Show CEIINA9S DOOM INEVi1ABLEgi I b The Greatest Fleet Ever Seen is Now Congregating in the W Im OrientThe Empress Opposes Open DoorShe I Permits the Boxers to Provoke Disturbances and Lt Native Outbreaks Against Foreigners Are imminent Ltrl rl England Already Patrolling the Rivers With the t Mosquito Fleet Formed for the Purpose of Rushing 3i Rush-ing j into the InteriorSeven Nations Ready to Force I the Door by a Monster Demonstration M I I London April 3 Notwithstanding tho denials by the Washington authorities t au-thorities that the assemblage of warships war-ships In the Orient was significant of Ian I-an Impending conflict the situation In the last few days has become decidedly j frerlous The truth Is that war over the Celestial kingdom Is threatened In a hhorl Umc It Hcems to be Inevitable and no one can tell where It will end It 1 Is true that Secretary Hay has achieved a great diplomatic victory In the mull r of the open door but whether or not wliat hnn been accomplished ac-complished In a diplomatic way will J ever be put Into practical effect remaIns re-mains a question which Is puzzling the loading commercial l men of the world In England the victory Is regarded by many UK a triumph for the policy which that country has long advocated ated but failed to accomplish owing to the refusal of the continental powers to coonirate And yet Russia Japan France Ger I many and Italy I arc seeking to extend their spheres of Influence throughout through-out the empire In fact these and the other European powers regard the question as of supreme Importance Kngland with JtH South African war on its hands has been somewhat handi I capped and probably lux In prosecuting prosecut-ing Its Oriental claim I I It Is I pointed out here that Russia icnnany and France arc not llkoly to live up to the agreement for the conditions con-ditions of the compact are diametrically diametric-ally opposed to the policy of these rountrlen To them colonies In which they are denied the privilege of exclusive ex-clusive discrimination arc IHtle more tliin useless This fact suggests then that these powers found It compatible I to sign the agreement as a refusal would engender a conflict with the i United Stales for which they are unprepared un-prepared t So for the present they decided to maintain cordial relations with America I Ameri-ca and in the meanllme they are making mak-ing extraordinary preparations for the Increase of their armies and navies It Is plainly apparent therefore that TCusHhin and Germany and France will abide by the treaty so long only as they deem It Inexpedient to provoke a mighty war But while tho European powers arc exerting every means to strengthen their armies and navies the dlssen Hun in China correspondingly Increases In-creases The trouble Is mainly attributed at-tributed to the anxiety of the powers In intending their respective Spheres of Influence which has encountered vigorous opposition among the prejudiced preju-diced natives particularly the Kovrjrs Thy latter Is a secret society so-ciety formed for the purpose of re rn lling foreign Invasion which has I I rapidly Increased in the last fcAv years + I its officers are wild to be corrupt and low who have gone among the Ignorant Ignor-ant classes urging ihbm to band together I to-gether and kill the foreigner Of late I j this sect has created much disturbance Tn the Interior they have organized In I lawless mobs and attempted violence I I Recent cablegrams from English l and American consuls at Tien SUn In the I i North of fhlnu Informed the Governments Govern-ments of the danger which threatened I Its citizens and consulates Similar I I advices arc reported to have been received re-ceived at the French and Russian r capitals Today we have the news that a I mighty lieN is gathering in the Orient What docs It all mean That Is the I question which Is being asked In the i capitals And yet a single potter has not acknowledged tlmt tJjc assemblage of this fleet was significant of n clash But the truth Is the olllclals consider It as alarming r Russias strong fleet has Just arrived ar-rived ut Port Arthur Japan la mobnll I Ing Us navy at Kobe the United States Is gathering Its cruisers and battleships at Hongkong and Yokohama the I German navy Is I In the vicinity of l lao Chow the Fivnch nt Kwang Chow Wan and the Italian near I Shanghai Great Britain too la getting a large Meet together near Hongkong In addition I ad-dition to the ships already there the Govcrnnlent has dispatched the