The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-28
CBINA'S AMAZON RULER
The Able and Intriguing Empress
of the East.
ENccutiOners Always Ready to Put
Out of the Why Those Inclined to
Tnke Exceptions to Her DEGREES
The Coup d'Etat of Two Years
AgeHcr Power Over Empcrors.

One of the characters In play that had
some vogue in London dozen or fifteen
years ago. declared. nightly, that he was
at his thirty-seventh conspiracy. The
Empress Dowager TIE hsi tuan-yu has not
yet rivaled that record, but she is getting
on. When persons have attained to the
position of Empress. moreover, they no
longer conspire. they make coups d'etat.
The Empress Tze-hsi has made several.
The first was in 1861 when she combined
with Prince Kung and her sister Empress,
TIE An, to seize the reins OF power after
the death of their consort the Emperor
Hen Fung The next was in 1875. Hav-
ing srasped the rens in 1861, the two la
dies succeeding in holding them and gov
erning. as regents. during the long minori-
ty of Hen Fung's son and successor, Tung
Che. They had to retire for while when
the latter came Of age, in 1872 but his
death, two years later. gave them another
opportunity which they were prompt to
seize. Tung Che died chilGless. but leav-
ing widow, Ahlu-te, who might hope
to give him posthumous heir. The En-
press Ah-lu-te's claims were ignored, and
shortly obliterated by death-declared to
be suicidal. but SO convenient that it was
spoken of with shrug. The selection Of
an Emperor. under such circumstances,
devolves really upon the heads of the
Imperial Clan. 1t was upon Tsai Tien,
as the present Emperor Kwang Su was
originally named who was at that time
only three and one-half years old, that
the choice of the Imperial Clan court fell.
Tung Che died On JANUARY IL. 1875. On
January Is, the Expresses formally ac-
cepted the regency which they had practi-
cally assumed. decree of the 10th an
nounced that the designation ''Kwang SUI
had been chosen as the style of the new
reign.
Waters which had been so violently dis
turbed were not likely to subside at once.
1t was felt that the natural course of sue
cession had been diverted, to serve the
ambition OF the dowagers; but they were
able to make good their position. The
death OF the young Empress Ah-lu-te. two
months after her husband, cleared the way
All passed without external disturbance
and the august ladies entered upon a sec
ond regency which lasted-in the case Of
TIE An, till her death in 1881, and in the
case of her still surviving colleague, till
kwang Su came of age, in 1889.
The Empress Dowager retired avowedly
from the regency on Kwahg Su's coming of
age in 1889; but her continued influence
was repeatedly made manifest in edicts
which the Emperor admitted having re-
ceived her instructions to issue or end 1.se.
DowaSer Empres5es are additionally
power in Pekin. We find. for instance,
the Emperor Tao Kwang who was by no
means a faineant. paying extraor binary re-
spect to the lady who occupied that posi-
ton in his day and the tradition of pro-
longed tutelage would combine with the
prestige of position to give exceptional
influence to an able, determined. and am
bilious woman like Tze-hsi. 1t would be
superfiuous torecapitulate at length the cir
of the Emperor's revolt against
that influence and practical surersesSion in
1873; nor need We attempt to ascertain the
precise measure of his individual capacity
and force. What is certain is that he stood
for reform and tina: the Empress Dowager
stands for reaction. He had surrounded
himself with reforming advisers and had |
Issued a number of eGcts designed to get |
the State carriage out of the ancient ruts |
into which it had sunk. Such attempts have
excited antagonism enough upon casion |
IN the comparatively young counties OF
the West They excited something akin to
horror among moss-grown scholars who
saw their venerable curriculum in danger
OF chaGge. among palace creatures and
piacemen who saw their sinecures in dan
se-. and among the whole host OF perma-
nent officials who saw their perau:sitcs
md the stereotyped routine of things likely
10 be thrown into the crucibe The EN-
1eror was backed by thousands of the
younger litterati, mandarins and m rchants
N fhn NV yrtt,a.
est officials in the Empire. But the cCup
fetat was effected in Pekin. whore the re-
ictioHaries practically held the field All
nat they wanted was a leader and ignor-
ince OF the forces really at work conf med
slth personal fears and personal ambition
o throw the Empress Dowager into their
lands.
Asserting Sovereign Power.
On September % she openly seized the
ems of power, in pursuance of an edict
ssued in the Emperor's name declaring
is lack of capacity and begging her to as
ume the guidance of affairs. Six of the
len who had prominently supported him
] his schemes OF reform were put to death
ithout form of trial. Kang Yu-wei, the
lost prominent OF all. escaped to Hong
ong, and thence to Japan; leaving behind
i'm. however. an open letter addressed TO
ne foreign Ministers, in which certain U.s.
Unable characteristics that have been es- I
-ibed to the Empress are frankly cata-
gued. She is compared, more sinica. to
lie Empress WI. who also succeeded In
eeping her son in tutelage and keeping l
Did of power during a long and licentious
fe. She is charged with having tried {,
'rrupt the Emperor, and with having pois-
led her former colleague, the Empress l
owager of Hen Fung, and her daughter t
law. the Empress Dowager of Tung Che. /
lie Is characterized as a usurper having ,
posed an Emperor who was full OF bright :
'ss and promise. and is told that she is,
ter all, but concubine relict of Hen b
ing. whom. by her acts. she made die t
spleen and Indignation Chang Yin l;
ian, who had been in England twelve F
onths before as special envoy at the 7
Ieen's jubilee, was banished to Turkes- v
n. having been hardly saved from death,
is believed by the interpolation of her n
itannic Majesty's Minister. High prov %
cial officials guilty of progressive ten f,
ncies were displaced right and left, and q
cir places filled by Manchus and reac- 8.
naries. 1t was frankly anticipated, at Z:
e time, that a drama which opened with II
oh amenities would be consummated by
wang Su's death; but an explosion OF II
nonstrance from the provinces, COM s
led with representations by Her Britain W
!: Majesty's Minister of the evil impress .,
n that would be produced by such an n
ent. served to arrest the design. He was r.
owed TO live. under close tutelage and y,
1irol, and the Empress Tze-hsi has ruled =,
emily in his stead. u
Having turned the tables on her adve--
les, and recovered the power which =,
'se who have once tasted ii are reputed "
love. the Empress might have been con-
i; though even she might grow weary
combating the hostility TO her regime
fch centres around the personality OF tn
'ang Su. But the reactionary clique was q,