Rock Island Argus., 1901-01-21

cerned in the welfare of the Chinese
empire and who has the most at stake
Is sheng Tajen, the last name or title
being pronounced 'Darren.' In Chinese
pronunciation the T has sound nearly
like ID, and the ] has the sound of r.
Sheng is the son-in-law Of Ii Hung
| Chang and is the yiceroy's financial adj
wiser. he is director general of rail-
ways and telegraph, is president of the
Chinese Merchants Steam Navigation
|xcompany, operating many lines Of
steamers; owns large cotton mills and,
in short, has more to do with the semi
foreign enterprises than any other man
in the empire. He represents the great
est investment of Chinese money in en-
terprises imported FROM the west. He
is the man upon whom all Chinese
business people lean and is sort of an
official financial adviser to the entire
empire as well as to his distinguished
father-in-law.
"Sheng is man of about 30 years of
age, strong in physique and able of
brain. He is and has always been par
ticularly friendly toward all Americans
and during the trouble of last summer
|
so free in expressing his views to that
end that there was constant fear of his
assassination by order Of the antifor-
eign leaders. Some of the papers OF
the world attacked Sheng most bitterly
and accused him of lying and suppress
ing the dreadful news Of wholesale
massacre in Peking. 1t may be true
that Sheng did not tell us all he knew,
but subsequent events have proved
that what information he did give out
was correct in almost every detail. He
is man think very, very highly of.
another man of whom l would
speak in highest terms in the viceroy
of Nankin, Liu Kun-Yi. At the time
of the TAPPING rebellion Liu was a
clerk in a lumber yard in Hankow,
III Human province, most powerful and
warlike province Of the time. Liu
raised company for the imperial gov
eminent and came, through a series
of well defined military successes, to
be one Of the most prominent generals
in the army. In China military rank
also carries civil rank, so at the close
of the rebellion Liu was q. civil govern
or, although he had never held an
Office before that time. He was govern
or for about year. For the last 80
years he has ruled as viceroy. He is
now about so years old:
"Liu was yiceroy at Canton when
General Grant visited the city. Liu
remembers the general very well in
deed. He entertained Nellie Grant at
his home and she had an opportunity
of observing the domestic conditions of
a mandarins household better than any
other American woman perhaps. Liu1
is a pro-American, indeed, and does
not hesitate to express himself as such
on all and any occasion. Liu and
Sheng are the greatest factors in the
friendliness that is felt toward foreign
ers in China today.
"Chang Chih-Tung, viceroy of Han
kow, is another excellent man. He is
about 60 years of age and has been
viceroy for a long period. He is n promi-
nent reformer and has written many
books on Chinese affairs. He is known
as one of the greatest living opponents
of the doctrines of Confucius- These
men have mentioned, together with
the viceroys of Fu-kow and Szechuen
provinces, held quiet 16 out of 10 prov
inces in China and prevented the
spread of the Boxer movement. They
are the men to whom nll honor and
consideration are due. They took the
course not through any special love for
the foreigners, but through an enlight-
ened view of the best interests of their
country.
'I endeavored to have the corre-
spondents in Shanghai meet these men
and talk with them in regard to the
crisis at Peking and vicinity. But the
newspaper men did not seem anxious
to do so. 1 asked them why it was.
and they replied that the people of
the United States knew no one in
China other than Ii Hung Chang, and
it was not their place to hunt up new
character to write about and from
whom an expression of views would
have little weight with their readers.
1t was because the correspondents did
not know the men about whom they
finally came to write that so many mis-
representations resulted
Mr.. Goodnow is satisfied that if the
course laid down by the United States
is followed peace terms may speedily
he arranged with iustiCe TO all