The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-24
KWANG HSU NO MORE A KING.
NEWS OF HIS RESIGNATION OFF,
CIALLY REPORTED.

BE cause of the Critical Condition Of
Chinese Affairs the Young Empe-
ror Thought 1t Wise to Profit BY
the Ripe Experience of the Dow
ager Empress-Chinese Minister at
washington Does Not Consider the
Change Advantageous to Any For
eign Power Against Another, But
one which viii Greatly Strength
en- the Chinese Empire.
Washington, Sept. 23.-The Chinese min
ister Mr.. WI Ting Fang, to-day received
a cable dispatch from the Chinese foreign
Office at Pekin giving the text Of the edict
issued by the Emperor yesterday In which,
owing to the critical condition of Chinese
affairs, he calls back to power the EN-
press Dowager and commits to her hands
the direction of the vast affairs of the en-
pire
The edict, freely translated from the
cipher cable, is as followss Now that
China is disturbed, and there is need that
all business shall be done well, we, the
Emperor, agitated from morning to even
ing fersthe welfare of all affairs and fear
ful lest errors may occur, observing from
the beginning of the reign of Tung Chi,
that the Empress Dowager has twice
given instructions TO the Emperor, each
time with signal ability and success, so
we now, considering the important inter-
ests of the empire, have begged the En-
press Dowager to give to the Emperor the
benefit of her ripe experience and her in
struction The Dowager Empress Las
been pleased to accede to this request
Therefore, 1t is to be the good fortune of
the whole empire that this suspicious
event is brought about. From to-day the
Empress Dowager conducts the business
in the imperial apartments, and on the Sth
day of the present month Chinese calen-
dar meaning to-day, English calendar),
We will take the princes and ministers TO
perform the ceremony in the Chin-Chung
palace. Let the yamen Foreign office
prepare that the ceremony may be per-
formed with fitting honors."
The Chinese minister was seen at the
legation to-day and talked freely concern
ing the edict. He said there was no
secrecy about ii, nothing to indicate that
it was a triumph of one foreign element
over another, and that It's essential pur-
pose was to strengthen China herself at
d time when serious foreign problems
were presented. 1t was quite natural, he
said, that the Dowager Empress should
be called to the aid of the Emperor, owing
to dynastics reasons. The present Dowager
has survived three dynasties, beginning
with that of Emperor Hsen Fung.
She was the second wife of the Emperor,
and bore him a son, Tung Chi, who on
the death of his father, became Emperor.
The latter was an infant ruler, and the
mother, then and now Dowager Empress,
directed for him the vast affairs of the
empire. On his death without issue, the
Dowager elected her nephew, Kwang HSu
to become Emperor, and his reign is now
in progress. He was a child when he
took the throne twenty-four years ago,
and up to nine years ago the Dowager
directed affairs for him, acting much as
the Queen Regent of Spain acts for the
boy king. 1t is this Dowagers Empress
who is now recalled to the active assist
ance of the Emperor. This, the Chinese
minister points out is a natural move to-
ward the strengthening of the hands OF
the Emperor, giving him that same AID
which the Dowager Empress gave while
the Emperor and his predecessor were in
FAINT rulers.
Concerning the report that the Empress
return to power was a coup d'etat favora-
BILE to Russia, the minister does not con-
slider the move favorable to any power
as against any other Its effect, he says
will be toward strict impartiality in Chi
Germany France and the United States
Japan and the whole world at large.
During the former regency of the EN-
press she had shown marked friendship
for the English, so that, in the opinion o
the minister, it was unfair to presume she
had English prejudices. AS to its 'effec
upon ii Hung Chang, the minister salt
The Dowager Empress had long admired
the rugged ability of the old statesman
He did not think this would result in tn
return of Ii to the foreign office, from
which post he was recently relieved, ow
ing, it was understood, to foreign in
fiuences. 1t is probable, the minister be
lieves, that Prince Ii will continue in hi
nominal post as imperial secretary.
The minister speaks with special salts
faction of a concession which he signed
short time ago, by which an American
syndicate win build a railroad from Hal
Kow TO Canton, a distance of 500 miles.
is understood that among the names o
those interested i'm this concession are tn
Rockefellers, Morgans, Vanderbilts, Brice
and ex-Mayor Hugh Grant of New York
The minister signed this concession jus
before the Spanish war broke out, and thl
led to some delay in beginning work on tn
road. Now. however he is informed tina
the American engineers are about to star
for their surveys of the line, and the con
struction will be pushed from this tim
forward.