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Show HOPE FOR SAFETY OF LEGATIONS IS RAISED. : Minister Conger at Pekin Succeeds In Getting Get-ting a Messafie to Secretary Hay. The. Chinese i linister at Washington, Wu Ting- Fang, is a center of official and personal congratulation over the ' service he has performed for the Amer- j ican government and the American : people in opening up communication between United States minister Conger j and Washington, and in sweeping aside a mass of horrible reports as to wholesale massacre of American officials offi-cials and other foreigners. In answer to a dispatch from Secretary Secre-tary Hay. sent several days ago through the Chinese minister, an undated reply has been received, supposed to have left Pekiu the ISth. The message was in cypher and came embodied in a message to the Chinese minister and its? &i EDWIN HURD CONGER. by him delivered to the state depart" merit. It is as follows: "Iu British legation. Under con tinued shot and shell from Chinese troops. Quick relief only can prevent general massacre." Though the message is short and . aching in detail, it cast a ray of hope :.n some quarters the authenticity oi ;he message is questioned. It is argued that Minister Conger failed to destroy he code, which fell into the hands ol the Chinese government which is employing em-ploying it to stave off declarations of war until better preparations to meet an invading foe can be made. This view is not shared by the administration, admin-istration, however. Secretary Hay is perfectly satisfied of the authenticity i of the message. "Supposing that thd ; Chinese government had obtained pos-; pos-; session of the state department secret ' sode," he said, "it could not be con eeived what purpose it would serve to represent the urgency of pushing reliel forces toward Pekin." The state department officials feel that Mr. Conger, in using the term Chinese troops, meant troops in rebel jion against the imperial government, those under Prince Tuan's direction. Furthermore, the officials can not ac cept it as probable that if the Chinese government was attacking the legation itself, it would permit Mr. Conger to advise his own government of that fact. It is further pointed out that the bombardment of which he speaks did not begin, according to all accounts, until Jul' 0, although the legations had been besieged and attacked prior to that time, but not with artillery. As a result of the information conveyed, con-veyed, appeals have been sent to all the powers to unite in a speedy and heroic effort to relieve Pekin, and the American Ameri-can officials in China have been advised to spare no effort to secure the dispatch of a formidable relief expedition at the earliest possible moment. KENTUCKY DEMOCRATS. Governor Meckham Nominated The Platform Plat-form Short and Terse. The Democratic state convention of Kentucky nominated Governor Beck ham for governor to fill the unexpired term of William Goebel, who was assassinated as-sassinated last February: The platform says: "We declare to the world that the mob and the assassin assas-sin shall not be the arbitrators of the rights of the citizens of Kentucky, nor shall the penalty of an appeal to the law and the regular constituted author" ities be death at the hands of assassins. ; Law and order must and shall prevail I in Kentucky. |