etc.,
the changsha riots—disturbed city in the control of the mob—foreigners reported safe—customhouse and all foreign property destroyed.
[P. and T. Times correspondent.]
The unrest in the vicinity of Changsha is increasing daily and unless stern measures are taken at once bids fair to assume great proportions.
Changsha is still in a state of siege and entirely in the hands of the rioters. The local authorities appear to be unable to cope with the situation and foreign assistance is urgently needed in order to protect foreign interests.
[Page 345]It is reported that the governor was wounded at the first outbreak and has since succumbed to his injuries.
Customhouse destroyed.—On Friday night the mob sacked and destroyed the customhouse, though the custom staff was not seriously molested. They took refuge in the customs hulk, which was successfully navigated down the river several li from Changsha, where it was anchored to await outside assistance.
Foreign hongs burned.—The rioters attacked the hulks and godowns of Jardine Matheson & Co., Butterfield & Swire, and others and burned them, after looting all valuable cargo.
In addition they sacked and burned all the foreign property, including a great number of Japanese stores in the city.
Relief handicapped.—H. M. S. Thistle attempted to get up to Changsha, but was forced to return to Yochow owing to the low water.
A British shallow draught gunboat, probably the Snipe, is proceeding to the disturbed city.
Foreigners safe.—It is definitely known that all the foreign residents have been removed to a place of safety, with the exception of two Americans, who were unable to get out of the city and are believed to be still there.
The cause.—The Chinese officials state the uprising is purely local and neither antiforeign nor antidynastic. I learn that it is due to the high prices of the principal commodities.
Official account furnished by the Wai-wu-Pu.—The press bureau of the Wai-wu-Pu has sent the editor of the P. and T. Times the following letter describing the affair:
Dear Sir: The following is the true and accurate account of the riot in Changsha, Hunan. The telegrams of your correspondent, especially the first one, do not give the correct reasons for the outbreak, which no one regrets more than the Chinese Government and the Chinese people.
It seems that the price of rice has gone up in Hunan in recent months to prohibitive rates, with the result that on Wednesday and Thursday of last week the hungry people gathered together and destroyed the gates of the governor’s yamen by setting them on fire.
Unfortunately the mob also directed their fury at the missionary buildings. The governor immediately dispatched troops for the protection of the foreignres and had them removed to safe quarters. No foreigner was injured by the mob.
A telegram received to-day states that the city has returned to its normal state—all the shops have reopened their doors, and complete quiet has been restored. The whole affair was unexpected and seems to have taken place very suddenly.
Thanking you for the insertion of this letter.
[As the above letter is unsigned we give it for what it is worth.—ED.]
[Inclosure 2.]
[North China Daily News, Apr. 20, 1910.]
notes on native affairs—the changsha riots.
H. E. Chuang Kêng-liang, provincial treasurer in Changsha, has sent a telegram to the Shanghai Taotai, stating that, owing to the dearness of rice the poor people gathered together last Wednesday to create riots, and malcontents aggravated the situation. He states that the governor’s yamen was burnt, as well as Christians missions and foreign godowns. A few rioters have been executed and the mobs have dispersed. The governor is well and all consuls, foreigners, and missionaries have been safe under protection. Steps are being taken to arrest the ringleaders for punishment. The telegram goes on to say that the Hupeh troops have arrived, and peace has been restored.
Belated reports say that on Wednesday the rioters gathered together outside the south gate to rob rice, and the police intendant was wounded in trying to maintain order. Malcontents then joined the mob, which numbered about 30,000 men. The troops, instead of defending their stations, fought the rioters and many casualties occurred. Many yamens, shops, and houses have been destroyed and the loss amounted to several millions of taels. It is stated that the new troops were utterly inefficient and were separated in batches, so that they were helpless in maintaining order. Two British gunboats and two Chinese gunboats arrived on Saturday and on the following day 20 Chinese guard boats and two companies of troops arrived. Business was resumed on that day and the people in the city were reassured.
The governor, it is stated, has been dismissed, and H. E. Yang Wen-ting, treasurer of Hupeh, is appointed to act in his place. The Hunan gentry have asked their provincials who are in office in Peking to denounce Governor Ts’n Ch’un-ming for provoking the riots by shooting the rioters. A report says that censor Huang Jui-lin has already impeached the governor for precipitating the riots and has urged his severe punishment. The Peking Government has dispatched a deputy to investigate the incident, and the ministry of war and the army advisory council ordered the viceroy in Hupeh to report on the situation from time to time.
[Page 346]A Peking telegram states that the Prince Regent, on receipt of the news, commanded the grand council to order the provincial authorities to take all precaution against further troubles, as the people in Hunan province are turbulent and pugnacious.
[Inclosure 3.]
[China Tribune, Apr. 22, 1910.]
changsha riot.
According to a telegram from Changsha, poor people of the town suddenly rose up in a riot on the evening of the 13th instant on account of the price of rice having gone up. They plundered grain shops, attacked the governor’s yamen and the Taching Bank, setting fire to a church and school buildings. On the 14th they burned Jardine Matheson, Butterfield & Swire, Mitsui Co.’s buildings, and the customhouse. The British consul left Hankow with foreign residents by an English ship. At 5 p.m. the Japanese consul, through the advice of the governor, took refuge on the river with 70 Japanese residents. Soon afterwards the consulate and the Japanese post office were pillaged and then reduced to ashes.
