Show MORE UOPEFUL VIEW I Officials Washington Find More Ground for Hope as to Safety of rand r-and Colleagues 2 Depressing Fact is Always in Mindthat Chinese Authorities Who by Their Own Statements are Able to Communicate Wtth Legationers Refuse to Permit the Unfortunate Diplomats to I Send Information Direct to Their Own Governments I Washington D C July 28The I day brought forth the usual crop of edicts and reports from various quarters and the usual visit to Minister I Minis-ter Wu to the State department be rIng r-Ing directly upon tho welfare of the Ministers in Peking This constantly growing mass of assertion is having a I cumulative effect upon the skeptics and there is t noticeably more hopeful view taken of the state of affairs today Beyond tho fact that it Is scarcely conceivable that the Chinese authorities 1 authori-ties should persist In repeating nnd strengthening these stories up to the rapidly approaching moment when the whole truth must be disclosed by other agencies it appeared upon careful consideration con-sideration of the reports that there really was more ground for hope as to the safety of Mr Conger and hli colleagues at Peking today than there has been el EXPLANATION DON7 EXPLAIN The depressing fact Is always In mind that tho Chinese authorities by their own statements are able to communicate communi-cate with the legatloners but for some I mysterious reason does not permit these unfortunates to communicate with their own Governments Minister Wus explanation of this that the Chinese Chi-nese methods ares different from our own is scarcely sufficient for the ofll dais here TRYING TO REACH CONGER The Minister however Is honestly trying to get a further communication through from Mr Conger and it maybe may-be that success in this undertaking will afford him a brilliant vindication At least he shows wondorful lot of con lldcnce In the fate of the legations and manages to impress this Iia degree I upon the ofTicers and others with whom I ho conies In contact CHAFFEE NEAR TAKU I There is nothing Interest from China Chi-na T specTfngtlrem 11 itarj of haval I forces there The War officials now calculate that Gen Chalice with his troops on the Grant will arrive at Tajtu this evening though It may be 1 several days before his report of the fact can reach the department The Irregular and unsatisfactory character of the prcscnf system of communication between Taku and the cable office has been taken Into account by the War department and it is said that one of Chaffees first acts on taking command of the United States forces ashore at Taku and Tien Tsln will be to establish a line of rapid boats running from Tien Tsln toi Shanghai or Nagasaki WILL DRAW FROM ISLANDS While the positive statement Is made II that It Is not the present Intention to send any more troops from Manila to China at the same time It is known that all contingencies have been canvassed can-vassed and that If an emergency should arise in China which made it imperative to have additional troops they would be drawn from the Philippines Philip-pines for temporary duty at the East TRANSPORTS AVAILABLE Some lime ago Gen MacArthur was advised by Secretary Root to maintain sufficient transports to carry supplies between Manila and Taku and these thus would be available for emergency troops The Pennsylvania Indiana In-diana and Sumner when the latter arrives at Manila probably will beheld be-held for service between Manila and I Taku and will be available for any contingency that may occur but which I the department does not expect to arise A stubborn resistance to the advance or the International armies might make additional troops necessary In that event a speedy relief column no doubt Would be sent fiom Manila MINISTERS BEING CARED FOR The Secretary of State has received The following dispatch from Mr Fowler Fow-ler the American Consul at Che Foo dated at midnight on the 26th This morning by request of the allied al-lied allies I wired the Governor sup nnwnrl to lir the Governor of Shan Tung r their wish to get news from the I Ministers themselves The Governor now replies Have received today edict from Emperor saying that the Ministers arc well They are sending provisions to the legations Am confident Ministers out of distress and request you Fowler Fow-ler transmit this preliminary announcement an-nouncement to Admirals 11 YUAN Governor I NEWS IS CONFIRMED A later dispatch from Fowler dated 1 a m 27th to the State department Is n follows Another telegram from Governor I Have just received imperial edict I 21th saying various Ministers except German are well and somo days ago I had provided provisions for the legations lega-tions Am satisfied Ministers out of distress YUAN Governor TAK SAYS THEY ARE SAFE Secretary Hay also has received a cablegram from United Stales Consul MeWade at Canton stating that the Vlceroyal Talc assures him that the Ministers all alive and well Jul p 21th were al alic wel July 21thFROM FROM ONE FOUNTAINIIEAD Coming from three separate directions direc-tions assurance that the foreign Ministers Minis-ters at Peking were alive and well on July 24tli had a tendency to dissipate the pessimistic view which the State department has ben taking for the last few days as to the situation at Peking I Is true that a comparison of the various edicts and statements bearing on this subject appear to demonstrate the fact that I they all come from one fountainhead either Yuan Shih Ki or LI Hung Chang But the persistence with which these stories of the safety of the Ministers are circulated I cir-culated Is undoubtedly shaking the belief be-lief of those who heretofore have