Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-03-22
An Empire Run by Women.

FOr the 0rSC Time IN the history OF
China has the state of imperial finance
been disclosed. The Chinese budget
for 1856 shows the total revenue in
coin to be 34,05l. 200 taels, each tael
being worth $l.6l; the grain tribute
amounts to 4,177,604 peculs of 1913
pounds each, which is estimated to he
worth $685., POS taels. Thus the entire
imperial revenue of China during the
past fiscal year foots up total of about
$70,000,000. Tho budget Of expendi.
ture shows the cost of the central Gov.
eminent at q ,044, $50 taels, Of which
the army and navy is set down in
round numbers at 4,5OO,OOO; salaries
of civil and military officers, ,087 ,l9S;
administration Of central Government,
6S8, 377 taels. COuriers and mails cost
nearly four times as much river EN-.
bankments and public works are
charged A. 2,S60,00 taels. A reserve
fund Of 1870, 742 taels is set apart for
some unexplained object. China was
without the luxury Of foreign debt
until 1874, when loan bearing eight
per cent. interest for So, 1885 was
issued through the Hong Kong and
Shanghai Bank, under imperial au.
thority, secured on the customs reve.
nue.. The existence of this loan can.
not account for such large reserve
fund, but there may be an internal
debt, interest on which would absorb
the difference.
The Emperor, being spiritual as we'll
as temporal sovereign, maintains
neither ecclesiastical hierarchy nor
priesthood; hence an expenditure for
religious ceremonies and the State re-
ligion of 1872, lS2 taels may be regarded
as perquisite IF the Sublimely Pure.
There is also a suspicious item of
1877 ,l0S taels in miscellaneous expen.
ditures of the central Government.
The next highest item of expendi.
ture is for examinations aid aid to the
hterati, which is not peculiar in an
empire ruled by red tape and compel.
tive examination. Public charity
and pensions and gratuities likewise
figure for solid sums in the list of gen.
eral expenditures. But the expendi.
lures in the imperial household which
come under separate head, foot up
a total of Il, 1857 ,ll8 taels, being an ex-
cess of expenditure over revenue of
1907, $50 taels.
Considering the vast empire of
China, the revenue and expenditure as
exhibited in these figures is not large
but these sums do not represent 1.-THE
of the money squeezed by provincial
magnates from the helpless people.
The deficiency of revenue is usually
made up of donations, which are in ex.
change of rank and place. In other
words, by the sale of office.
The heads of expenditure of the i'm.
perial household Of China are histori.
cally Instructive. Tartar.like, the
reigning family trusts to Tartar troops,
and the Ta.tsing dynasty pays S, 542, 421
taels annually in maintenance of aux.
Hilary troops. Rice and other food cost
over $500. 900 taels aid to mandarins
swallows o9l 1865 taels; presents and
pensions lick up cool half million !;
sacrifice to the Grand Llama (another
imperial perquisite) amounts to nearly
100000 taels; while porcelain, etc.,
cost 2cl 300 taels. Corruption and op-
preston are rampant within the great
wall land it is said that enormous sums
are annually diverted from their legit.
innate uses into the pockets of officials.
The tendency of public corruption has
not lessened since the usurpation of
power by women Of the imperial house.
hold. the Government Of China having
been run by two Empress Regents,
ruling jointly since 1851 ,excepta short
time during the reign of the late boy
Emperor. The ambitious extravaganza
of these Tartar danes may be readily
imagined in such court as that of
Plking.