The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-04-18
CHINA 5 REIGN OF TERROR
ARREST OF PROMINENT OFFICIAL
IN MACAO.
The Chinese Empress Has Hallucina-
tions of Hatred Against the Detested
Foreigner.

The entire English press of China is
aroused over the arrest of King Lien
Shan late superintendent of the Shang-
hal branch of the Imperial Chinese
Telegraphs.
King was arrested in Macao on Sat
urday, February oath, by order
an edict issued at the instance of the
Empress -Dowager, for the offence that
he transmitted a telegram to the Tsun-
gil Yamen signed by over 1900 persons,
in which his own name was included,
praying that the Emperor Kwang -hsu
should retain the Dragon Throne and
should have full power in the admins
tration of the government.
Since then King has been ordered for
trial on a charge of embezzlement and
Ii Hung Chang has been given the duty
of prosecuting him. The entire Europe
an population of China looks on this
prosecution as part of the Empress
Dowager's reactionary policy, and the
best legal talent i'm Hongkong and Ma
Gao has been secured to defend him,
While Lord Salisbury has been appealed
to.
The sentiment of the Europeans in
China may be gathered from the fol-
| lowing from the Hongkong Daily Press:
The failure of her long contemplated
coup of the New Year has not improved
| the temper of the Dowager TIE Hsi,
and a condition which may be best dc
scribed as a reign of terror prevails
through the Empire. Seen far abovs
the ignobe crowd of paralysed satel
! l!tes who form her ministers, the figure
of the woman TIE Hsi stands out as
that of some savage, but noble beast of
prey, surrounded by a hungry pack of
parasites, whom one roar of the grandeI
! beast is sufficient to send packing in
mortal terror.
If, however, the physical aspect OF
! the Dowager- Empress be that of q
| beast of prey, her mental attitude is on
a similar level; and she has been re-
Gently seeking to extend her instinct
| of terroism into quarters where, from
the nature of the case, it must recoi
on herself. She has taken stock of the
| craven crowd of intriguers who consti-
tute the bureaucracy of China. From
| them she knows she has nothing tC
| fear. they have been so accustomed tC
be led that they have forgotten now tC
think for themselves; besides they ar,
ready to sympathize with her in he,
reactionary policy, more especially IL
her hatred to foreigners and foreign in
\ stitutions, for have they not in thei
own persons felt the bitter sting of til,
| foreigner, who would deprive them o
those little perquisites of office which
ever since the days of the Master him
self have ever appertained to the hold
er? The dislike of the foreigner, which
was at first mere sentiment, has late
| ly grown into an hallucination, which
haunts the Empress waking and dis
turbs her sleeping hours; and it is suf
fcient that any one of her retinu'
should have had dealings, however in
nocent, with an outlander, especially /
that outlander be an Englishman, t.
incur her enmity and become a marked
man.
That the favorites who flourish in tn,
Palace of the Dowager should cring,
under the threats of a woman such a
its mistress is conceivable; that a mai
so marked by this astuteness as L
Hung Chang should follow, shows hov
utterly incapable of self help is the bu
reaucracy of China.