been satisfied that all of the Ministers Jn Peking were dead WILL RECEIVE AN EDICT from Mr Todays assurances Cmefrom Fovrlcr the American Consul at Che Foo from 31 r MoWade tho American Consul at Canton and from Minister Wu the Chinese Minister here Tho I latter came to tQ State dcparemcnt I I early expressly to deliver an edict received re-ceived by him to Secretary Hay I Is similar In form to the edict published I yesterday In London The Minister says the only differences are those Involved In-volved In the separate translations Mr I Vus translation of Shengs dispatch i 113 as follows r MINISTERS ARE LIVING Edict of the 28th of the sixth moon I corresponding to July 24th states that fortunately all Ministers except Boron Von Ketteler are alive and unharmed They are now being supplied with vegetables fruit and provisions by tho Government them to show its sympathy for SOLEMN DECLARATION If Mr Wu had any doubt a to the safety of the Ministers it seems to have been dissipated by this edict He labored la-bored earnestly with Secretary Hay to convince him that he was bound to accept cept this official declaration of the Chinese Chi-nese Government He pointed out that I thislast declaration dllfered materially from most of the other statements that have emanated from Chinese sources In the Important fact that It did not represent rep-resent merely the belief of a minor official offi-cial or a Viceroy It was the solemn declaration of the Chinese Government WU IS CONFIDENT In making the statement touching the Ministers the Chinese Government therefore assumed a serious responsibility responsi-bility to the world at large He declared de-clared that it could not be conceived I that such responsibility would be lightly light-ly assumed and therefore he 11 Wu did not hesitate to assert his positive personal conviction that the Ministers Wee alive on July 24th DIFFERENT FROM OTHER NATIONS NA-TIONS I When his attention was called to the apparent failure of Yuan Shlh Kai to accede to Consul Fowlers request that the allied Admirals be put Ino communication com-munication with the Ministers Mr Wu shrugged his shoulders In a deprecatory manner and merely replied that the Chinese were so different from other 1 people that the usual tests could nqtjje appiieanothermit would iotbe poI ble to predictwhat they would do under un-der conditions that would be easily mist by Europeans and Americans I was possible he added that Yuan was really real-ly I undertaking to do what the Admirals wished only it would be first necessary for him to consult the Peking authorities authori-ties and that would take time Ho could not say when an answer might be expected to his last message tQ Minister Min-ister Conger ROCKIIILLS FINAL CONFERENCE Special Commissioner Rockhlll called at the State department this morning and had a final conference with Secretary t Secre-tary Hay respecting his mission to China Chi-na I was not deemed propel to make I public thc exact instructions given to Mr Rockhill but it Is stated generally that he is being sent out to ascertain the conditions In China for the guidance guid-ance of the State department and to serve as its direct representative In that country in case It would be necessary neces-sary herqafter to conduct negotiations there Instead of at Washington There Is also a possibility that a commissioner will b required on the spot In case anything In the nature of an interna aQ tional commission is created to deal with the Chinese question Mr Rock hill loft Washington at 330 oclock this afternoon for the Pacific slope slopping at Chicago for a day en route FOWLERS DISPATCHES The dlsiatches from Consul Fowler conveying assurance from Yuan Shi Kai the Governor of Shan Tung that the foreign Ministers were well on July 24th and had been provisioned In connection con-nection with constantly reiterated assurances as-surances from other Chinese sources of the safety of the Ministers have raised anew the theory at the State department de-partment which Is being speculated upon COMMUNICATED WITH MINISTERS I These assurances have been given In answer to the repeated and urgent demands de-mands oC the various European Govern In communication ments that they be placed cation with the Ministers and the last qlrnn nr Ylrn ivrc in nnswor Lo the specific l demand < of the foreign Admirals Ad-mirals for direct communication Yu ans announcement that the Imperial Government at Peking not only asserts the safety of the Ministers but declares de-clares that they have been provisioned If accepted as true indicates that the Ministers with have been communicated PERTINENT INQUIRY The inquiry then naturally arises 1C the Ministers have been provisioned why does not the Chinese Government knowing as It does that the whole world Is demanding a direct message from the besieged Ministers allow them I to communicate with their Governments Govern-ments Why not furnish direct and I I unequivocal evidence of the safely of the Ministers Instead of this repetition of a assurance which the world hesitates hesi-tates to accept 1 THEME FOR SPECULATION Tho failure to pursue the direct method which must be available tends I almost Irreslstably to the suspicion that something has happened In Peking which the Chinese Government desires to conceal from the powers that i is afraid to allow the true story to bo revealed until terms have been made with the powers which are waiting at the gates of the empire Just what that something is furnishes a fruitful theme for speculation but no satisfactory satis-factory conclusion cn be reached until the forces enter Peking or the Ministers arrive at Tien l Tsln a |