St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-01
REVOLUTIONARY CHINA.
The KoIao-hwei Threatens a Re
beIlion to Depose the Emperor.

bellion to DepOse the Emperor.
Nearly year ago, says Shanghai
correspondent of the London Standard,
your readers were informed of the prob
able approach of serious revolutionary
movements in China, when some of the
difficulties which beset the young en-
perOr were described. Later still, when
the viceroy TseDg of Marking died, the
danger of the numerous secret
societies, which permeate the heart
of the empire, breaking into
open rebellion was dwelt upon
as a much nearer contingency.
The forecast, which many people
thought rashly made OH my part, has
proved, am sorry to say, only too cor
rect, and Just now China is, in the con-
sensus>of the best opinion, both native
and foreign, on the eve of something
like another TAPPING rebellion. We are
passing through an exciting period and
the whole of the ceuter Of the country
is in regular ferment.
Ali the northern treaty ports are
guarded by foreign men-of-war, and
sailors and marines, French, American
and German, with Calling guns, have
been landed already in one port-Kin-
kiang. Warships of Russia, France,
Spain and England are being called TO
the YangtZe stations from all sides,
of military and naval oper-
ations, rebellion, murders, and
such topics. Business is almost entire
ly at a Standstill between this and the
five great ports on the river-Johang,
Hankhow, Wuhu, Kin-kiang, and Chin
kiang. In Shanghai preparations are
being made on all sides for defense,
volunteers are constantly drilling, and
generally the state of affairs recalls the
stirring days of the early sixties, when
the rebellion was in progress. The
English and American missionaries are
coming in from all the outlaying sta
tions, and every day brings some fresh
tale of devastation by the Kolao-hwei,
cessors Of the Taipings. Two
Englishmen have been butchered
with circumstances of horrible
atrocity, within twenty-five miles
of Kin-kiang. The massacre of MIR.
Argent, of the English Wesleyan Meth
Odist mission at Wusueh, and of Mr..
Green, an officer in the imperial Chi
nese maritime customs in the same
place, is one of those sudden shocks to
the public mind in China which, like
the capture of the Namoa by pirates
the other day near Hong Kong, rudely
reminds us that China is still a barbar-'
Gus country.
Not, indeed, that we can blame the
unfortunate central government much.
for the Picking government is in very
bad and uncertain way, and does not
know In what direction to turn.
In fact, the imperial palace and the
Mauchu and loyal Chinese ministers
OF the emperor are in panic at the eX-
tent of the present movement, and are
afraid to attempt to interfere with the
preliminary programme which the
Kolao-hwei have arranged, lest their
action should precipitate matters. Ten
or twelve French missions have been
burned along the YangtsZe, and the
value OF property destroyed aggregates
several million dollars. But so far as is
known, no French missionary has been
hurt, because the French naval authori-
ties took extremely vigorous measures
and threatened to lombard Marking
and other towns on the river if events
justified, in the mind of the captains of
the French men-of-war, such proceed
ing.
In Shanghai almost all business is sus-
pended. Meetings of the foreign resi-
dents, except the British, have been
held under the leadership of their con-
suls, and new German and French vol
unteer corps enrolled for the protection
of the settlement. The ordinary vol
unteers are under arms ana drill con-
stantly, and arrangements made for the
placing of the women and children in
places of safety in the event of the out
break, which is regarded as imminent,
taking place. The municipal council
and foreign consuls have declined the
offers of the taOtai to allow Chinese
troops Into the settlement to protect it,
and rely upon volunteers, which include
almost every man in the community,
for the defense of the model republic,
as the native "braves" are, to the eX-
tent of some 80 per cent, members Of
the KOlao-hwei. In most places where
foreign .gunboats are not at hand to
keep these gentry in order, they went
Immediately over to the rioters, and
openly express, as indeed does every
Chinaman one speaks to, their con-
tempt and hatred for the reigning
dynasty, and their determination to put
a man Of one of the eighteen provinces
on the throne.
There is no doubt that some of the
highest Chinese officials in the empire
are members of this organization or
give it their tacit support, and it con-
tains within its ranks almost every tao
tai magistrate and petty mandarin in
the north. Yesterday the soldiers at
Marking burned in effigy the viceroy,
Lui Kun-y. He has offended the Human
men. who are the leading spirits in the
movement which has for one OF It's OBJ
jects the destruction of the undue pre-
ponderance and influence obtained
by the rival province of Anhwei
in the government of the empire
through the Lii family, Ii Hung
Chang in the north and Lii Han-Chang
in the Kwang provinces. 1t is remark
able that in the present trouble the
Chinese fleet, instead of being sent TO
repress the disorder, has been kept in
the north by Ii Hung-Chang, who has
just returned from cruise with the
whole fleet, some thirty vessels, along
the coast of Shanting, Manchuria and
Korea. Before he left TientSin he re-
ceived a message from Pekin not to
leave, as placards had been posted on
the walls of the city by the Kolao-hwei
threatening to kill all the foreign min
listers and depose the emperor. The
latter is undoubtedly their chief object,
and the attacks upon foreign settle
ments are only designed to involve the
central government with foreign pow
ers.
The ministers-or at least the French
ana Amerlcan-early this week sent in
joint note to the government, through
the Tsung-liYamen, demanding that
steps should be taken for the protection
of foreigners in the empire, in the
event of which being refused the for
eigners interested would take steps to
protect their own nationals. There is
no DOUBT, however, that the imperial
government is anxious to do everything
to protect foreigners and suppress dis
order. But ! do not think that 1t ean,
make no secret about their attitude to-