Show I i i CHAfFEE MARCUINf ON o i j Ii American Commander in China is Now in fl Striking Distance of the WaUs j M W i 1 I Peking I N 1 He Cables that on Friday He Arrived at Ho Si WuAt Same Rate of Progress the International Forces Should be Within Nine Miles I m of the Chinese Capital Expected Opposition of Chinese Hordes Not Encountered 5i I Washington Aug 13The American commander in China in a dispatch of i just three words received at the Val 1 department late this afternoon sent a I I thrill of exultation and expectancy throughout official quarters by announcing I I an-nouncing his arrival at Ho SI Wu only m thirtythree miles from Peking last i Thursday The las heard from him I before this was at Yang Tsun which I had been captured after a hard fight and word of his movements since then I I had been eagerly awaited Thursday he was eighteen miles beyond be-yond Yang Tsun Lang Fang the i a place where the Illfated Seymour expedition 1E ex-pedition met its fate and turned back had been left behind The battle of I Yang Tsun was fought on the 6th and the advance to Ho SI Wu was accomplished accom-plished on the 9th a march of eighteen I miles in three days SHOULD BE NEAR PEKING This was four days ago and at the i same rate of progress Chaffee is even i now fairly within striking distance of I the walls of Peking I was 0 consum p matlon which the War department had awaited calmly as It accorded with L calculations although the advance hash has-h n more rapid than was expected a The dispatch from Chaffee conveying I so much in so few words Is as follows CHAFFEES MESSAGE uA Chen Foo Aup AdjutantGeneral Washington Arrived Hos Pluw Ho SI Wu yesterday CIIAFFJBE Word of the advance soon spread throughout official quarters In the enthusiasm en-thusiasm a report got about that this was the day of the actual arrival at Peking but the War department has I not a word of the advance beyond Ho I SI Wu I was deemed hardly likely that the 1 march to Peking could have been made m since I Thursday At the rate of 71 progress six miles a day from Yang Tsun to Ho SI Wu about twentyfour miles would have been covered In the I last fdur days and up tt > today this would still leave the international L forces nine miles from JJeklng OPPOSITION NOT ENCOUNTERED f Viewed from any standpoint the advance ad-vance to Ho Si Vu was of the utmost Importance not only strategically but i showing that communication was open I back to Che Foo that the expected opposition op-position from Chinese hordes had not been sufficient to prevent the steady movement and In the Influence it would II exert upon the Chinese Government 7 PRESSED STEADILY FORWARD Brief as the1 dispatch Is It conveys much Information beyond that specifically cally contained in its few words Although Al-though It is not stated what force has arrived tho War department accepts it to mean that this Is the international force which first took Pel Tsang and then Yang Tsun I has gone steadily forward along the left bank of the Pel river keeping the main road which z skirts the river bank At Yang Tsun the railway crosses the river and branches off to the west Now the forces have left the railway far In the I rear and are depending upon the highway 4 high-way and the river WHERE ALLIES ARE I Ho SI Wu is a place of considerable size and the largest town Between l Tien Tsln and Citing ChlaWan The later 1 place and Tung Chow are the two cities of considerable size in the line of advance i ad-vance after leaving Ho SI Wu I Is surrounded by orchards and gardens and it not a place likely to have afforded afford-ed for strong defense I is the highest point on the Pel river I where the river water is depended on as the native walls are the source of the supply in the remainder of the route to Pekln 0 CLOSE TO PEKINGS GATES I As it has now taken five days for Chaffee to report the advance to Ho SI Wu it evident that wire communication communica-tion Is not open to the front This was hardlyMo be expected and the safe arrival ar-rival of the message at least shows that a certain measure of communication communica-tion Is open One of the sources of congratulation among olllclals is that the fanatic hordes of China have not materialized or at least have not prevented i pre-vented the international column from drawing close to the gates of Peking f SpASUALTIES AT YANG TSUN t 1 Shortly after this dispatch arrived another message from Gen Chaffee far more lengthy gave the melancholy Ii result of the fighting at Yang Tsun The casualty list was given In detail with the