The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-12
WHO'S WHO IN CHINA.
Parties Described by One of the
Leaders.

NIoH tnc LonupN iiUnes-I
The following extracts from a memo
randum prepared last autumn for an Eng
fish friend by the Chinese reformer. Kans
fu Wei. will be read with interest at the
present juncture:
In order properly to comprehend the
inner affairs of the Chinese Empire. the
first thing needful is rightly to distin-
guish the different parties in China. The
Empress Dowager holds on to the old
ways: her party Is known as the En-
press party. The Emperor and his
friends who desire reform are known as
the 'Emperor's party Then there is a
third party. known as the Middle party.
which is chiefly concerned with its own
interests and dares not interfere in poll
tics. Nine-tenths of the people and OFF,
Gals are comprised in this party.
The Empress Dowager, notwithstanding
that she is the head Of the ruling party.
possesses few or no friends outside OF
official circles and the Yamens. Otherwise
her influence is small. Her intimates are
all Manchus. Yung Lu. appointed by her
commander-in- chief: Kangwei. special
commissioner for the collection of 1ddi-
tional revenues from the provinces: Prince
Tuan. Yum Yu. Bwaita-pu. etc. The only
clever man among them is Yung Lu: the
rest are densely ignorant and care for
nothing but wealth and official rank. Of
the high military officials, Tung- Flu Slang
belongs to the Empress party and Yuan
Shi-Kai to the Emperor's. All the re-
mainder may be said to belong to the
Middle party Thus am right in saying
that the Empress party are few in num-
Der, although at the moment their power
is great.
The Middle party. on the other hand.
is spread throughout the whole Empire.
The majority are in their heart Of hearts
devoted to the Emperor, admiring his in
telligence and reetitude. and these are
alarmed and angry at the Empress usur-
patton. They know how ignorant she is
and what dissolute life she has led
for the last thirty years. and that the
weakness of China is largely due to her
misdeeds. But the high officials are too
old: they sit blinking in the twilight.
not daring to act, but leaving success or
ruin to come as the Emperor or the En-
press gains the upper hand.
Ruined as the Emperor's Party is, yet
they are the real reformers: both officials
aud people. they long for reform and new
methods. but while the Empress party
hold the power they are In dread of Sc
we're punishment. At the time OF the coup
'etat the Empress falsely asserted that
the Emperor's party were planning re-
volt She prohibited newspapers, killed
and drove out hundreds OF re;ormers, and
exilcd numbers Of high officials to the
frontiers Six of the reformers executed
were high metropolitan officials, one
N ember of the Grand Council and one
whom the Emperor had nominated to be
Prime Minister: all were the Emperor's
personal friends: they were beheaded
without trial. while hundreds of smaller
officials and thousands of the common
people were prescribed. These measures
were carried out in order to clip the EN-
peror's wings. Why were all these lead
ing men willing to associate themselves
with the reform party? The answer is
hat they were loyal subjects. anxious
20 save their country and deserve the En-
oeror's benevolence. You have only to
read the Chinese newspapers. "Ko-wen-
1ao," published in Tientsin: "Su-pao."
in Shanghai; "Chi-hsin- pao''
published at Macao; Ching nI-pao." pub
ished at Yokohoma. "Tien-nan- pao." pub |
ished at Singapore-these are all publish
ID under foreign protection and so are
.ble to speak the truth; they one and all
with the party Of reform. The |
japanese newspapers all take the same |
Jew: their criticism Is independent The |
empress Dowager is a licentious old wo- |
nan. She is not the Emrerors real moth
IT. and she had no hesitation in deposing |
lin so as to retain her power. But she |
vas wrong in taking Yung LUIS advice to |
epose the Emperor and place the power |
n his CYung Lu's) hands. AS soon as he |
.ot control OF the northern troops Yung |
III threw off the mask and did what he
silled. and the Empress lives in constant
read of treachery on the part of her
unuchs"