The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-08-29
non THE DoWle[R
DIsPosE Of ENEMIES.
Members of the Official
Family Put Out of
the Way.
COPY Of tue IMPERIAL EDIeT.
THEY OPPOSED PROPOSAL FOR
CHINA TO WAR AGAINST
THE WORLD.
Extracts From an officials Diary
In Which Is Given an Account
Of the Meeting OF the
Council

Copies of the japanese papers 10 Au
gust Is were received on the Doric yes
terday afternoon. They contained NJ
war news from China not heretofore
published in The Republican. The only
news of Importance was the latest
murderous edict of the empress dow.
ager
We have already reported the muir
derous execution Of Cabinet Ministers
Yuen Chang and Hsu Ching-Cheng
says the japanese Times. An official
dispatch dated Shanghai, August Il
now gives in substance the edict which
decreed their murder II runs as fol-
lows: I'VE have on several occasions
in the past received complaints against
these two officials (Yuen and Hsu) and
their reputation has been very bad
They nave been discharging their dip
lomatie duties with criminal Partially
and on the occasion of audiences before
the throne they have always tried to
have their own ideas carried into prac-
tice. Not only have they in this way
brought about disorder and dissension
among their official colleagues but
they have also made free use of their
tongue for the purpose of tunnecessar-
ily) bringing TO light tinternal) dis
putes. The above stated shameless
conduct on their part is deemed suffi-
GENTLY reprehensible to deserve capt.
tai punishment in the interest of order
and discipline among the government
officials Hence We order their imme-
diate execution"
The same dispatch adds: "A report
says that the execution was carried out
Immediately after the issue of the
above edict, which was directly hand
ed by the empress dowager to the gen.
eral headquarters of the imperial in
fantry, and it was after the execution
had been carried out that the cabinet
learned of the whole proceedings
The following from the diary of a
Chinese official published in the Japan
Advertiser throws some light on the
edict given above. After describing a
decree issued by the empress on June
16 summoning all the Manchu princes,
dukes, mobiles and high Chinese and
Manchu) officials of the six boards and
nine MINISTRIES to be present at a
grand council TO be held at once in the
palace, the diary continues:
The suspicious part of this was that,
when all had gathered at the palace
those who were Manchus were first
called by the empress dowaGer - a
secret audience, while ali OF Chinese
descent were left in the waiting room.
After the Manchus had ended their Sc
cret council and had come back TO the
waiting room they were again called
back, this time with those of Chinese
descent, into the empress dowagers
council room. When all had prostrat
ed themselves before the empress dow
ager and emperor they waited for her
TO speak first.
She said: The foreign powers have
browbeaten and prosecuted US in such
manner that We cannot endure this
any longer. We must therefore COM
bine to fight all foreigners to the last,
TO save our face in the eyes of the
world. All our Manchu princes.
dukes and mobiles and ministers, high
and low, are unanimous in this deter
mination for war to the knife, and /
approve OF their patriotic choice. l,
therefore, give you all this announce
ment and expect all to do their duty to
their country.
Upon this Hsu Chi-ch' eng (Cuinese),
ex-minister to Russia, president OF the
Manchurian' railway, etc, knelt for
ward before the empress dowager and
begged her to reconsider her decision.
as there We're many things 10 be con-
sidered before such a feat as fighting
all the foreign powers could possibly
be thought of. Hereupon Kang vi
sharply interrupted: You are mis-
taken. This will not be like our form
er wars with foreign countries. We
have now the Boxers with. us. They
are inyulnerable to bullet or sword,
and we viii simply walk over the enc
my this time
Yuan Chang tChinesel, a former
Taotai Of Wukh and now Tsungli
Yamen minister. then said: Your ma
esty. / myself was an eye witness OF
tackled the legations; for living my
self near them / went out, in plain
clothes. to see their late battlefield.
saw the whole place filled with the
bodies Of dead Boxers-ehiefs and
headmen. too, With my Own eyes
saw that every one of them had bull
let or two in their breasts or backs.
That. your majesty. does not prove
Kang Yi's boast of the oxers being
10 bullets"
The empress dowager: You must
be mistaken The bodies you saw must
have been those OF local outlaws. II Is
impossible that they were Boxers
This closed Yuan Ch'ang's mouth.
who dared not go further in contradic-
sion Of his mistress. Then Tseng
Kuang-lan {Chinesel. Marquis Tseng
tson OF the late minister to Great
Britain. went forward and kneit be-
fore the empress dowager. saying: Il
heg your majesty TO reconsider your
decision. II we must fight, we ought
not to fight In such an indiscriminate
manner. How can We fight successful
~ the whole world, We should choose
our enemies. We have also a number
Of countries who hare always been
friendly 10 us and against whom we
hare not the least complaint Are We
% eight them also. --boye all. pray
your majesty to protect the legations
These must be orr drst care and duty.
whatever We may afterwards do
Finally M Tung also came forward