The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1900-02-12
Il HUNe cHANe,s WEALTH
way. IL whleh shs Famos. china
man Accumulated His Enor-
nous Fortune

for nobody knows how rsch he Is His
fortune may certainly be counted By
millions Of dollars, but how many mill
lions Is purely conjectural. II is
enough 70 say that he IS very wealthy,
and be accumulated nearly the whole
OF his fortune By taking edvantage Of
his opportunities and making oppor-
: tunities during his long service as
yiceroy Of Nanking and Peehih
The Statesnan's Year Books says
tkat Chinese politicians prefer 70 be
governors or Ttceroys Of the provinces
than TO hold Office under the general
government, owing to the superior op-
portunities they have for getting rich
while al the head Of the provincial
governmente This is stating the case
mildly, for the politicians OF any west
ern governments who should amass
fortunes by the devious methods en-
ploTed by many OF the Chinese vice
roys would be called boodlers and
plunderers Of the public treasury. IA
Hung Chang r. the most progressive
and enlightened Of Chinese statesmen,
but he Was not . whit better than his
fellow governors In his methods Of
using his exalted position 30 festher
his own nest; and having 3 longer
head than most v1ceroys and q very
keen eye for the main chance be IL
supposed TO have accumulated mucn
larger fortune than any other Moo
ROY.
One way IN which IA for many
years made an enormous sum Of
money was TO use Thousands ~ seS-
diers IN hGs own priva4e enterprises
without paying them cent for their
labor. In the course Of time be pur-
chased extensive estates in the rice
growing regdonA and raised moro
bushels of rice every year than the
bonanza farmers OF North Dakota |
used to raise wheat He got his labor
for nothing and his great crop OF rice
was almost clear profit He simply !
turned his soldiers loose in the rice |
fields and they had TO be content with /
the rations and the miserable pittAnce
paid 10 them by the government.
The great man also became his own
contractor for army supplies. He
would sell his own nee to tte govern
ment for army rations at an enormous
profit, and pocketed handsome rake
OF on all other supplies furnished 10
the tens Of thousands OF soldiers IN
the Pechili province. Then he was
chief supreme Of the custom houses
for long distance around the Gull
OF Pechili, and there was nothing
mean about the stream Of gold that
poured into his strong-box through
thiS channel. It has long been notori-
Gus that one Of the methods he en-
ployed was TO import large quantities
Of goods through his agents without
the payment OF a cent OF duty and
then sell the goods at a round figure
10 his countrymen. This method OF ,
money-making finally involved the old
gentleman in trouble; charges were =,
nafe against him and he came near !
'os1ng his official head; but his power
Tas so great and his real services TO +
he state We're 50 valuable that he was i
ilmost invuInerable in spite Of the !
,iany enemies who have always been
e. dy to accuse him. n
There was once a viceroy NAMED i
rsei-Kwo-Fan who was said to have Il
lied without leaving a single enemy 1
'ehind him for, according to his satiri-
al countrymen, he had killed them all ?
While he was alive. Early in his po- =
itical career Ii Hung Chang is said
o have followed this illustrious exam $
le, but for many years he has been Ii
% powerful to think it worth while Z
o pay the slightest attention TO his :
ivals and opponents. except those
Tho were so powerful themselves that +
e could not with impunitF inflict per s
-nal vengeance upon them. !
One Of the greatest sources OF E
ioney-getting employed by Ii Hung 4,
hang during the later years Of his q.
areer as viceroy was as a money H.
inder. There is little doubt that he
as the king Of pawnbrokerS the II
orld over. His loan Offices were scat h,
red far and wide over his province, I,
I'd he oaned great sums OF money On h.
Iortgages and on pledges OF person =,
property. In q country where no
gal rate Of interest is fixed this busi- -
esS has brought immense returns 10 -
Hung Chang. =
No wonder that the old statesman -
Iuld not understand the character Of N,
lch man as Chinese Gordon. who
fused 70 acceuf. the s1sa 0.1o which