The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-31
SPEAKS FOR THE CHINESE
w. N. LOVETT, TWENTY YEARS A
RESIDENT, NOW IN
ST. PAUL
EMPIRE Is WELL GOVERNED
He Takes Issue With the Critics
Who Have Been Demouncing
the Imperial Dy-
nasty.

Il have never yet met a man VINO has
lived for any considerable period in Chi
ma who does not admire and respect the
Chinese, and who does not hope that the
great country will remain governed by its
own people. 1t is absurd to talk of cut
ting up that great nation or of doing this
or that with her people. You have over
10000, 900 souls to deal with and an empire
into one of whose provinces the United
States would fit neatly with plenty of
room to spare"
w. N. Lovett, member of the Chinese
custom service, and for forty years a
resident of China, is home on leave of
absence, and with his wife is visiting
their daughter Mrs. Charles Beard, of 219
Fisk street Mr.. and Mrs. Lovett left
Canton, where Mr.. Lovett was last sta
toned early in April before the beginning
OF the Boxer trouble, but extensive trav-
cling through China and close intercourse
with the Chinese for the past forty years
has given the former a wide knowledge of
the Chinese character.
The above tribute to the Chinese was
paid by him yesterday in an interview
with the G o b e.
1t is all anti-foreign, this trouble with
the Boxers" he said. 1.-THE missionaries
have nothing to do with it. Neither is
it movement against the present dy-
nasty. Ever since Germany grabbed a
bit of Chinese territory in payment for
the death of her two missionaries, there
has been talk among the foreign element
and among some of the consuls OF di-
Viding up the empire as if it were a big
| pie to be cut. And because the Chinese
J have not the same means of keeping in
touch with everything that is happening
in the outside world they are suspicious
| OF, and magnify, every bit of irresponsible
! gossip that they hear and they have in
time come to regard every foreign nation
| as bird of prey waiting to swoop down
| on their country. Then came the or
! ganlzation Of the secret society known as
! the Boxers. 1t was aVoWedly anti-for-
/ eign, and while the better class of Chi
nese Kept away from it, the symparhies
of nearly all Cinnamon were with It, The
! pail OF trouble began to roll until it got
! beyond control of the law-and they have
| a most excellent law in China-and then
think even the dowager empress be-
! came alarmed.
This remarkable woman will go down
into history, 1 believe, as another Eliza
beth, for she IS as keen sighted and
! tyrannical and as remerseless as the
famous English queen, and she hasn' t
the latter advantages of Christian civil
lzatlon The people seem to regard her
with sort of sacred admiration. By
| her orders some of the brightest China
men that have ever lived have been de-
capltated. remember very distinctly
my first intimate acquaintance with the
! dreadful power exercised by this woman
On board Hong Kog- steamer about a
year ago / met Chinese refugee, a man
who had held a high position at court,
but who had offended the dowager en-
| press. He had managed to escape and
had placed himself under the protection
of the English, but his terror Of the en-
press was SO real that one would imagine
he was still in her clutches
So many people seem to have the idea
that China is disunited, badly governed
country. Th1s is not SO. have been In
/ very province in the kingdom. I have
been in some cities in the interior where
II was so uncommon a thing to see a
foreigner that the natives would follow
me ABOUT In the streets, examining my
garments curiously. 1 have never how
ever, found any part of China badly gov
erned. The magistrates, all the petty and
nigh officials, in fact seem to be chosen
because of their special fitness for the Of
nee and Tor their moral integrity AS for
the business men and the merchants of
the Kingdom I would just as soon. If not
little rather, do business with Chinese
merchant than with one OF any other
country. They are invariably honorable
In their dealings
Inc small riots and uprisings that peo.
PIE mere read about so frequently are
nearly always exaggerated. However.
the ract that the Chinese are grossly
superstitious makes the work of n1Iss:on
aries very difficult. Everything done by
the latter Is suspected. 7 remember when
the camera was first introduced into the
! country the story became circulated that
The eyes were plucked out of living ma
! tive children and used in the lens. This
story gained such credence that for q
long while the sight Of a camera or kodak
filled the natives with fury. OF course
the strong anti-foreign element does its
best to foster this suspicion of the Chit
nese and small thing causes trouble.
| What would like to see, what | know
| every man who has lived long while
among the Chinese hopes for is that Eng
land, America and japan will form an
alliance to protect China from Russia for
that is the nation she has most to fear
Let the young emperor be placed on the
throne again; surround him with foreign
| advisers If you will, but have everything
done through the Chinese and by the Chi
| nese That will be the best solution of
the present trouble. Then Western Ways
and methods will creep into the country
and there will be an end of suspicion and
superstition. An open door of trade
ought to suffice for all the foreign ma
lions. 1t will be better than any part OF
Chinese territory. Why, just imagine, If
every Chinaman bought only one box of
matches from us what a revenue that
would be! But 1t will not be a box of
matches, only. The Chinese will soon he
wanting everything and we can supply
them with a good part OF it ~
MI and Mrs. Lovett will return to Can
ton in October.