The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-09-27

he Edies OF she Emperor Placing the
a>owager Empress In Power-The
n. ssons Assigned for this Action.

n m H0IGl Oh ~
Empress In Power-The
m. >sous Assigned for this Action.
va, -hington, September 2.-The Chi
pess IN mister. Mr.. WI Ting Fang. to-
aav reca we'd a cable dispatch from the
Chinese IL reign office at Pekin giving
the text Of the edict ssued by the M
peror yester-d.N ~. in which. owing TO the
critical condit. on OF Chinese affairs.
he calls back L, power the empress
dowager and MA mits to her hands
the direction OF TIVE vast affairs of the
empire. The edict. freely translated
from the cipher abb. Is as follows:
Now that China is disturbed. and
there is need that all business shall
be lone well. we. the eml'er or aSitated
from morning To evening Tor the WEI
fare of all Affairs and fearful lest eF-
rors may occur. observing from Inc oe-
ginning Of the reign OF Tung CHI '"aN
the empress dowager has twice ssSeh
Instructions to the emperor. each TIA Z
with signal ability and success. SO We
now. considering the important inter
ests OF the empire. nave begged the
empress dowager TO give TO the emper-
or the benefit OF her ripe experience
and her Instruction. The dowager en-
press has been pleased TO accede TO
the request. Therefore. IL is 10 be- the
good fortune OF the whole empire that
this suspicious event In brought about
From today the impress dowagcr con-
ducts the business In the imperial
apartments, and on the sth day ~ the
present month, Chinese calendar,
meaning today English calendar) we
Will faEa oil The. nrinCpS and muufS-
trates to perform the in the
Chin Chung palace. Let the Iamen,
foreign ofice) prepare that the cere-
mony may be performed with hitting
honors."
The Chinese minister was seen at
the legation today, and talked freely
concerning the edict. He said there
was no secrecy about IL. nothing to
indicate that IL was a triumph OF one
foreign element over another and that
its essential purpose was To strengthen
China herself at "A time when serious
foreign problems were presented. IL
was quite natural. he said. that the
dowager empress should be called to
the aid of the emperor, owing 10 dy-
nastic reasons. The present dowager
has survived three dynasties, beginning
with that OF Emperor Hsien Fung. She
was the second wife OF the emperor,
and bore him a son. Tung Chi. who. on
the death of his father, became emper-
or. The latter was an infant ruler ana
the mother, then and now dowager en-
press. directed for him the vast affairs
OF the empire. on his death without
issue. the dowager elected her nephew.
Wang Hsu. to become emperor ana
his reign is now i'm progress. He was "A
child when he took the throne twenty
four years ago, and up to min years
ago the dowager directed affairs for
him, acting as the queen regent OF
c. go 90. .LaL 49,. Es~- IL ta MIA
dowager empress who il now called to
the active assistance OF the emperor.
This, the Chinese minister points out,
Is a move toward 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 infant rulers.
Concerning the report that the en-
press return to power was a coup
d'etat, favorable to Russia, the min
lister says he does not consider the
move favorable 10 any power as
against any other. Its effect, he says,
will be toward strict impartiality in
China's treatment OF Russia, Great
Britain, Germany, France and the
United States, Japan and the whole
world at large.
During the former regency Of the
empress she had shown marked friend
ship for the English, so that in the
- $3.50
to presume she had English prejudices.
As to it's effect upon Ii Hung Chang,
the minister said the dowager empress
had long admired the rugged ability
of the old statesman. He did not think
this would result in the return of Ii
TO the foreign office, from which post
he was recently relieved, owing, II was
understood, TO foreign influences. 1t is
probable. the minister believes, that
Prince Ii will continue in his nominal
post as imperial secretary.
The minister speaks with special
satisfaction of a concession which he
signed a short time ago. by which an
American syndicate will build a rail-
road from Han Kow to Canton. a dis
lance Of eight hundred miles. 1t is I'M
derstood that among the names OF
those interested in this concession are
the Rockafellers, Morgans. Wander
bits, Brice, and ex-Mayor Hugh Grant,
OF New York. The minister signed this
concession just before the Spanish war
broke out, and this led to some delay
in beginning work on the road. Now,
however, he is informed that the
American engineers are about to start
for their surveys OF the line, and the
construction will be pushed from this
time forward