The Savannah morning news., 1900-12-23


Il rather hot FOR The foreigners. 80 she
supported them but Afterwards she
found oit that she had been misiuformcd
ana then she. changed her opinion and
her attitude"
The calmuess with which be thus ac-
auscd the Empress povager Of compiled
~ m the Boxer movement was astonish-
ing. IL may be worth while 20 note that
IA Huns Chang ana NOT ask us how old
We were, or when w. were married O.
what werc the names or our sons He
il . very different person in China from
the ~ who 'iouicd" his intcrN' .ewcrs when
in America. The nearest be came 10 q
personality was when be- in-
CURED with grin. after he had
been taking about the lootsaE o.
Tien rsin and Pekin whether hv
chance any o. ~ correspondents go' any
goisends"
From the political point OF view the
most important thing fhe chief peace
commisa ioner said was his frank admits
slon that China could not So on b. the
course she has pursued Tor eo many
years Reform OF thc government BE- 's-
Feutitt tn its mo- hc said The great OH
feet OF himself and the other Chinese Of
Influence and position was 90 secure thar
reform from within ana az the hands OF
Chinese. without the Interpolation u for
eigucrs. What they feared most was par
ution.
ono of the cio=osi friends % a. Hung
chang in shanghai ard one OF the uiost
influential Chinese 10 Shcnv Tho Chinese
tasaaudra who sent the most reliable in
formation of the rc1l situation iu resln
% this country during Tho siege. rut who
never was believed Or there WA any pos
slble prctext for douhting him tie b.
much younger and moro vigorous than
the old statesman. but. like the vieeroV,
ne has discarded The custom OF the Chi-
ncse IN meeting torcieners Some notion
OF his position lea Shanghai and in Chinese
affairs may d. bad from tho fact That
he ie director general OF railway ami
ta'ogranhs. ~ the China Merchante'
steam Navigation Company. q the lmpe-
rial Bank Of the Nanyang college and
OF the cotton md 10 was through the
American adviser OF Sheng that my coll
league and myself had an interview Ntth
the busy Chinese statesman. We werc
shown into a nttlo room or the court.
which IS always the center Of Chinese
residence aud there ShenE came To us.
lie shook hands and went ~ the business
OF the meeting without ceremony or form
aity 81 any kind he understood that
We had come 10 talk about the crisis IN
Chinese affairs and its cause. ana that We
wanted Information about the Boxers and
Z the court he y a hNNh sNAAlet NAAh
/ than IA round and well-fed. lie has GIN
Z lct eyes" like inspector Javert. They
are small. round and black When he
/ talks he looks straight ~ YOU IN a fash
/ ton that some times makes YOU imagine
/ YOU can feel their penetration
shenE Talks of Reform.
/ 10 was a very long talk He gave ~ the
/ news al the court which the cable irntne-
I distoly. made public. and then he told "a
! tho story 81 the origin and growth Of the
I Boxer movement ami how 90 cana 90
T have us hold upon the Empress AMI the
/ Princes OF the Imperial clan. When We
asked him how many Boxers there were
/ ho replied:
When tho Empress 81 a Boxer there
are iust a. many Boxers az there are
I Chinese. but when she really ceases TO be
oue then there viii be no Others left"
In other words those who did not re-
cant when she did she would behead
i Sheng said that after Yu Ifsien the foun-
/ der q the Boxers. was degraded from the
I governorship 81 Shanung he went To- Pc
I kin and there he tod the story Of tho
+ wonderful proves and iuvuinsrabihty Of
\ the Boxers 10 IIsu Tung. one OF the tu-
/ tors Of the young heir apparent. who Is
/ iho son Of Prince Tuan. Hsu Tung In
/ nuoucod Tuan. always rahld foreigner
! hater and tho two succeeded in cOnviuc-
/ ing tho Empress. So the thing grew. This
/ was especially interesting. confirming ns
t dld the statement Of "a Hung
/ Chang with respect TO the
I Empress and her relations with the
/ Boxers shonE went much further than
/ III in declaring that reform OF the gov
eminent by Chinese was imperative. lie
admitted frankly that China could not
stand another upheayal such as that Of
I 1850. 81 indeed she wcathcrs that one Hut
I o. there Is No reform that o. genuine. he
said. the Chinese themselves would re-
/ volt and that would mean the end 81 the
I empire. This was a reference 90 tho se-
/ cret societies that have since been stir-
ring up trouble in the Canton district
I While he was Nicer0y there II Hung
/ Chang kept them quftt. but no heheaded
more than 800 in doing g.
sheng talked like a man who has reached
"A settled conviction. He spoke OF the fu-
+ turc OF China frankly and with con-
81 Zion that was convincing. especially
when one remembered that he was one
/ OF those who were principally Tesponsi-
/ BILE FOR The quiet which prevailed ga the
/ NangtFe province in spite o. tho positive
I and imperative demands OF the Empress
I that all her loyal subjects there should
/ rise and eztetahinnte The foreigners I,
remains 10 be seen how clear was mis-
vision Oscar King Davis.