The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-11-02

Wish will be saving clause in the rec
orc to be looked into by the powers
when they come to sit upon the Chi
nese case.
There are many other Mantchoo lead
ers who have been confederates of
Tuan and whose antipathy to foreign
ers and reform has led them to vote
the death penalty to reformers. They
are in the background now, but the
fact remains that power, honors and
money are still their portion. Prince
Ching stands out, at least according to
Shanghai dispatches, as q Mantchoo in
whom there is no guile. But those
same dispatches said that he had killed
Prince Tuan In battle and also that he
had been slain himself. Somebody had
to pose as friendly to the foreigners in
order to save face" for the throne, and
1T could better be Ching than any one
else, for he was known in Picking as an
amiable sort Of a fellow of whom any
little thing and no big thing might be
expected. AS president of the tsung-H-
yamen he had no influence whatever.
although it is said he tried to restrain
the violence of the reactionary faction.
AS the tsung-li-yamen is only sort Of
diplomatic bunko bureau intended to
keep up the bluff of intercourse be-
/ tween the dragon throne and foreign
powers and ,Ching's reputation rests
almost solely upon his record there it
remains to be seen what substance
, there is to the hope raised by his APP
pointment upon the board.
1t is significant that three out of five
of the peace plenipotentiaries first
named by China, Ii Hung Chang,
Prince Ching and Jung Lu, were called
to the counsels of the empress dowager
when in 1898 she deposed Kwangsu
and began the violent reactionary cru
SADIE which led to the present crisis.
All three were chosen because Of their
known reactionary sentiments, but
Prince Ching and Ii Hung Chang, be-
ing too polite to go the whole length in
the antiforeign crusade, were finally
superseded by Tuan and the truculent
and cruel General Tung Fuhsiang.
The court party led by Tuan began
to eXterminate the hated European for
eigners, and in all China only two men
of real influence and power held aloof.
These We're the two Chinese viceroys
in the board of commissioners, Chang
Chih Tung of Hupei and Human, or
"the two Hus," and Liu Kun VI Of
Chekiang and Kiangsi, "the two XII
angs." The provinces of these officials
lie in the 1ang-tse valley, England's
sphere of influence. Whatever Mr..
Chih Tung may say or do just now to
smooth over the troubles of China the
man underneath his mask speaks
through book which he published
three years ago for the edification Of
faithful Celestials. The keynote of the
book is that China should control the
destinies of Europe and Asia, and an
indispensable means to that end is
powerful army. An army, he says, sis
to the states what the breath is to the
body" A powerful army would make
the world fear China. Evidently the
immense importation Of foreign arms
into China the past year or two has not
been haphazard, but the farsighted
policy of her leading men. With
strong army Chin Tung says the en-
pire could defy the treaty powers, reg
ulate her own tariffs and try foreigners
In her own courts.
Chin Tung is also an advocate of
western learning, but it must come as
superstructure upon the base estab-
lished by Confucius. He Is tolerant Of
religions on the ground that all, includ-
ing Christianity, are doomed to fall be-
fore Confucianism, and it isn't worth
while to prosecute converts. Aside
from Chih lungs prejudices as faith
full Chinese for the old order of thought
and worship he never has forgiven and
never will forgive the foreigners for
the Introduction of opium into China.
He is now very old, he is loyal to the
dynasty and loyal to his race and, be-
ing without strong military power to
oppose the court is as likely to fall in
with an antiforeign crusade as to take
the other course
Liu Kun vi, the colleague Of Chih
Tung in the Yang-tse valley and Chi
naman whom the foreigners also re-
spect. is much younger than Tung, yet
he is past threescore. Old age is hon
orable in China, and the elders rule in