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The National Geographic Magazine 



the deep-seated hatred of the Chinese 

 people toward foreigners. China had 

 been oppressed, trampled upon, coerced, 

 cajoled, her territory taken, and her 

 usages flouted." The Empress Dow- 

 ager, in her famous proclamation, issued 

 when the Boxers were reaching their 

 ascendancy and just before the violent 

 outburst of 1900, exclaimed: "The 

 various powers cast upon us looks of 

 tiger-like voracity, hustling each other 

 in their endeavors to be the first to seize 

 upon our inmost territory. They think 

 that China, having neither money nor 

 troops, would never venture to go to 

 war with them. They fail to under- 

 stand, however, that there are some 

 things which this Empire can never con- 

 sent to, and that, if hard pressed, we 

 have no alternative but to rely upon the 

 justice of our cause, the knowledge of 

 which in our breast strengthens our re- 

 solve and steels us to present a united 

 front against our aggressors." 



It is unnecessary for me to rehearse 

 the events which attended the Boxer 

 uprising of 1900. The siege of the le- 

 gations, the repulse of the relief force, 

 the march of the allied army to Pekin, 

 the flight of the court, the deliverance 

 of the diplomatic corps and the foreign 

 residents of the capital are fresh in your 

 minds. What followed is of special in- 

 terest in connection with the declara- 

 tion of the British statesman. 



The events succeeding the Japanese 

 war of 1894 and the intervention of the 

 foreign powers to put down the Boxer 

 movement seemed to presage the dis- 

 memberment of the great empire. But 

 through the opportune action of the 

 government of the United States a situ- 

 ation arose which gave promise of the 

 preservation of the Chinese government 

 and nation. While the allied powers 

 were gathering their forces for the 

 march upon Pekin, in which the United 

 States readily participated, Mr Hay, the 

 American Secretary of State, under date 

 of July 3, 1900, sent a circular note to 



the powers, in which the purpose of the 

 United States in uniting in the military 

 movement was set forth, and it was de- 

 clared that the ultimate object should 

 be to bring about permanent safety and 

 peace in China, preserve its territorial 

 and administrative entity, and safeguard 

 for the world the principle of equal and 

 impartial trade with all parts of the 

 Chinese Empire. 



Although this policy was not in har- 

 mony with the recent conduct of some 

 of the European powers, it was so fully 

 consonant with the principles of inter- 

 national justice that it met with the ap- 

 proval of the intelligent public senti- 

 ment of the world. Through the long 

 and tedious negotiations which followed 

 the occupation of Pekin by the allied 

 army this policy was consistently ad- 

 hered to by the United States, and has 

 stood in the way of all further encroach- 

 ment on Chinese territory. 



In the settlement of the claims of 

 foreign nations and subjects growing 

 out of the Boxer troubles China was 

 made to drink the cup of humiliation to 

 its very dregs. The protocol which 

 was signed between the Chinese pleni- 

 potentiaries and the eleven foreign rep- 

 resentatives who participated in the 

 negotiations shows how utterly helpless 

 the Chinese government recognized its 

 situation to be, and it may be well to 

 recall the terms of that instrument. 

 The edict of the Emperor, which was 

 required to be issued before the protocol 

 was signed, indicates both the attempted 

 exculpation and the abasement of the 

 throne, and is quoted in part as a speci- 

 men of Chinese official language, as 

 follows : 



' ' When we consider the commence- 

 ment of these (Boxer) events, we find 

 that they are attributable to several 

 stupid princes and ministers, insane, 

 absolutely ignorant, turbulent, and who 

 have ignored the laws. They had al- 

 most absolute confidence in pernicious 

 methods and have led on the court. 



