Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-05-16

y
moralized by the Corruption of
Boodle-Progress Also Retarded by
SuperstitionS-SOm Amusing Stor
les in Point.
Japans easy conquest of China in
die recent Wal has been generally &C.
counted for by al alleged superiority
of the Japanese as a race over the
Chinese. Travellers who have had OPP
pOrtunity of personally studying the
conditions in both countries, however.
, find a different cause for the uneX-
pected result Of the famous conflict
in which to all outward appearances
it seemed to be simply a case of tri-
umph Of mind over matter.
The crushing defeat Of the celestial
empire in its war with Japan is not
properly attributable to any superior
ity-physical or mOral-of the people
of the foWery kingdom" said John c.
Uhrlaub, one of the best known ia.
panese importers in the west, in dis
cusSing the war Of the orient with a
Chicago reporter. 1t was caused. in
my opinion, by the corruption and
treaclleIy of the high officials of the
Chinese government, who sacrificed
the people and the honor of the en-
pire to their own greed for pelf In
other words it was due to the uni
versal system Of boodling prevalent
in official circles in China, and [ think
the defeat now inflicted may prove
to be a blessing in disguise by open
! ing the ports of the kingdom to civil
izing Influences. Talk of Tammany's
boodling, talk Of your city council in
Chicago, or your county board, why
they are mere nOvices in the art of
boodling compared with the Chimes
government officials. To this fact. I
repeat is due the overwhelming de-
feat of the Chinese. q people much
superior, in my opinion, from a ply
steal and moral standpoint. to their
conquerors, the Japanese.
''\ow. as to boodling among Chinese
officials having had most to do with
! the disastrous rOut of the Chinese
army in almost every engagement
with the Japanese. there is no lack
of records to prove and sustain my
contention. The Chinese army was
wretchedly equipped. their rifles were
more dangerous to those at the hreech
than to those in front of them. and
even this class of weapons was sup
piled to but very small portion of
the army, the main body of the troops
being armed with bows and arrows
and other primitive weapons of war
fare. This Wretched condition of the
Chinese army is due entirely to the
corruption of the officials Of the gov
eminent.
Let me give you one or two per-
SOnal experiences as illustrations In
1886 the Chinese government wanted
a large supply of army rifles, and l
as the manager and representative of
a big French firm entered into ne
gOtiatiOnS with the vicerOy of Canton
with a view Of securing the contract.
After having had an audience with
the vicerOy l made up my mind that
there was something peculiar about
the proposed deal, and so | wrote
to my house asking them to send
samples of the very best army rifles
and also some kind of a cheap, ginger
bread article which would pass muster
on sight but which could he sold very
cheap. They sent among the samples
! a rifle which would cost just 5 francs
apiece These rifles were made as
follows: The barrel was simply a
piece of gas pipe, bound to a com
mon, old wooden stock by strips of
tin. and with the old percussion cap
arrangement for the lock. These, |
say. we offered to supply for about
ST. a piece. The contract was &C
cepted on condition that the house
{ make out two bills for the consign-
ment, one for $15 a rife, the other for
$50 Our house accommodated the
result of the transaction $50 a rifle,
viceroy of Canton in this respect and
that official netted for himself as a
the government being charged up
with the bill for $50 the official peck
citing the difference between the actual
and the pretended price. Meanwhile
the unfortunate Chinese troops were
supplied with rifles Of no more value
in an engagement than SO many pop
guns.
The prisons of China are managed
in the most disgraceful way. This is
in large part due to the peculiar
! Chinese laws which allow not only a
debtor but any kind of a malefactOr
! to purchase a substitute to undergo
! the punishment inflicted upon him by
! law. The real offender can thus go
I free.
The prison authorities are allowed
a certain sum of money per diem for
the support of prisoners, but the
money paid for substitutes goes into
the hands. not of the substitute, but
of the head mandarin. In this way,
! extraordinary as it may appear, a man
convicted of murder and sentenced to
capital punishment, can actually pur-
chase a proxy to suffer death in his
! stead.
But this is not the only class of
Doodle outra ges Systematically per-
petrated by the jail and other govern
ment officers in high places. The jail
in Canton. at the time I was there,
/ was one of the filthiest institutions
the mind of man could possibly i'm
agine. The cells were unprOyided
! with any sanitary arrangements of
even the most primitive character.
! There was no opening Of any kind
| for either light or air except a small