The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-11-06
BACK IO OLD WAYS
How the Empress Dowager
Undid the Emperors Work
ALL THE OLD SINECURES
Which Suck the Nations
Blood are Re-EStablished.

! Washington. D. c.. Nov. 4-Rcent edicts
/ OF the dowager empress OF China. copies
Of which have been received by Mr.. WI.
the Chinese minister here, show with what
strong hand the empress is directing the
affairs OF the government and overcoming
some OF the ultra reform tendencies OF the
young emperor. which cropped out just
before the empress assumed the reins of
the ancient departments OF Pek;n and the
governorships OF the outlying country.
which had been abolished not many weeks
ago by an sjict OF the emperor. These
places had been presided over by some OF
the most prominent men of China. who
had grown gray N the Countrys service.
They were handed down from father TO
son. and great dignity as well as consider
able profit attached to the Offices. There
was little work for them. /0wever. and
following the reform tendencies OF the
western world against sinecures. the en-
peror by edict abolished al the Offices.
bureaus and governorships which ne re-
garded supernumerary. While this
made a considerable saving in the Chinese
finances. il stripped many OF the veneer
able officials of China OF all their dignity
and emoluments. This came so suddenly
that much sympathy was aroused ,or
these officials. who haod been enjoying life
tenures up TO that time. The empress
dowager now restores The old regime and
in recent edict the department at Pekin
and the governorships throughout the
country are placed on the same basis they
had been before the emperor's edict.
Another edict by the empress dowager
directs that the temples be used exclu-
sively for religious rites, and not as
schools. The emperor had previously in
augurated a marked reform in directing
that many OF the old temples throughout
the empire be turned into school houses.
in order that education might be fostered.
But the empress dowager. while uphold
ing tn desirabilty of education, dies not
want the ancient temples of China turned
into school houses. IL it Is possible TO ise-
cure school houses elsewhere. She, there
fore. directs that the temples be used ex-
cusiveiy for worship. except when no
school facilities are available elsewhere. or
when the temples have been turned to i'm
moral uses.
In each case the action OF the empress
dowager is a return to the ancient meth
DDS Of the country and is accepted with
favor by the conservative element as well
as by those who desire refoms. so long az
they can be brought about without doing
violence to the traditions oficenturies.
Pekin, Nov An spite OF the formal
promises OF the Chinese foreign office.
there is every indication OF a concerted
move of Chinese troops in the neghbor-
hood of the capital
It is said that Kang-Nil. the high Man
chu Official, who was next in rank TO the
late Prince Koung in the kioun-ki-tschu.
or council of state. has obtained great in
fiUence over the dowager empress. He Is
bitterly anti-foreign and hOpelessly con-
servative. It is probable that Kang-Yi
was the instigator OF the edict re-establish-
ing the bow and arrow exercise OF the