Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-10-27
The Relief Funds Received from
Europeans Were Not Dis
tribHted by Them.
Though Millions Were Involved,
No Account Of the Transac-
tiOnS We're Demanded.
The Chinese Care Little for What
Outsiders Think OF the
MaiyeYSatiOn.

Two years ago, says a Tien-Tsn let
ter to the New York Times, when the
Peiho river overlooked its banks, mum
dating the surrounding country, COM
pletely flooding and partly washing
away this among many other large
cities, causing the loss Of thousands of
lives and millions OF dollars of pro
perty, large sums of money and other
neceSSaIies were raised by foreign sub
scriptions and sent to China to alleviate
the SutferingS of the unfortunate Chin
csc.
At the time these large subscrip-
tons We're arriving out here, many of
the foreign residents, well used to the
trickery and corruption of Chinese of
ficials, advised and protested against
the turning over of the charitable col
lectiOnS to the mandarinS for distTibu-
ton, suggested as proper and more
safe method that a committee of for
eign missionaries be chosen, the col
lectiOnS turned over to them, and by
! them distributed to the deserving poor
and unfortunate sufferers. Another
method proposed was that the Chinese
officials should be required to give
some guaranty for an honest distribu-
| ton Of the money collected, for without
this guaranty, in all probability the
funds would find their way into the
pockets Of the officials, and only Il
very small portion of them ever reach
the object for which they were sub
scribed. These suggestions were not
acted upon by those i'll charge of the
funds, and the money and other gifts
were turned over to the custody of the
vicerOyS of Marking and Tien-Tsin and
the manner Of distribution left solely
with them
To persons unacCuStOmed to the cor
ruptiOn existing in Chinese official cir
| cleS. it is difficult to show the case III
its true light; but to those who have
had experience i'll Chinese life the fool
ishneSs of trusting to the celestial
official integrity is apparent at first
glance. The great amount of official
interruptions no one who has not gone
through the mill can know, and the
intentions of the people who so charit-
ably gave large sums Of money for q
benevolent object would, in all lilzeli-
hood, be frustrated by the practice of
mandarins know so well how to inter
pose when occasion arises and when
personal gain is in view.
During the period of the inunda-
| tons vast sums of money were raised,
both at home and abroad, by foreign
ers and Chinese, and large SUMS We're
RENTED to the vicerOys of Nankin and
Ilen-TSin for distribution to the SUlf-
ferers. The mandarins, into whose
hands this money was placed, reported
at the time the amounts supposed to
have been distributed in the famine
stricken and inundated districts, but
still larger balances remained to ac-
cJmulate in the Golfers Of the high
authorities in the provinces, and al
most daily these balances were in
creased by remittances from the charit-
able societies of the United States and
Europe.
No account has ever been demanded
OF the amount of money which had
been collected and turned over to, but
not distributed by, the mandarins, and
1t was only during the past month that
direct knowledge of these balances
was learned. When the several mis-
sionary establishments and private pro-
perry at Chinkiang were destroyed by
the mobs of 1889 and 1890 claims for
mdemnitieS for losses incurred were de-
manded by the missionaries and for
eign merchants, and these claims were
pushed to a successful settlement by
tue various foreign cOnsulS concerned,
and the total claims, amounting to
more than 100000, were paid during
the past year 1t has now been learn
ed from the Chinese officials that this
money was a part of the sum left over
by the famine collections, and had.
therefore, been collected by foreigners
and by the Chinese turned back to
settle the claims of indignant mission
aries for property destroyed by the
native mObs.
Ibis is by no means an Individual
instance of such misrepresentation of
charitable funds by the Chinese. The
PeklI Gazette, the official cabinet or
gan of the empire, contains this month
an article calmly stating that extensive
works OF irrigation, river embanking
and dredging which have been carried
out during the past season, amounting
to $500 taelS about $4,000 were
paid out of " the voluntary cOntribu-
lions Of foreigners, collected in 1889
Tor the benefit of the sufferers from thu
mundation." Adding to this the $4,000
taels paid as the Chinkiang indemnity.
we have total of 15S, 600 taeIs (about
SI'o,OOO) known and acknowledged to
nave been used by the Chinese gov
eminent for state purposes from the
funds which should have been used to
alleviate the sufferings of the people Of
the Inundated districts.
The Chinese governor adds, however.
III the Gazette, that he intends to re-
place this sum by the proceeds of the
land tax and voluntary gifts. ''Volun-
tary gifts sounds well, and from the
tenor of it we have no doubt that the
cunning officials are pleasantly looking
forward to another famine during the !
coming winter, when the charitable
foreigners will again come forward !
with their contributions and again re-
plenlsh the provincial treasures.
Still another very similar instance of !
this sort by the mandarin of the PROV
ince Of ABDUL. in northern China. In {
1890, during the famine then existing
ID that province, a committee of for !