The morning call., 1894-09-02


who was TO a large extent the cause of the
rebellion, is going about Seoul to-day
with hundreds of followers. He rides in
a chair, seated on a leopard skin, and he
has a house containing scores of rooms.
He is said to be a millionaire. A few
years ago he was worth practically moth
Ing. He has made his immense fortune
by squeezing the people. and by his re-
lationship to the Queen. His name is Min
Yung Jun. He is now about forty years
old, but he is one of the greatest political
strikers Of the world, and be is an adept
money out of the people. A part of
his receipts have gone to the King, but a
large amount has stuck to his own
clothes. He first showed his efficiency in
:. this line as Governor of Ping Yang, a city
of perhaps 10000 inhabitants. which lies
within hundred miles Of Seoul. Here he
was nlcknamed Dy the people as Stove
Min" because he burned up everything be
touched, and he is now called Buddha Min.
probably for his supreme cheek in absorb
ing everything about him into his own
pirVana. L have secured photograph of
him, with q lot OF dancing-grls behind
him, and his son at his side. His feet rest
upon leopard-skin, and he is BY no means
q bad-loOking Korean. BE has evidently
great organizing powers. and he has
brought office brokerage down to a system.
Korea. like China, is land of squeezers
Officials who are paid something like 5000
a year are expected to squeeze about $4,000
annually from the people. There is no
security of property 10 Korea. and hence
no incentive for the people to accumulate.
If gre~ lyJys up money and the magistrates
find q OUT they have one of their under
saE1ppers accuse him of some crime. False
FtHeSSes orrs plenty, and they can whip
TIE 'hGig - torture him until he pays
so2e.- ar be let 20. Sometimes poor
men ae--- Sested on such charges. When
tortured they say they have nothing and
can give nothing. The reply often is: "You
have rich uncle, or a rich cousin, and he
must pay this amount for YOU" AS TO the
officials, they must get their money out of
the people; and if they pay high prices for
their offices they have got to Cypress
their subjects. Until within the last year
terms of from two to three years. The
prices Of the offices were high. By judi
ciously apportioning their expressions over
this time they could squeeze enough to
make profit and still let the people live.
The wants of the court and of the Off
clals, however, have increased within late
years. The debt to China has eaten up
great part of the revenue and Min Yung
4 fha da6o hu tipv
do WI the terms for which the magistrates
are appointed At the same time he has
not decreased the price of their offices, and
they have had to squeeze all the money
they could possibly get out Of the people
in order TO come out even at the end Of
nine months instead of three years. The
result is that in some parts OF Korea starv-
alton practically stares the people in the
face, and this was the cause Of the re-
bellion.
The rebellion was not against the King,
but against his officials, and had the King
not foOiishly sent his troops against the
rebels he might have escaped his present
troubles and the war between China and
Japan been deferred.
This squeezing which exists among the
magistrates runs. in fact, through the
whole of Korean society. You remember
the doggerel which runs something like
this:
The biggest fezs have smaller heas
Upon their backs to bite 'em,
And those small heas have other 1eas.
=. And so ad tnfnitum.
Well, the Korean official flea is OF all
: sizes, from this great Prime Minister, Min
Yung~Jun. down to the kesos who trot
along beside your chair when you go
through the city of Seoul. l had four
:. chair-bearers TO carry me, and part of the
time there was soldier on eacn side of
us. 10 addition there was "GSnerar PAX,
and doubt not that every one OF them
got his percentage out OF everything l
bought / had to have the money paid
over in my presence TO be sure that
it would be paid at all. and when
PAX purchased a cigar for me l ven
=, ture he always received a cigarette
as his commission on the purchase.
The Chnaman who kept house for Mr..
Power, the electrician TO the King. with
whom ] stopped. got his percentage on the
price of every mouthful of food we ate
and of everything we bought. l could not
hire a horse that the man who ran behind it
and acted as my groom did not get his per-
centage of the hire. Such things are per-
fectlY legitimate in Seoul. The man who
keeps the gate of your house is given 10
per cent of the amount of all purchases
MADE. This, of course, comes out of the
landlord, who is charged an additional
price. If the percentage is not paid. the
seller will get 10 more business. and he
will De boycotted by all the gatemen of the
town.
. The iilegitimate squeezing is awful.
You have to watch all the time for fear
some one else is being cheated or .op-
pressed through you. The servants of
foreigners are not subject to the ordinary
Korean laws, and our legation to Korea
found not long ago that the kesos con-
nected with the establishment had been
selling certificates to men about Seoul.
stating that they were employed by the le-
CATION, and they had received from one