| Show TURMOIL IN CHINA A DAY or two ago a dispatch from china stated that a most serious state of aff irs ire existed in that country over the agitation against foreigners between the chinese government and the ministers of foreign affairs it is said the best beat of harmony does not prevail the chinese authorities have been told that unless they make speedy reparation for the injuries and abuses complained of a joint naval demon of french american british and ger rian nan vessels of war will be made in the near ft future iture the rhe situation in china is really more portentous than is generally genei ally supposed that vast empire is in not as politically solid ailt as it assaid ia said to bethere are in china a number of secret societies seeking the overthrow of the government these societies it is commonly 0 believed are inciting outrages on foreigners in order to embroil the government with foreign powers the european diplomats understand this and are trying not to play into the hands bands of the revolutionists it appears that the chinese government also realizes the position it is likely to be placed in in case cabe of continued outrages on foreigners the first outbreak occurred early in june last on the of that mouth an imperial decree was issued order i g effective action on the part of govern urs ur of provinces and commanders of troops to prevent a repetition of the attack on foreigners the stated to the people that there w was nothing hurtful in christianity and that peace and quiet should reign between the chinese and the missionaries J I it is true M ribot the french franch statesman told the secretary of the chinese legation at paris that if you do not succeed better than you have bave in ia suppressing these riots we shall be obliged to help you but it was not this which urged the promulgation of the chinese imperial decree for the simple reason that the decree was issued several days before ribot uttered the quoted words floods and famine have produced indescribable misery in china recently this adds to the discontent and helps the political reformers the uncle of the present emperor is said too to be lt it the head of the conspirators for the overthrow of effiel he existing dynasty he is said to be the chinese bismark about september let to Is fixed on for a regular uprising at nankin foreign ers resident in china at that time win will have a critical period to bridge over england has 16 ships in chinese waters france and germany have several but the united states have only one or two old hulks there the secret societies are largely composed of disbanded soldiers who had been receiving reo elving pensioner pen sione but whose pensions were stopped some time ago in some of the interior provinces the common people are led to believe that the presence of foreigners causes floods ind and famine and that to appease the divinities these theme foreigners must mu t be sacrificed then the opium traffic generally follows the missionary and the foreigner and chinese who are opposed to this take sides with the anti foreign factions but strangest of all free trade enters into the chinese discontent by treaties fixing low rates of duties on im fan porte porta many of the most moet important industries dus tries have been destroyed and others badly crippled the making of yarn from native cotton by native spinners pin ners has baa hi most moat came to an end foreign yarn is brought in for such cottons as an are still made in china but even the weaving has baa diminished under the pressure of foreign competition english cottons have driven all others out of the market while this cheapens the goods for the general public of course the native industries ufler suffer and the result is a certain amount of discontent the situation in china is more complicated than one at first sight imagines all the troubles seem re solving themselves into political action but though the clouds now lower the result may be day tor for the celestials celesti als |