additional information that the dead had been burled at Yang Tsun and that the wounded had been sent back to the hospital at Tien THen U S REPLY TO OVERTURES The reply of the United States Government Gov-ernment to Chinas overtures for peace j waD made public early in the day shewing the fIrm and final position that had been taken While sIng ii s-ing satisfaction at this peuco step the tltfactlon evident that reply suites that It Is there can bt no general negotiations lo liftwcen China and the powers so long I as the Ministers and Icgationoro arc rc ri etralned and In danger and then follOWS fol-lOWS a specific statement of what the Tnlted States expected as a condition J II precedent t t a cessation of hostilities C 17 that a body of the relief force be permitted to enter PekIng unmo I JrUpd and escort the Ministers back to Tlen Tsln The text of the American Ameri-can reply Is as follows I WHAT REPLY CONTAINED Memorandum Touching the imperial impe-rial edict mQrn August 8th appointing LI I Hung Chang envoy plenipotentiary to Icon I-con uct negotiations on the parlor I China with the powers and the request for a cessation of hostilities pending 7iegotiatlons communicated to Mr Adce by Mr Wu on the 12th of August 1200 The Government of the United States learned with satisfaction of the Tinpolnlmont of Earl I LI Hung Chang as envoy plenipotentiary to conduct negotiations plentpotentar gotiations with the powers and will on Jotatlom enter upon such negotiations with a desire to continue the friendly relations so long existing between the two countries CANNOT STOP ADVANCE I I is evident that there can be no general negotiation between China and the npwers so long as the Ministers of 1 the npwers and the persons under their prjt etlon remain In their present position posi-tion of restraint and danger and that the powers cnnnot cease their etforts I for the delivery of those representatives representa-tives to which they are constrained by the highest Consideration of national honor except under an arrangement adequate to accomplish a peaceable deliverance de-liverance We are ready to enter Into an agreement agree-ment between the powers and the Chinese Chi-nese Govern ent for a cessation of ssnton hostile demonstrations on condition that a sufllclont body of the forces composing the relief expedition shall be I permitted to enter Poking unriolnsteil and to escort the foreign Ministers and residents back to Tien Tsin this movement II move-ment being provided and secured by I such urms and disposition of troops > as shall bo considered safe by the Generals I Gen-erals gommandlng the forces composing compos-Ing the relief expedition ALVAY A ADEE Acting Secretary Department of State Washington August 12 3900 APPROVED BY THE POWERS I developed during the day that the reference to the powers employed I in the American reply was not without a distinct meaning Exchanges between i the various powers have been going on constantly and as a result the ofllcials had the satisfaction of knowing late In the day that the position of the United States had the approval and support O all the great powers While this had not been expressed in formal any manner man-ner by all the parties yet the exchanges ex-changes in the Chancellories of Europe and though the foreign representatives In Washington had made It positive that the powers were acting unitedly In approval the course of this Government Gov-ernment DIPLOMATS CALL ON ADEE Several of the foreign representatives includlngjBaroni Spoilt voti Sternberg the German Charge dAffalrcs and Mr de Wollant the Russian Charge dAffaIres had extended conferences I with Mr Adee during the afternoon Thee added to the assurances of unanimity among the powers The presence oC the Russian representative repre-sentative was gratifying in clearing away some misapprehension which was not shared by the Government as to Russias course In authorizing M de Giers to leave Peking under Chinese escort I was pointed out that this In no way brought a difference in the attitude of Russia and of the other powers as all were acting on the theory the-ory that tlc Chinese Government must first give an absolute guarantee of the safety of the Ministers I seems evident that this absolute I guarantee cannot be given by China unless It allows the International Interatonal forces to enter so that in effect the Russian position does not differ materially mate-rially from that of the other powers At least Russia Is Included among those who fully approve the course I taken by the United States |