The morning news., 1899-01-23
EVIL GENIUS 4 BAD WOMAN.
Events That Led Up TO and Followed
an EmperOr's Downfall.

be unable TO get Humpty Dumpty up
again. Humpty in this case is Kuang
Hsu, Emperor of China, and the one per
son responsible for the fan he got is the
Dowager Empress, Tze-Nsl. She had no
great difficulty in unseating the Emperor
for of all the weak crea lures in this coun-
try of insipid creations he is the weakest.
Few men who write English have seen him.
one who has describes him as a young
man of timid and melancholy bearing,
about & years of age, Of unusual intelii-
gence for Chinaman, but pitibly deficient
in those qualities that make up a ruler
or even man of ordinary caiber, Never
theless, the affairs of China would be safer
in his weak hands than in those of the de-
termined implacable DoWager Empress.
Let me explain the seeming paradox:
kuang Hsu is kindly disposed to Ameri-
cans and Englisbmen. He will listen to
their words of advice. in time he could
have been persuaded TO allow some strong
man from one of these leading nations of
civilization to come in and elevate China
to the level of a modern country
He is tractable and no one viii contend
that China would not be benefited by the
guiding wisdom of a while prime minister.
When the weak young Emperor has passed
from the Oriental stage aud the world has
ceased to think about him. few who have
known him viii recall with pleasure their
short acquaintance.
The DOwnger AII-POwerfuI.
The ogress who is responsible for his
downfall, the Dowager Empress who OBJ
stinately declares that China shall remain
the China of her forefathers aud be re-
formed by no man or set of men, is all
powerful here now. She is not the mother
of the Emperor, as some think. Relation
ships are rather vague considerations in
China, and where marriage isasuch an un-
| substantial institution il is not easy to
say what connection there really is be
tween Kuang Hsu and lihe woman who
has dethroned him.
The Dowager Empress married Hsien
Feng. brother Of Prince Kung, who passed
from Chinese history years ago, when the
English and French taught the Celestials
a lesson The son of Hsien Feng was
the Emperor Tunk Chih, and as he was
but a child when the throne became va
| cant, his mother and another wife of Hsien
Feng ruled as regents, presenting the very
novel picture of two women managing
| great empire cojointly This lasted for
| fifteen years, when Tung Chih, being old
enough to reign himself, became the En-
peror. When Tung Chih died in 1875 the
| Dowager Empress again took her place
at the head of the government and ruled
| China for fourteen years more, when
Kwung Hsu, a cousin of Hung Chang, sue
ceeded to the throne, remaining Emperor
as long as the old Empress allowed him
! TO, when he was tumbled out of his place
like a cardboard man and the headsman
put new edge on his sword as he scent
| ed trouble, F'' q"
Evil beyond Calculation.
The power of evil that this woman has
been to China is beyond calculation. To
her may be ascribed the humiliation of
! China at the hands of Japan. and. in
| fact all the misfortunes that have come
upon China during the past four decades
! There has been no single act during her
reign that could be pointed to with
! pride by the Chinese. Plots, intrgues
| and bloodshed have been the features
| The reform element has been cowed, its
! leaders have lost their heads, literally
| and few fortunate ones have escaped
the heandsman by fleeing from the coun-
try. Here is a partial list of those who
! have suffered recently from the anger of
| the Dowager Empress: Kang-yu-Wei edi-
| tor of the Chinese Progress, escaped TO
! Hong Kong; Sir Chang-yi-Huan, vice
| president of the board OF revenue, cXiled
| to Turkestan; Kang-K Kwang-Jin, younger
| brother of Kang-yu-wei, beheaded; Yang
| Shan-Sin, a censor. ~ beheaded; Tan-tze
! Tung. son of the Governor of Hupeh, be-
(
/ Kwang-Di men ofaofficial rank behead-
! ed.
| While the Empress has been sating her
| thirst for vengence by putting the reform
! ers to the sword there have been danger
/ Gus times for the foreign element in Pc
! kin Chinese Interpreter Mortimer, or
| the British legation, was escorting an
! American lady, Mrs Beeton, 70 her home
! when they were set upon by a mob and
narrowly escaped with their lives. Dr.
Lowry. President of the Methodist Epis-
| copal University, was stoned and danger
| ousfy injured, his bravery in attacking
! the mob single-handed alone saving his
| life.
Foreigners Sleep With Comfort.
These and many other outrages may all
| be ascribed to the Dowager Empress man
! ifestoes, the anti-foreign nature Of which
! led the natives to think that she favored
] an attack on the white residents Now
| the Americans and Europeans sleep with
| comfort at night, for the marines Of Great
Britain. Germany, Italy and Japan, and
the Cossacks of Russia guard the lega-
| tons and the natives are cowed ana dare
| not come out of their burrows.
While the soldiers of the foreign nations
! guard the dives OF the citizens, the prog
/ ress of the Chinese nation remains In the
! lethargic state into which 1t was thrown
/ by the victory OF the Empress. hudnB
| Hsu's great schemes for educating the
| Chinese and freeing them from the slav-
cry of Ignorance under which they have
! groaned for so long, are dead Only one
| of the excellent progressive plans OUT
! lined by him remains and finds favor with
| the Empress This is the constructio
of the first great railroad in China. On
the subject of railroads the Empress
seems to have ideas dmetrically opposite
| to those that generally dictate her policy
| If she will allow this one liberal phase
of her character to have full sway there
may yet be hope for China whose unlin-
tied wealth has been for SO long guarded
/ by the great wall. Lines already plan
\ ned provide for 5000 miles of rails.
First comes the great trunk line that
/ will join Pelxin with Canton and Hong
/ Kong some 1900 miles in length. With
! branch lines into Shansi and Shensi, this
win tap some of the great coal fields. II
consists of three sections: The Belgians'
to Hankow, 900 miles, the Americans
! thence to Canton, and the English from
Canton to Kowloon--the Hong Kong ex-
tension. Before this century is out good