The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-04
LIS WAYS THAT WE'RE DARK.
Some Unpleasant Facts Called Homo
to the VicerOy's Record.
Pittsburg Dispatch,

AS Ii Hung Chang is about to leave the
shores of America for his home in the
Celestial kingdom newspapers and maya
zines beginning to size up his claims
for craftsmanship and general ability. IL
is not generally thought that his conduct
in England and America gives good founda-
ton for many of the adjectlves applied
to the distinguished Chinaman. 1t Will
not be uninterestng at this time to give
some historic facts with regard to the
career OF Ii Hung Chang. He makes his
Chinese rebellion in 1859 The Chinese En-
peror requested an English officer to take
command Of the Chinese army. to subdue
as Chinese Gordon. was appointed to
the command of the Chinese troops. He at
campaign, and one of the first results was Z
the surrender OF Soo-Chow. In making
the surrender the leaders of the rebellion
stipulated condition of opening the
gates that their lives should be spared.
General Gordon pledged his sacred honor
and the honor of the Chinese government
that this should be done. The next morn
ing he found the leaders had been behead-
ed to a man. and that it had been done
his career General Gordon became ungov,,
ernably angry. He took his revolver and
hunted the Chinese army over to ind Ii
Hung Chang and shoot him in his tracks:
1t was an act of base treachery General
Gordon could not forgive, and his indigna-
ton was so great that he threw up his COM
mission and only consented to take COM
mand again upon Ine very 1m ibat dav on
General Gordon lost confidence in Ii hung
Chang.
During the Viceroys administration. up
to the late Japanese war, the murder of
missionaries and the destruction of mis-
sionary property, Roman Catholic and
Protestant. have been fearfully common.
And according to the principles of Chinese
diplomacy. Nothing has been done about
it," There have been individual cases OF
kindness on the part of Lii Hung Chang
towards missionaries and foreigners, but
no great statesmanlike movement toward
a better civilization. He took most kindly
to General Grant as "a great warrior who
had slain his thousands, but most espe-
cially because the two men were born the
same day of the same month of the same
year. The authority for this statement
is the Rev. DR.. Hunter Corbett: who Is
just back to America after thirty-five
years service as a Presbyterian missionary
in China. AS to General Grants reported
statement ranking Ii Hung Chang with
Gladstone and Bismarck, the authority Is
decidedly apochryphal.
character of Ii Hung Chang than his prep
aration for the late war. He is held re-
by many intelligent foreigners. for the dis
astrous results of the late war. When he
chang gn made AN ~ of the forts Of
China and passed favorably upon powder
which had been in the fort magazines TWEEN
say such powder was practically useless.
The next great mistake of Ii Hung
Chang was in arming his troops with the
old effete Austrian and Belgian muskets,
long ago discarded worthless by the
English and American governments. The
muskets for a song" and selling them for
a high price to the Chinese government,
putting the army contractors of late
into the shade. and adding materially
to piling up his Fifteen millions, Of wealth"
Such guns were absolutely useless against
the Winchester repeater in the hands OF
the Japanese.
6 alter mistake still was in the pur-
chase IF carloads of cartridges too small
for the muzzle OF the gun AS soon as
they found it out no wonder the Chinese
troops threw down their guns and ran
like sheep. as they did in many a battle.
Another terrible mistake, which Lii Hung
Chang by a military order could have
avoided was to allow the Chinaman, in the
very face of battle. to get out his little Chi
nese god, burn incense tC him and go
through the tedious heather rites of wCr-
ship. even to rigging up Chinese UNI
brella over his god, before he fired a shot.
In his late lecture on the Japanese war.
delivered last February in this city, DR.. j.
Frederick Stanley put Ii thus: Before the
Chinese soldier was through with his num-
merry, it was ping from a Japanese Win
chester-result dead Chinaman'
These are some of the facts furnished
by missionaries. and others on the ground
of which they claim that Ii Hung Chang
was very largely responsible for the WON
derful victory of Japan.