The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-28

| grace of the Emperor Tung Che chosen to
| succeed him in the heavy responsibilities
OF head of the whole Empire, and when
| His Majesty died we sought day and night
| to be deserving of such kindness by energy
| and faithfulness in our duties. We were
| also indebted to the Empress DOwager,
who taught and cherished US assiduously,
and to her We owe our safety to the pres
ent day. Now, be it also known that when
we were selected to the throne it was then
| agreed that If ever we should have son,
| that son should be proclaimed heir to the
| throne. But ever since last year 1S98) We
have been constantly Ill. and it was for
this reason that, in the eighth mouth OF
that year (the date Of the coup d'etat), the
| Empress Dowager graciousfy acceded to
| our urgent prayers. and took over the
reins of government In order to instruct Us
in our duties. A year has now passed. and
still We find ourselves an invalid. but ever
keeping in our mind that We do not be-
long to the direct line of succession. and
that. for the sake Of the safety Of the En-
pre of our ancestors. q legal heir should
be selected to the throne, We again prayed
the Empress Dowager to carefully choose
from amongst the members OF the Imperial
Clan such a one. and this she has done In
the person of Pu Chun. son of Tsai VI,
Prince Tuan.
I'VE hereby command accordingly that
Pu Chun. the son of Tsai vi. Prince Tuan,
be made heir to the late Emperor Tung
Che
Devotion to the Dynasty.
Now the bearing of these utterances de-
ponds, like those of Captain Bunsby. OIL the
application of them. The nearing read
into them by all China seems to have been
that the Empress Intended 10 Oppose
Kwang Su, make Pu Chun Emperor. and
constitute herself Regent during the new
minority The anticipation evoked an out
burst of loyalty to Kwang Su which sur
prsed those who had doubted the exist
ence of any public opinion among the Chi
nese. Such an explosion OF remonstrance
seems to have caused establishment as well
as alarm and anger at Pekin. But the
Empress was shrewd enough to see reason |,
for pause Instead of deposing the En- |
peror she requested the board Of caremo- |
MES to decide upon a fitting manner OF eb- !
serving his birthday and acquiesced in a
demand by the foreign ministers to be al
lowed to pay him their compliments on !
Chinese New Years Day February 49, ,
But she turned her rage against the re-
form party, who are held responsible for
the opposition.
One consideration might induce the En-
press to desert the Reactionary cause and
throw her influence into the opposite scale.
1t has been suggested that she is being
carried farther than she intended, having
had no conception Of the forces that are at
work. The last thing she desires is to
endanger the dynasty. II 1t could be
brought home to her that the present Re-
dictionary policy constitutes danger for
the dynasty and the Empire, she might be
induced, yet, to change her course and
support the Emperor in a policy Of reform
Her halt on the threshold Of what was
intended, clearly, to be fresh coup
d'etat, two months ago. goes to prove that
she is not impervioIs to NANTES ations Of
popular sentiment, but many well quail
fed to form an opinion are persuaded that
she is kept In ignorance Of the real import
and magnitude of the crisis by which the
Empire is assailed. She is impressed, for
the moment, by the volume of remon-
STRANGE her project has evoked although
she wreaks, woman-like, her spite on those
whom she singles out as opposing her viii.
The present advice of the Emperor's
friends at Pekin to their partisans in the
provinces is said to be not to press her
too hard. but to let her escape II she WILL
by the loophole which the protests have
left her in laying the blame on her ad-
visers. The primary object is to save
kwang Su. The great fear Of the Re-
form party is that he may be made away
with. So long as he is alive, they are
contending for their rightful sovereign, |
but his death would undermine that stand
point of objection TO the Empress regime
To oppose her, II she were ruling legally
as Regent for new Emperor, would be {
TO rebel. and rebellion is as the sin Of &
the Chinese have II in supersti- c
.iOus dread-Fortnightly Review G