The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-03-30
II HUNG CHANG.

The Career of the Machiavelli of Chi.
 nese Diplomacy.
 The peace negotiations at Pekin cal to mind the inexperience of the minis ters who are negotiating with the Chi nese statesmen. The American minis l ter has had about three years of con tact with the east; the British minister
 has been at his post a shorter time than the American; and the French repre-
 sentative is novice in dealing with Ce- lestial.
 Opposed to these keen but new diplo-
 matists sits the wrinkled veteran, Earl
 Ii Hung Chang, with his associate,
 Prince Ching Of Lis seventy-eight
 years, the last forty have been largely | spent in crossing swords with European
 and American representatives of state
 craft. This prince of Oriental word warriors has fought with Sir Frederick l Bruce Sir Thomas Wade, Sir Harry S.
 Parkes, Sir John Walsham, Sir Nicho- las O'Connor Sir Claude Macdonald; :; Hon. Anson Burlingame, Hon. George F. Seward, Hon. Charles Denby, NM.
 Rochechouart, Patenotre, Fournier, Co.,
 godan; Marquis Ito; Count Muravieff,
 and scores of other first-class diplomat ic lances.
 Tie knows every thrust and every par-
 ry; he has hunted out every seam in the
 arnior; and he can cut into every un-
 protected, vital point He has come into the negotiations to represent the humiliated power; but there is reason to believe that he is better prepared to fight losing battle than would be had his opponents combined. The white emissaries have shown by two great failures that they are not yet prepared
 to cope with the yellow man. In Sep
 tember, 1898, they knew nothing of the
 ''coup d'etat" until it was passed; and they by doing nothing. permitted the reign of reaction, conservatism and ter- TOT to gain headway. Tn 1900 they re- fused to believe that this reaction and conservatism were eliminating. Not until the Boxers imprisoned them in Pe- kin did they realize that there was Boxer uprising. They are now. backed by force, that is their hope of success I say it with all respect. Given a fair field and no favor, Earl Iii would deftly set them to quarreling as to who should lead the assault who should have his hat, coat and shoes, with the result that he would remain intact, while they would wonder how it all happened.
 Earl u Is striking, if mot a great, figure. He is fascinating study The foreign diplomacy of China, for forty years, has been his. In Chinese poli- tics he is past master He came into prominence as Governor of Kiangsu, in the sixties. This is the province of which Sooshow is the capital, and Shanghai and Ranking are the commer- cal and literary metropolis Because of his services in suppressing the Taiping rebellion, a vaster struggle than our civil war, he was made guardian of the heir apparent-a position similar to that recently held by Prince Tuan-was granted the Yellow Jacket, and was made assistant grand councillor of the empire.
 In 1868 he stepped into the viceroyalty and, with Wuchang as his capital, ruled over Hupei and Human, as Chang Chih Tung is now doing. Imperial com mands took him from his post; and, at the head of his armies, he put down re- belliohs in the northern provinces of Shantung and Shansi, and was made q full member of the grand council of | state. In 1875 he was made metropoii- 1 tan viceroy and moved from Wuchang | 70 Tien- Tsin This position corresponds | locally to the governorship of the Elm oire state, but nationally 1t is of much 1 more importance, for the metropolitan under Iii Hung Chang has assumed first place in international diplomacy. The nation, now in despair, 1ow in defiance for over twenty years ntrusted it's knotty problems to him. The viceroyalty of Chilli assumed greater and greater importance, al- hough Lis predecessor was none other han Marquis Tseng. Iii was created loble of the first class, and appointed o take the initiative in foreign negotia- ions.
 We find him displaying profusion of | alents. On one occasion he publicly snake; on another he or tered a modern fleet. He battled with !, was snubbed by the palace lique; and after China was defeated by japan, in what was his war was bidden o humble himself and plead for peace. The war was over in 1895, and in 1896 he ttended the coronation of the Czar, af- CT which he made tour of the world. Sack in China again, he was degarded, hen promoted, and finally seated in the hief grand secretary's chair Playing % much into tho hands Of Russia for he was removed from the i 'sungll Yamen in 1898. A year later, S99. Iii was made viceroy at Canton. rom which post he was called to his resent positions of viceroy of Chihli nd peace mmissioner.-Robert D. lewis in the March Forum.