Evening star., 1900-09-29
OFFICIAL CORRUPTION
China is Infested With Robbers in
High Places.
BRIBERY REDUCED TO A SCIENCE
Viceroys Who Make Millions Out
of Small Salaries.
EMPRESS AS A FINANCIER
Copyright 1900, by F. G. Carpenter.)
Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star.
SHANGHAI, August %, 1900.
This war is bound to result in the reor-
Ranization of the Chinese government. 1t
will be of no value to the world If it does
not / have talked with some of the ablest
foreigners in China and this opinion is al
most universal. I have travelled consider
ably over the empire. Its government is
honey combed with corruption. This cor
ruption ia everywhere. The officials get
small salaries, but they SO line their pock-
cts with bribes that the chief means OF
making fortunes is in buying offices. The
empress dowager and the emperor have
been selling offices. Nearly every official
about the palace has been peddling his inf1u-
ence and 1 hear of eunuchs who have made
millions Every Chinese city, and there are
four thousand walled ones in the empire,
has its corrupt officials who grow fat by
squeezing the people.
Some Of the offices are worth fortunes.
Take the tautoi or mayor of this town OF
Shanghai. His annual salary 1s about W
600 and the usual term is Tor three years,
How much do you think it costs to get the
office? Just about 5000, 900 in gold. Ihe
man pays this and makes money. He gets
enough from bribes and other such sources
to run his income up to almost Sseouo
month and 1t is poor year in which he
does not net a quarter of a million IN gold
The last tautoi told a friend OF mine mere
that he wanted to stay in office Just as
long as he could, for every DAY was Worin
a clean 81 600 to him.
Some Fat Offices.
Another profitable office is the tautoiship
Of Tien Tsin Through that city passes
the greater part of the trade OF north
China amounting TO tens OF millions OF
dollars, and IN al this the tautoi gets
squeeze. The tautoi Of Canton Is rich as
are also the taTtois Of Hankow, Wuchang.
NankinE, Hangchau and score or other
cities.
There are eight viceroys in China, each of
whom handles tens of millions. As long as
he sends the requisite amount OF taxes TO
Pekfn ne is not troubled. and he takes his
percentage on all that passes through his
hands. The yiceroys have their own
armies They each have far more power
than the President of the United States.
Their legal salaries are about 10000 a
year each but the salary IS a bagetelle
IN comparison with their incomes
Magistrates Who Make $4,000 a Year.
The lower officials make proporjonately
large sums and almost every mandarins
button has to be paid for and many which
denote high rank cost in one way or
other thousands of dollars, They are cheap,
nevertheless cor most of the officials lay
away a fortune in their three years terms
DIR. Hyk"S. the head Of the American Bible
Society Of China, told me the other day the
story of magistrate Of kukiang. a town
which lies several hundred miles above
here on the banks Of the Yangtse. The
mag.strate began life as a spectacle ped
der. He became yamen runner finally
rose 10 be head policeman and at last
was made magistrate. His name was Yuen
Said DR.. Hykes:
Il knew Yuen quite wealthy and one
day asked him what his salary was He
replied that the government paid him SO
a month. i knew that he spending at
least $1,000 q month. and | asked him
fGentially how he did il. Hs replied as he
Swinked the other eye. that ii true S15
a month was not large salary but with
ordinary care thrifty man SO paid could
annually lay aw y about s%0.01"
This man continued Dr Hyxes was
very shr@wd ana he well understood the
nature If his fellows After leaving the
magistracy n Gut big position at Pekin
securing l. through the building OF some
forts a Kukian2. Tire appropriation for
the forts was moderate one. but they
were built within its limits. and at the
close iuen received a compliment from
the governor Of the pr vince for his hon
est, economical work and his efficiency as
a public servant. This compliment was sent
to Pekin and the result was his appoint
ment."
! asked Yuen how the governor came to
compliment him. He replied that it was
deserved as far as the excellency OF the
work concerned. He said he had
made nothing out of the job. although he
had done IL for $50 o'n less than the con-
tract price Il took that $50. coo said he
and gave IL to the COVE rncr as a present
He thereupon complimented me for the
work and sent in recommendation from
which l got my fat job at Pekin.'
The Old Empress n Squeexer.
One of the worst squeezers in the whole
of China is the old empress dowager This
Is what / hear on every side. | learned
many instances of her squeezing during
my several visits TO Pekin. Just before
this war began she had her agents going
about over China blackmailing the chief
Qn1cials. Ii Hung Chang was sent by her
to Canton In order that he might squeeze
some millions out of the people there, kang
VI, short time before, made a trip during
which he squeezed vast amounts out of the
yiceroys further north, and through other
agents she was drawing in gold and silver
from a thousand sources. Every one who
came to the palace of Pekin had to pay
something to her or her underIings. and
the viceroys dreaded to go on account of
the extravagant expense.
One N the chief aids Of the old empress