cruiser Terrible from Durban to China Constant rumors slate that this great mobollzatlon of navies Is for the purpose of making a monster demonstration demon-stration at Chinas door Complaints continue to pour In from the Consuls concerning the animosity of the natives towards foreigners Theso reports have stirred up the powers The Chinese Government under the Influence In-fluence of the Empress Dowager Is openly attempting to block time progress pro-gress of European and American commerce com-merce The frequency of these hostile outbreaks out-breaks against the foreigners hag given rise to the belief that the Government Is supporting the Boxers No end of trouble and annoyance has been caused the foreign merchants Numerous chses of extortion are cited Tin merchants mer-chants have encountered much dllll culty In disposing of their goods In the Interior owing to the highhanded methods of the corrupt Celestial olll clals After paying the transit tax at the customhouse the merchants found their goods held up In borne province until a llkn or tax was again paid Often such cases happened several times during transit and even petty ollirlals of subdivisions of provinces Ignored I Ig-nored l the laws and compelled the owners to pay llkln I Thete tributes combined became a burden as they frequently amounted to the value of the goods Tin Empress Dowager Is opposed to the open door policy and It has been an easy matter for her subjects to make trouble for the foreign devils as the Christians are termed It Is not surprising < therefore to learn of the efforts ef-forts which tho Boxers arc making I to close every avenue of trade Only half a century ago the natives In the Interior knew nothing of foreigners and 1 it Is of little difference to the Government Gov-ernment what difficulties they are forced to contend with In fact the Government IP I opposed to the open door but Kang Wu YI the famous Chinese reformer predicts that the par tltlon of his lilngdom Is I bound to lake I place To summarize the situation China has been obliged to make Involuntary I concessions to stronger nations under I threats of Tir which she was unprepared un-prepared to meet This period of concession con-cession Is now drawing to a close The Empress Dowager will not sanction the open door On the other hand she I opposes it Consequently a crisis is I rapidly I approaching Native outbreaks l I out-breaks against the foreigners arc u Imminent Im-minent and when the first clash I comes the greatest nuy ever assembled will wpke up the slumbering kingdom Great Britain has already assumed I leading part In the approaching con filet Owing to thc man shnI1CJ + rh ers It has been Impossible for thtt navies of the world to enter the In terior but England has overcome this obstacle by organizing a mosquito I fleet composed of mlnlaturo battleships battle-ships which are patrollng thc mouth of the Yang Tse Kiang pending orders j to Invade the Interior < I I 1 J t t I 11 V I > 101 1 < 0 oJ 1 J > Yl tiit i Jr 7 r J rYl f I I y k i7J Ii r i 1 I I HiNJ I hhJ Ii J fJ f I Jfi > I fJ7J i V 4 7 f l fZ < i a r r Ibl Y4 wJ 1 tJ X I n l i > 1 dI q j r 1 T t I I r a m I o i lJi hJJl r r Zi = 1 f1 i111 f 1 i 7r i I v rI I 1 WTIEj J z r W IflN zfJ Y I Vtl I I J l aVUjJI l I h t I 1 I ti c t fh 1ff IJJ 1 P J i G i ffi f C p wm I W I J III1iY I 7 It iS I m f r 14zwr l = i yc r S JJ V V r1 k f r1 f 1 ru s 7 t II I II ei4 4 1 lt rn I t fi 1 fhiJ i 1Mfr w r rff Jjk b i ifff W IltJ r th < L7l I 1tf I Tl 1l v i fJ rf v Jff IIr 4J W1t 1 c I rl y = 1 L 04i 9 = 1 < < r tJtr iti p < j t i2 = tjfi > N r < i j 7 J off o II 0 6 if tJo 1dJ v 3 tel rIW C 1T pJlj 7 II r d r 11I JiPnJ r f f tiyr I1 r rs aS r yvptlJlU I Al r 131P N II it l r1H h A n 8 n rdJJ t 1 i i 3 I J i jr > rt J1 W I W 7j Il1ifJ rliz r till lf W 0 y it l c Y I 7 1 I Ir r l 1 ZC I I r t t 1 t r r J I r3 JP JffA CZO I W c G IdJY r 3 flOur = It r 1 lj I v 4 Jo v9j 1 f d li 7 1 r < 1R 0 rum W e jr 1 4 I 1 J has r JI 41 111 I L7 = f llt f d lfj f J 7 ffJl t I VjflH 1 f r h I j I w 4 t1U JJ1V i Jf 1 d f = I < = fl ili tq 1 1re 4 I I 1 o f A tP n m 1 I I Our Consuls in thc Celestial kingdom have informed the Washington authorities that the Boxers arc preparing to begin hostilities against all foreigners England and the European Euro-pean powers have received similar advices hence the assemblage of tho large fleets in the OrientOur artist gives a graphic description of the manner in which our marines win repulse tho Chinese attack on American Consulate |