The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-02-11
ITO AND IL HING CHANG.
How the Two Oriental Statesmen he
rams Acquainted.

I~rom the Pan Mall GazetteD
Is it a coincidence, or something
more. that within a few days We should
hear Of the return To power of l.
,Hung Change and Ito (HirobumD?
Il know Ii: he is a personal friend
Of mine" replied the Marquis Ito to
question Of mine one night, as We sat
l,y the fire in his European residence in
Toxic. The Chinese don't know what
they are about. and have no method;
they are not sufficiently organized His
ENcelIency had remarked, To which
had made answer. But IL hung
Chang. is he not a capable man? III
he had more power, do You not thinh
things would be different?
L hardly think SO. | know Ii: he Is
a personal friend OF mine. and since /
was sent TO China on an embassy some
Years ago We have kept up private
correspondence. Ii is fine man, and
4 I admire him: but he did not do what
he might have done TO preserve peace.
! At one time all the Korean matter was
i'm his hands. and he could have avoid
ed the war had he wished.
You spoke of your own relations
+ with La How did they arise
\ W
nauded an audience Of the Emperor 10
/ present my credentials, but was mex 10y
Ii. who said that | must do my bust
ness with him. But l refused ana went
To Picking There j saw the TsunC-ll-
Yamen, or foreign board, where every
bodys business is nObody's; but Still
demanded to see the Emperor. At .Gst
il was arrangad that, as tn Enp"ro"
was so young, ] should present nv ire
deutials to a prince of the royal family
instead which | did. Then came the
question of the power to be intrusted
TO Ii for the negotiations. refused
To enter upon any discussion except
with a Plenipotentiary, and the TSung-
li-Yamen in itself had sufficient power.
But when they perceived this. and de-
uuted Ii 20 act for them, j would not
accept the arrangement till ! had
letter from them stating clearly what
lis powers were, ana granting him
powers he had never before possessed.
With this i'm my hand / telegraphed
10 Ii to know if he accepted the re-
sponeibilily. and not Till ! received his
reply did ! move from Picking. Then
business BEGAN. one day L went to
Lis house. one day Ii came To mine
in the afternoon, and at sunset We
dined together, business being sci
aside. and the evenings We're devoted
Ia lfltlAlN NbllN - 81 AAoii- - 49,
I got to know ii. and to admire MN.
lie wanted to know everything about
tI,a Wrsterners and all about the lnno-
Xations / was making In Japan, ana
/ told him all. Meanwhile, during nine
al, ten such meetings business was ar
ranged. and a treaty drawn up between
the two Empires on equal terms.
The man who sat before me WAS no
ordinary individual. The plain state
lnenf he had just made in excellent
English bespoke an open nind,
tactful manner, and a bUsinessike re-
source. His action in speaking be
traved the busy, thoughtful, response
bic statesman. His whole bearing gave
one confidence. and explained the Mi
kado's well-plaCed trust. 1t was Ito
tHirabumD who drew up the present
constitution Of Japan. and who has
since been president of the committee
aynploved in drawing up the new civil
and criminal codes. More than any
other fellow-subject he deserves the I'll
tie of The Maker of New Japan"
cornmoner by birth, il is not forty
wears since. as lad, he was smuSgled
cut Of his country by the Prince of
Choshu. whose retainer he was, along
with two others i'm like position.
Nessrs. Jardine. Matheson & Co, those
merchant princes Of the far East, had
not long obtained permission 10 trade
with the people OF Sunrise Land. and il
was in one Of their ships that the es-
cane was made. for as yet no japanese
were allowed to leave their country.
Something the Shogun-who, though
nominally only general, was practically
a dictator even to the Emperor-had
been forced to learn from the mouths
Of the foreigners cannon, but the lit
tie knowledge thus gained inspired
fear. The great prince of the island of
Choshu, no inconsiderable section of
the empire, holding the position erst-
while of that OF the kings and grand
dukes Of the German states, saw that
in the strangers hands was power and
the knowledge that developed power
So in defiance OF imperial regulations.
his three young spies went forth. and
after various adventures and vicissi-
tudes, the story of which sounds more
like romance than fact. they arrived in
London. and became the proteges of a
man still living, to whom Japan owes
not a litttle-Mr Hugh Matheson.
Yes, ] was one of Mr.. Matheson's
boys" said the japanese Premier-as
he was al that time and is again to be
now-with the most refreshing candor.
Il owe great deal to him. and 1 shall
never forget his house at Hampstead,
though il is thirty-one years since /
saw it. Some day, when ] can secure
a vacation, i look forward to revisit