Origins of the Controversy Twain–Ament indemnities controversy

1 origins of controversy

1.1 ament s attitude , actions

1.1.1 occupation of mongolian fu
1.1.2 demand indemnities
1.1.3 collection of indemnities

origins of controversy

in 1900, attacks took place across china in connection boxer rebellion targeted christians , foreigners. many missionaries children, native christians killed , property destroyed. while missionaries, including of largest affected mission agency, china inland mission led hudson taylor, refused accept payment loss of property or life in order demonstrate meekness of christ chinese when allied nations demanding compensation chinese government, not missionaries acted similar restraint.

in 1901 veteran american board of commissioners foreign missions missionary rev. dr. william scott ament, had served in china since 1877, became embroiled in controversy regarding activities (and of other christian missionaries, including pierre-marie-alphonse favier, roman catholic vicar apostolic of north chihli) subsequent boxer uprising. in war s aftermath came war of words. missionary triumphalism clashed sarcastic sallies of mark twain, lampooned apologias looting given american missionary william scott ament.

ament s attitude , actions

while ament through own personal initiative able rescue abcfm missionaries @ tungchow, there still significant loss of lives. thirteen abcfm adult missionaries , 5 children killed boxers. included miss mary susan morrill (born 1863 in portland, maine) , miss annie allender gould, among eleven foreign missionaries, 4 children, , fifty chinese christians killed in baoding 30 june 1900. additionally, there damage abcfm property. abcfm mission compound razed, emily ament memorial school (named in honour of ament s daughter) on sixth street, peking. ament estimated end of july 1900 losses abcfm peking station $71,000 gold.

occupation of mongolian fu

on 11 august 1900, ament indicated in letter wife, that:

mr. conger told me to-day on arrival of troops see - our mission - had given on mongol fu - palace - east of on teng shih k ou....our poor people - saved - not many, must settled in homes , efforts made secure indemnity them ourselves. heart bleeds them. aliens in own country , pronounced bandits imperial decree.

ament able occupy mongolian fu, suspected boxer headquarters adjacent abcfm chapel, 20 august 1900. ament able write wife:

have here 2 hundred christian refugees, poor worn persecuted ones whom feeding on food taken rich families near by. ought suffer in view of misery have created....our poor people come in tales of woe break heart of stone. many have been killed , shall act avenger if can meet brutes in human form. no 1 thinks mercy should shown them.

demand indemnities

on 20 august 1900, ament nineteen other american protestant missionaries sent note united states minister, edwin h. conger, demanding

indemnity native christians loss of life , property, education reforms in china, abolition of literacy test of merit in civil service , introduction of suitable branches of western learning, abolition of worship of confucius compulsory rite, , reforms of criminal civil processes non-christians , alike christians had same rights in court etc.

these demands transmitted john hay (8 october 1838; 1 july 1905), united states secretary of state (1898–1905), demands indemnities , abolition of examination system included in boxer protocol. according wong,

ament explained demand china entering upon course of reform @ direction , practically under direction of foreign powers irritating , militate against essential doctrine of preserving integrity of empire. china must left work out own salvation own method.

on 25 august 1900, ament revealed plans punish boxers actions:

city stagnant , people coming out of hiding. shall begin punitive measures on boxers. china seems ruined country. may have leave. our people country , region of shantung come horrible stories of boxer cruelties. our churches wiped out. small remnant remain. must reconstruct best can. find buried silver in quantities , plenty of grain, our people have plenty eat , wear.

again, ament indicated:

boxer leaders must sought out , punished far possible. shall begin in line soon. not right such men remain unpunished.

collection of indemnities

from 13 september 1900, ament, , assistant, reverend elwood gardner tewksbury (born 1865, west newbury, massachusetts), accompanied u.s. 6th cavalry, searched areas adjacent beijing boxers, collecting indemnities christians had been killed boxers, , ordering burning of homes , allegedly executing suspected boxers. ament had been chosen fellow missionaries 1 honorable , all. ament reported mary, wife, on 18 september 1900:

have been absent on expedition 5 days....captain forsythe , 2 hundred cavalry troops went - guide , interpreter - sha ho , other places east of peking. burned 2 boxer headquarters, destroyed arms , brought in sixteen refugees, christians had been in hiding.

on 1 january 1901, ament, writing wife, confided:

led troop of horsemen through san ho district, , because wanted boxers hunted out , punished spoken of vindictive , bloodthirsty. comes out expedition has repeated, because of softness of americans in dealing chinese!

ament quoted advocating necessity of use of force ensure genuine regret among chinese:

if deal chinese soft hand, take advantage of it.

in letter abcfm corresponding secretary dr. judson smith of 13 november 1900 (received smith on 7 january 1901), ament says:

i have been in cho chou. time proposed settle affairs without aid of soldiers or legations. complete success. every 1 of our dispossessed church-members has been reinstated , money compensation made losses. has been done appealing sense of justice among villages our people lived , respected decent people. villagers extremely grateful because brought no foreign soldiers , glad settle on terms proposed. after our conditions known many villagers came of own accord , brought money them.

apparently, actions of russian, french , german soldiers, looted , killed on every hand, taking delight in shooting every person visible... determined dr. ament not go again soldiers in efforts secure replacing of christian in homes, or enforce reasonable demands indemnity great losses sustained church-members. ament wrote in letter on 27 september 1900, month after occupation of mongol fu (palace): selling off bric-a-brac, silks, furs found in fu benefit of christians. ament, writing rev. dr. judson smith on 27 december 1900, before became aware of criticism, gives account of collection of indemnities:

after month of hard work, glad report progress you. visited - beginning on south - wen an, pao ting hsien, pa chou, p ing ting, cho chou, liang hsiang, , on east, shun yi. found officials in these places exceedingly friendly , anxious settle affairs of converts, recognizing right , need of such claims. have made no use of foreign soldiers , brought no external pressure bear, relying on justice of our claims. mr. conger has supported in measures , methods taken, though military people have not failed make criticisms. survivors in our country stations have been recouped losses, again reinstated in villages, money in hand, , promise of houses restored next spring. on , above restoration converts there has been gathered fund support of widows , orphans, have no homes , have no 1 after them.