Next day the mob cut the telegraph wires. As nothing indicated the immediate subjugation of the rioters the Japanese consul embarked, on the evening of the 15th on the Hsiangkiang-Maru, Japanese steamer, that was just going on her upstream voyage, and retreated to Hankow with the Japanese settlers. The steamer arrived at Hankow in the afternoon of the 17th. The refugees had nothing but the clothing on their backs. Japanese residents at Hankow are doing everything in their power to express sympathy for the unfortunate compatriots.
England, France, and Japan have all instructed warships to hurry to the scene of disturbance. The rioters were suppressed on the 16th, and order was somewhat restored.
According to a telegram from Hankow, dated the 19th, three Japanese who stayed behind at Changsha are safe. The building of the China-Japan Steamship Co. escaped destruction.
Peace has been restored in Changsha, but disturbances are created at Hsiang-tan, Ch’iyang, and other local towns. On the 18th the steamer Yuankiang-Maru arrived at Changsha from Hankow with two companies of modern troops. The town is quiet, but the local disturbance has not subsided. The British consul and other foreigners are said to have returned to Changsha. Japanese Vice Consul Murayama is expected to return there on the 21st by the warship Uji.
[Inclosure 4.]
[The Peking Daily News, Apr. 23, 1910.]
the primary cause of the changsha riot.
As a result of the recent riot in Hunan an imperial edict was issued on Thursday commanding Tsen Chun-ming to vacate his office and appointing Yang Wen ting as acting governor of Hunan. The Government is apparently exerting itself to find out who is to blame for the riot. Report has it also that a certain foreign representative has, on account of the great amount of foreign property that was destroyed by the rioters, made representations to the Wai-wu-Pu demanding that all the local officers who are responsible for the riot should be dealt with severly. Such a representation would be a fair one, no doubt, if the local authorities are really to blame and if the riot should be the actual or approximate consequence of the acts of such officials, or, in other words, if they should be guilty of gross negligence in their official capacity.
The direct cause of a social or political upheaval is necessarily complicated, and is usually obscured by many accidental circumstances. Such is true of the Hunan riot. Foreign journalists, judging by the great number of foreign buildings destroyed incidentally by the rioters, have jumped to the conclusion that the cause of the riot was antiforeignism. To a man who is at all familiar with the condition at present prevailing in Hunan, antiforeignism does not adequately account for this sudden popular (though sectional) uprising in Changsha, but such an ebullition of social feeling, like many instances of similar nature occurring in Europe and America, has for its cause some economical consideration. The economical consideration in the Changsha incident is undeniably the scarcity and dearness of rice. This view, which we maintained in one of our last articles, is supported by documents, official and semiofficial, and the editorial utterances of the Chinese press generally. Our conviction, formed at the time when we wrote our last article, is being confirmed now and again by fuller reports of the unfortunate happening in Hunan.
[Inclosure 5.]
[Japan Daily Mail, Apr. 30, 1910.]
the Changsha affairs.
The acting governor of Hunan has addressed to all his colleagues in the provinces a circular which fully explains the origin of the recent disturbances. The explanation is furnished by statements elicited from a man named Chang, who has been apprehended as a ringleader. It appears that in March Chang entered into communication with certain Boxer (Ihochuan) leaders in the province of Shantung, and in the sequel of conference with them he went to Hsiantan, where 24 “bluecoats” were congregated. This body of men repaired in small sections to various places in Hunan with the deliberate object of fomenting disturbance. They found the people considerably excited by want of food, and they fomented this excitement until it took the form of open riot. It was by these “bluecoats” that the rioters were led to the destruction of churches, offices, and other buildings. Acting Governor Yang explains that his motive in sending this circular is to warn his colleagues in other provinces, as it is more than probable that similar outrages may be attempted elsewhere by similar machinations on the part of Boxer leaders. In fact, this Changsha disturbance is definitely traced to Shangtung, the original provenance of these unquiet spirits, and it is to be hoped that drastic measures will now be adopted to destroy this hotbed of antidynastic and antiforeign commotion.
The Hunanese residing in Mukden have addressed to the local assembly of their native province a memorial urging that the assembly meet at once for the purpose of discussing the recent riots. The memorialists lay the whole blame on the shoulders of officialdom, and insist that no indemnity shall be levied from the people, since these have not been in fault. They affirm that the object of levying a tax upon rice is to form a fund for investment in supplies of that grain which shall be available in times of distress. But nobody knows what becomes of the proceeds of the tax. Apparently they go into the pockets of officialdom and are thus useless in a season of famine like the present. The memorial contains other matter, but its gist may be summed up by saying that it is an outspoken impeachment of the provincial officials, and that it urges the local assembly to take steps for procuring their punishment. It is precisely owing to the probability of such developments as this that foreign onlookers have been disposed to predict a disturbed outcome of the early stage of constitutional government in China.