The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-07-03
Fron the Fcrtnishtiy Reyiex.

were pTOHlII 10 seize IufS I ne ulcu
ehildless. but leaving a widow. Ah-lu-te.
who might hope to give him posthumous
heir. The Empress Ah-lu-te's' claims were
igr ored, and shortly oblitersted 10y death
declared to be suicidal, but so convenient
that IL was spoken Of with a shrug- The
selection OF an Emperor, under such cir
cumstances, devolves really upon the
heads of the imperial clan. 1t was upon
Tsai lien, as the present Emperor Kwang
Su was originally named. who was at
that time only three and a half years old.
that the choice of the imperial clan court
fall
Tung Che died on January u, 1919. On
January l.. the Expresses formally ac-
cepted the regency which they had pyac-
tically assumed A decree of the 18th an
nounced that the designation ''kwaIs
Su'' had been chosen as the style of the
new reign.
Waters which had been so violently dis
tprbed We're not likely to subside at once
Il was felt that the natural course OF sue
cession had been diverted, 20 serve the
ambition of the dOWagers; but they were
able to make good their position. The
death of the young Empress Ah-lu-te two
months after her husband. cleared the
way. All passed without external disturb
al.ce and the august ladies entered upon
a second regency which lasted-ir the case
OF TIE An till her death in lSSl. and III the
case of her still surviving colleague, I'LL
kWang Sa came of age in lSe.
influence OF the Dowaser.
The Empress Dowager retired, avowef-
Iy. from the regency on Kwang SVs com
ing of age. in 1859: but her continued in
manifest In
edicts which the Emperor admitted having
received her instructions to issue az In
dorse. Dowager Expresses are tradition
ally a power in Pekin We find. fol, in
stance, the Emperor Tao Kwang. who
was by no means a faineant, paying %x-
traordinary respect TO the lady who o:cu-
pied that position in his day. and the tn
dition of prolonged tutelage would com
bine with the prestige of position to give
exceptional influence to an able. deter
mined and ambitious woman like Tze-hsi-
II would be superfiuous TO recapirulate at
length the circumstances of the Emper-
ors revolt against that influence, and
practical suppression in 1888; nor need
we attempt TO ascertain the precise meas
ure of his individual capacity and force
What is certain is that he stood for re-
form. and that the Empress Dowager
stands for reaction He had surrounded
himself with reforming advisers. and had
issued number of edicts designed to get
the State carriage out of the ancient ruts
into which It had sunk. Such attempts
have excited antagonism enough, upon
occasion. in the comparatively young
countries Of the West They excited
something akin TO horror among moss
grown scholars who saw their venerable
curriculum In danger Of change; among
palace creatures and place men who saw
their sinecureS in danger; and among the
whole host of permanent officials who saw
their perquisites and the stereotyped rOu-
tine OF things likely TO be thrown into the
crucible. The Emperor was backed nv
thousands OF the younger Hterati, msln-
darins, and merchants in the provine rs.
and by some of the highest officials I'm he
empire But the coup d. etat was effected
IN Pekin, where the Eesctionsries pra.e-
tically held the field AID that they want
ed was leader; and ignorance Of the.
forces really at work col nbined with per-
sohal Tears and person Il ambition 10
throw the Empress DOWager into their
hands. On September z Inc openly seized
the relns OF power. in pursuance of an
edict Issued in the Emp errors name de-
ciaring his lack of capacity and begging
her to assume the guidance OF affairs Six
OF the men who had prom inently support
ed him In his schemes Of reform were put
TO death without form OF trial Kang Yu-
wei. the most prominent OF all. escaped 20
and thence 10 Japan: leaving
behind him. however, an open letter ad
dressed 10 the foreign ministers. In which
certain unami3bIe cha ractertstics Thar
have been ascribed 10 the Empress are
catalOgued. sihe Is compared
more sinics, to the Empr sss WI, who also
succeeded In keeping her son in tutelage.
and keeping hold OF power during a Io.g
and hcentious life. She Is charged with
having tried TO corrupt Th, Emperor, and
win having poisoned he former COL
league, the Empress Dsyg -ager OF Hen
fung, and her daug iter- in Law. the En-
press Dowager Of Tung Che. Sire is char
i t.. as a usurper, hayi ng dep0sed an
promise; and is told that st.e is. after ali
but cOncubine reiict OF Hen F1lps
WHom' Dy her acts. she made die OF
spleen and indignation"
Empress Reisns Absolute.
Chang Yin-huan, who had been in Eng
land twelve months before "a specIaI o.
Foy at the Queens jubilee, was banfshed
70 Iurkestan, having been hardly saved
from death, IL Is believed. b. the inter-
position OF her Britannia ~ sjesty's min
lster. High provincial Ofie! ais guilty of
progressive tendencies We =. displaced
right aud left, and their pie ices flied by
and reaetiOnarieS Il was frspk
!y anticipated, al the time. hat a drama
which opened with such am6 mites would
be contaminated by Kwang .Su's death.
but an explosion OF rennonstrafbee from the
provinces, combined with repr ssentatlons
BY her Britannia msiesty's minister Of
the evil impression that woItl,I be pro-
duGed BY such an event, 20 aI-a =; the de-
sign. He was allowed 10 live. =, lder Glaze
Jutelage and control, and the Empres.
Tze-hsi has ruled openly In his "a cad.
Having turned the tAbles on her aa-
versasies. and recovered the powar which
those who have once tasted D. an. remit
I'd 10 love. the empress might ha We been
content; though even she mixh grow
weary Of combating the hostility 10 her
regime which eenTers round the n er,or,-
aHty OF Kxang Sa- But the reacti snsry
clique was Tot happy. All was sat for
the moment but their mistress Is aos 1auc-
ed IN years, and what would haDxsn Al
her DEATH II the Emperor regagaed bow
er, there would os q fresh era % r form
and not OF reform only hui OF re- fenxe
perhaps. Tor wrongs suffered and in dlxnl.
ties imposed. So fresh eaunbinztio was
devised The promise Of adopting q pos
I humous son 20 TEag Che had never f,~et
fulfilled, as Kwsng SD hzz n5t ~ siiied
his share b. providing the child. IL Was
consistent. under these circumstance o. 10
thar one should De selected from
among the younger menbefs % the ssa-
perisl es&a- n son adopted OF oshsss vissj