The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-08-28
Ii Hung Chang, The Bismarck OF
China,

grace at the nanus OF an lmperlous ANU
impetuous Emperor of tweuty-three
: might suggest yet closer parallel be-
tween the statesman to whom China
" owes the great importance she UNI
Z doubleday possesses among The Pow
: ers of today and the fallen statesman
of the west, who was the maker OF
modern Germany.
Li.Hung Chang is not merely Vice.
: roy of the metropolitan province OF
e Petchili, but Grand Secretary, and
! thus member of that wise Imperial
Ceucil which is far above the Tsungi
: Yamen, and which represents, if any
: single body does, the responsible gov
} eminent of China. This body-termed
in Chinese Niu Koh--is composed of
four grand secretaries--two Manchu
and two Chinese-and two assistants.
1t used to be always considered neces-
sary that the Senior Grand Secretary
should be Manchu, and III Hung
Chang enjoys the distinction of being
the first Chinese accorded that pre-
eminence.
His career, in its main features, is
known throughout the civilized world,
and he is the only Chinese statesman,
living or dead, whose name would be
recognized in any assemblage ofpeople
He has earned this widespread fame
by the practical services he has rem
dered his own country, and by the ex-
ceptional purposes to which he has
turned his influence and position as
the head Viceroy of the Empire, as
well as by the conspicuous ability and
tact with which he has conducted the
relations of his country generally, and
on more than one critical occasion,
when only his presence averted war
with the Treaty Powers.
Nobody can question the statement {
that China owes her modern army and t
navy to Ii Hung Chang. Without {
him military reforms would never s
have taken any practical form and the {
ironclads, shipyards and arsenals, b
which now make such an opposing
array, would never have been created, ii
At the close of the Tapping rebellion Il
n 1868 Ii Hung Chang, then Viceroy nj
" the two Kiang, recruited many of re
Chinese" Gordon's disbanded veter- G
ms and so formed the nucleus of his ar
resent armed force. This army, u
Which is not to be confused with the "a
9rritorial armies of Manchuria and ~
sewhere, is the pick of the ChineselE
rmy. va
1t is the garrison of the metropolitan pug
'ovince of Pechili and since the VjT1f mas
y's appointment to the province ~ ann
w, nearly quarter of centuryaP ,iou '
has been subjected to a strictor 91s- 0eii'
oline than the rest, caused as n|pch "ie
LIS experience of war, gYned u'il
ainst the Tapping rebels iuc0foper- mas
alton with General GordOu/as by thro
desire to save the capiisF This oeco
ce, known as the medal SorpS, or "
lex Flag Army, numbery at least ne 81
y thousand men, and is Entrusted VINO
h the special duty Of garrisoning Anne
It Arthur, the forts of Taku and on same
Pei-ho and Tien-Tsin. If China ries
sesses such a thing as a crop rebe
'mee, it is to be Rund in this force, TaeE
oh is we'll armed and trained in Ger
ign instructions. 1t is from the roy +,
ok Flag Army that troops are being est r.
fed across to cope with the Japa- funn
, in Corea, and
18th regard to her navy China has ed l.
lie similar progress, owing to the ed al
.gy and influence of the Viceroy. first
has purchased some excellent YES come
she has built some useful arsenals Emp
repairing docks, and she has pro- Tn
ID systematic scientific instruction Your
officers and men. If the Chinese ed a /
Y does not make brilliant show states
ne war with Japan the fault will chara
sinly not rest with Ii Hung Chang. after
des his work for the army and emoni
the Viceroy has consistently eral v
lgthened the Customs Department shove
III form the backbone of China's ness, {
It, Arrangement for collecting Grant
2 with imperial customs the Lekin ing tn
ctrol-an internal import duty couns,
h the provincial governments Per-
on goois coming within their remar
daries vas expressly devised for frame
urpos Of strengthening the cen hands
gov nent and placing in its sevent
the etfeCtual control of all the spond
siql pocoupoan 20 | ,a,., ~,