The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-14
ONE WORLD NOT ENOUGH.
CHINA'S EMPEROR THINKS HE is
LORD OF THE UNIVERSE.

LORD OF THE UNIVERSE.
He Rules Not Only the Living. In
GLIDING the Emperor william.
Queen Victoria and Grover CIeve-
land, hut the Dead Also, in His
Mind.
From the Chicago Record.
The Emperor of China, like the Emperor
of Japan, is supposed to be of divine ORR
gin, and at death becomes an actual deity.
although the founder of the present dy-
/ nasty was a petty chieftain among the
/ tribes of Manchuria, who, by his agrees
sive character and executive ability. sub
jugated first his own race and then con-
quered the great empire that lay south OF
them Theoretically the emperor is abso-
lutte in his authority over the persons and
property, the souls and the minds of all
his subjects during the present and the
hereafter. Death does not release them
from his power. He can confer honors
upon the dead and improve their condition
just as well as upon the living, and one
of the highest rewards he can pay for
faithful service is to elevate among the
spirits of the dead the grandfather or the
father or some other one or more of his
| subjects ancestors. He is the theoretical
owner of all real estate and other property
in lima. There is nothing within the
limits Of the empire that theoretically,
has not been derived from and cannot be
reclaimednby him. fu
He is not only the absolute monarch of
China, but sovereign of the entire world,
and theoretically all the other nations OF
the earth, including the Gar of Russia,
/ Emperor William, Queen Victoria and the
President of the United States, are his
subjects. For forty years the ministers
/ accredited by other nations to the Chinese
court have been contesting this question,
| and until recently the emperor would NOT
/ receive them except as tribute bearers
emissaries from loyal vassals VINO came 20
/ pay their respects and bring MIN the COM
pliments of their princes, like the repre-
sentative of the King Of Korea and the
! grand Llama of ThiDet who nave come
/ every year for centuries, bearing BiIts.
The ministers positively refused to be re-
ceiVed in such capacity, or TO enter the
/ tribute hail. which was selected as an au-
! dience chamber. They insisted upon APP
/ pearing before the emperor as representa-
/ lives of equal aud Independent soVer-
/ eigns, and the question was nnaly ue-
| Glued in their favor a couple OF years
| ago, although it is whispered that they
! were actually received in the same room
and in the same manner that the tribute
bearers are received, and that the empe-
ror himself was lead by the princes, VINO
| surrounded him, to understand that they
came in the same capacity.
A gentleman who Is as familiar with the
| Chinese court as any foreignerp asserted
| not long ago that the emperor stu actuai-
" believes that Queen Victoria and the
all other rulers, recognized him as their
sovereign.
While the emperor is the source of ali
power and mercy and justice, and alone
has authority to decide questions that ar
| feet the government he is assisted in the
/ conduct OF affairs by a complex, ana
! cumbersome organization, consisting or
seven ministerial boards, grand councn,
a grand secretariat and a board of CEN
sors, each of which has its powers and du-
| ties well defined, all more or less indepen~
dent of each other. but without final aG-
thority. The grand council or council or
state is understood to be the highest III
authority, and is composed of the presI-
f6e Other ana ylee tbe srans
retaries, several princes of the blood, and
such other persons as the emperor may Sc
lect. Its number is not limited and its
power is elastic. 1t exercises a general
supervision over all Of the executive Ge-
partments, and all business must reach
the emperor through It.
But between the council of state and the
emperor stands the grand secretariat,
which is composed Of four grand secreta-
ries, with number Of assistants, whose
duties are to communicate directly with
the emperor each day, lay before him tine
business that requires his attention re-
ceve his instructions thereon and after
ward communicate his will to the other
boards and bureaus below them. The
grand secretaries are keepers of the
twenty-five seals of state each of which
has its peculiar significance, and special
purpose
1t is not necessary for ali of these sec
retaries to be on duty at the saA1e time.
Very often only one or two are IN Pekin.
Lii Hung Chang has been first grand sec
rotary for several years, but has never
actually performed the duties of that
office. Naturally having the last word
with the emperor, the grand SECRETARIES
ence of any of the officials throughout
the empire, and no one IS appointed to
these posts except those in whom his ma
jesty has perfect confidence.
The executive boards and departments
/ Tsung Ii yamen, or Office of foreign
affairs
2. Hu-pu. or board Of revenues.
3. Li-pu, or board Of civil office
L. Yi-pu, or board Of rites and ceremo-
MES.
s. Ping pu, or board Of war
g. Hing-pu or 1oard of punishment.
T. Kung-pu, or board of works
Each of these has two presidents, four
vice presidents, and from six to eight
members. with no end of secretaries. I'M
der secretaries, superintendents, control
lers clerks, writer's and employees of va
rious kinds. They are divided into diff
ferent bureaus, according to the duties
they have to perform and the business
with which they deal. With the excep-
ton of the tsung Il yamen they are all
sheltered behind the walls of 1.-THE for
hidden city, in which the emperor re-
Sides and to which foreigners are not adj
mitted Therefore very little is known
as to their habits and methods of doing
business.
All foreieners must communicate with
the government through the tsung Ii va
men, which has its offices in the Tartar
section of the city Of Pekin, where the
foreign Legations are located, and their
business is transmitted through it to the
particular board having Jurisdiction over
that particular subject. For example IL
an Englishman or a German wants to sell
a gun or a ship to the government his prop
osition is communicated through the
tsung Ii yamen to the board of war. II
Tf.lf