Peking, June 17.
A very general impression is prevalent here that the Lincheng penalties, about which the Diplomatic Body is still preserving secrecy, will be wholly ineffectual to bring the militarists to a sense of their responsibility or to prevent repetitions. All the other Ministers are insisting that the British or Amenican Ministers: must take the initiative, because other countries are too involved in the European situation. Gossip in diplomatic circles is that the introduction of drastic measures into the reparation demands is impossible because the British and American Minisiers are each hoping that the other will take the lead, while both are hesitant and doubtful of Home support. In British circles the opinion is expressed that the Home Government is appreciative of the situa tion but Goes not think that; China is worth the costly effort required to restore order or to impress official dom, but if conditions become wotsd it will be content to protect the! ports and to let the interior trade go to pot."
In American circles it is strongly felt that American public opinion, being unappreciative of the situat tion, would not support strong action, hence the Government would withhold) authority, An editorial on Lincheng li the "Boston Transcript," which is widely quoted in Diplomatic circles as representative of American public opinion, says that American opinion will not tolerate the use of the Lincheng affair as ani excuse for aggression or infringement of China's sovereign rights. Both Americans and British say, however, that if the other gets au-|- thority. for drastic action, their Governments will follow, "The upshot of all this is that if conditions get impossible foreigners will be called into ports and China. left to anarchy.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.