In September 1899 Secretary Hay instructed the United States representatives in England, France, Germany, Russia, Italy and Japan to invite from those governments a presentment of their intentions hi regard to the treatment of the commerce of foreign powers in the newly acquired spheres of influence, with special ref erence to the treaties existing between China and the United States, advising that China be regarded as heretofore as an open market for the world's commerce, and that all possible steps be taken to establish much-needed admin istrative reforms and to preserve and strengthen the imperial government in its integrity. On 20 March 1900 Secretary Hay announced that all the powers concerned had accepted the pro posals of the United States, and that he would consider their consent final and irrevocable. In May 1900 a secret society, colloquially known as the `Boxers,' rose in the provinces of Shan Tung and Pe-chi-Li and massacred native Christians and European missionaries. The Boxers were encouraged by the empress dowager and the palace-party at Peking, who placed themselves at the head of a movement directed against foreigners. The ministers at the European legations in Peking— Sir Claude Macdonald being, at the head of the British legation — determined to requisition guards for their protection, and these arrived on 31 May. On 4 June the Boxers destroyed the Peking Tien- sin Railway, and by cutting communica tions isolated the Europeans in Peking. Soon after the chancellor of the Japanese legation and Baron von Ketteler, the German Minister, were murdered in the streets. In hope of relieving the legations, Admiral Seymour put himself at the head of 2,000 European troops and blue jackets and set out from Tien-Tsin for Peking, but had to retire. Meanwhile the Chinese had been manning the Taku forts at the mouth of the Pei-Ho, and preparations for clos ing the entrance to the river. The commanders of the allied fleets —British, French Russian and German—in the Gulf of Pc-chi-Li sum moned the Chinese commander to surrender. He refusing, they opened fire on the 17 June, bombarded and destroyed the forts. The allied forces entered the foreign city of Tien-Tsin on 23 June, and the native portion of the city was to en on 14 July. All this time the lega tions at Peking were closely besieged and con stantly bombarded. The smaller legations having been destroyed or rendered untenable, their occupants, together with a number of native Christians, took refuge in the British legation, which, from its extent and strength, offered a better prospect of protection. The legation was ill supplied with provisions, and the defenders were reduced to extremities, when the relief force of 12,000 men, comprising Brit ish, American, French, German, Russian and Japanese troops, captured Peking on 15 August. Before the arrival of this force the empress dowager and her court, with the Emperor Kwang-Su, had fled from the capital, and it was impossible, with the troops and transport available, to overtake them.
Troops of various nationalities had been dispatched from Europe to North China with all possible haste, and Count von Waldersee, the German commander, had been accepted by all the allies as commander-in-chief, but interna tional jealousies soon made themselves appar ent, and complications seemed likely to ensue. In October 1900 it was announced that Lord Salisbury had concluded an agreement with Germany by which the two powers bound them selves to the principle of the open door° in China, to abstain from seeking to obtain for themselves any territorial advantage, and to take such steps as might be agreed on for the protection of their interests, as against any other power seeking territorial aggrandize ment. Subsequent military operations consisted
chiefly of punitive expeditions to the south and west. Negotiations for peace were at once en tered upon. On 4 December the powers sent a joint note to the Chinese peace commissioners, demanding among other acts, the execution of the leaders in the massacre of foreigners and the payment of an indemnity, which in October 1901 was fixed at $735,000,00O. On the ratifi cation of the indemnity agreement, the foreign troops were withdrawn from Peking. Later, through the good offices of the United States, the indemnity was reduced, being fixed at -s$337,500,000.
After the Boxer episode the Imperial Court returned to Peking and again assumed govern mental powers. Yet, while the dynasty was showing a disposition to reform abuses and conform to the world's general customs and laws, two currents of influence were flowing away from the Manchus. The idea among diplomatists and writers from 1902 to 1908 seemed to be that of the imminent gbreak-up of China," while the determined purpose of the newer generation of enlightened natives was to have a new China with a new form of government. Meanwhile Russia and Japan were moving to their clash in Korea and Man churia. The vital question to the Chinese mil lions, however, was this by foreigners or the five countries° maintained in unity — whether under empire, constitutional monarchy or republic. Which? All question of the °break-up of China,'" its dismemberment and division as spoil among aliens, passed out of sight when the govern ment of the United States of America, through the logic of events, entered the field of Far Eastern politics as a power to be henceforward reckoned with This was especially manifest in the negotiations resulting from the Boxer riots. The action of Admiral Lewis Kempff, U. S. N., following the precedents set by President Wash ington, in his refusal to join with the allies in making war on China, by bombarding the Taku forts, when as yet no hostile shot from a soldier or sailor employed by the Chinese gov ernment had been fired,ve the Americans the °inside track," making China ready and glad to listen first and accede to whatever the United States proposed, in diplomacy or finance. The Americans set the precedent to all the powers, of prompt evacuation and retirement of their military forces, thus teaching that China must work out her own salvation. The old policy of European predatory aggression was further dis approved and the unbroken precedent settled since the foundation of the American govern ment, of considering the Asiatic nations, not as material for conquest and spoil, but for humane treatment and fair dealing, was fol lowed. Not only was the outrageously heavy indemnity demanded by the Powers reduced one-half, but, after satisfying all possible de mands for loss by the Boxer rioters— the mis sionary societies for the most part waiving or declining to make any claim — the sum of $13,000,000 was set aside, to be paid back to China. Under this arrangement, at the sugges tion of the Washington government, nearly a thousand young men and women, appointed af ter competitive examinations, have been sent to the United States to be educated. Distrib uted in our schools, colleges and universities, these young people have cut off their queues and adopted the coiffure and clothes which are now becoming uniform throughout the world. Through the Cosmopolitan Clubs now so nu merous and other means of culture they have gained knowledge of the world at large.