The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-28
HIS LOT IS NOT a HAPPY ONE.


Kan Yu Mel Has Troubles of His Own
Career Of = Young Chinese Reformer.
Kan Yu Mel. who has been reported
as banished by the dowager empress OF
China, as attempting to assassinate the
emperor and as having been murdered
while on his way to the frontier pre-
sumably by the royal order Of h EN-
press. In a remarkable la He is a sort
OF meteor in Chinese politics, one OF
few highly educated Chinese states
men. who has consistently labored to
release China from the thralldom of ig-
n to introduce to IL the Eu-
ropean civilization with which he is
thoroughly familiar. Whatever has
been his fate in the present internal
Chinese crisis, he will stand ever as a
martyr to the advancement Of China.
His career In full OF interest to for
eigners as typifying the conditions OF
the great Celestial empire. Having re-
markable literary attachments. he
passed the highest examinations re-
quired by the government. and was
appointed secretary to the board of
public works, which has charge of rail-
road concessions and similar matters of
administration. so that he has been in
the center OF the row Russia
and England. n his sympathies and
influences have been exercised in be-
tlatl vi NV tatt1h " -,
counts for his escape and protection
upon n British man-of-war and for the
act that his effects are at the British
legation at Pekin. One of the charges
against shang Yen Hoon. who was
formerly minister to Washington and
was director of public works. Is that he
assisted Kan to sea the vengeance
OF Ii Hung Chang and other Russian
partisans. When the reform movement
was begun In China a year or two &
Kan Yu Mel stepped to the head of IL.
and. in company with the Rev. Mr..
Reid. a Presbyterian missionary. or
ganized a club and started the first
newspaper ever published In Pekin ex-
cept the Official Gazette.
They called IL h n Progress and
advocated reforms and the adoption OF
modern ideas, including the right OF
petition and the freedom of the press,
with a great dea Of ability N energy.
In some way or other Mr.. Kan sue
ceeded I'm breaking through the seclus-
ion that urround the emperor and OBJ
tanned admission to his majesty's pres
ence at all times, much to the alarm
and Indignation OF some of the conser-
vative old princes. He became n sort
OF tutor to the emperor In the study OF
modern affairs. IL was he who read TO
him the life of Peter the Great and in
spired him with a desire to emulate that
remarkable monarch. Through him the
emperor became familiar with the de-
velopment of Japan and resolved that
China should not be left behind its
nearest neighbor In the march of pro-
gress.
Under his influence Kueng Hsu is
sued a series Of remarkable edicts
which created a sensation. One OF them
granted the right OF petition to the
throne for everybody and provided that
"the board Of censors will hereafter he
delighted with the special duty OF re-
ceiving and presenting to his majesty
all memorials or petitions that may he
presented by scholars not I'm Office, or
men OF the people. persons hitherto not
allowed to address the throne In any
way except through their respective
viceroys or governors"
Such a proceeding as this was equal
to revolution and could not be tolerated
by the princes and mandarins at court.
Hence MI. Kan became very unpopu-
lar. He nevertheless persuaded the m
perer to sign an edict recognizing the
freedom Of the press. which was issued
on Aug. q last. BY II the editors Of
newspapers are granted the special
privilege of writing on political SUBJ
jects in order to ~enilghten those In au
thority and tear of the veil which hides
in security the misgovernment of OIL
Gals. This. indeed" continued the
edict. lis the primary reason for the
institution OF newspapers In all coun-
tries"
Only those who know the condition OF
china can realize the sensation which
this edict created. Hitherto there were
no newspapers in the empire outside
the treaty ports. and any one who had
the nerve to criticise an official had his
head cut OF. while an attempt to COM
municate with the emperor was the
most heinous of crimes. Mr.. Kan IL
also credited with having secured an
edict for the establishment OF a free
school system and a number of univer-
stiles for instruction in modern sciences
and also the edict issued last spring re-
curing candidates for ONCE to be ex-
amined as to their knowledge OF mod
ern affairs instead Of the ancient class
les.
weng Tung Ho. for a quarter OF a
century the most powerful man at
court except rim Kung. had been the
emperor's tutor had more influence
with him than any one else except the
empress dowager. He was the leader
OF the conservative party. and under
ooh 20 resist the influence OF young
Mr.. Kan. but met with n terrible dis
aster. He was stripped OF his ONCE
and honor. banished from Pekin and
forbidden ever to enter the gates Of the
city again. Several others who at
tempted 10 counteract the influence of
the young Canton reformer met with a
similar fate. and IL IL believed that he.
with the assistance OF Chang Yen Hoon
and other members of the British fac
ton at court. were responsible for the
recent degradation of Ii Hung Chang.
Examination of the eye and glasses
fitted free OF charge by DIR. Norcross
~ 49,. HE nAnT 49, A.eA.-