Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1901-12-27
EARL LIS MEMORY
Native Editors Comment on
Late Statesman
Chinese Editors Talk Frankly After
First Fulfilling the Requirements
of Eulogy- Changes Following
His Death.

New York. Dec. 26.-The following
Associated Press correspondence from
Pekin has been received here:
The Chinese are past masters in the
art of obituary writing. and they have
had a fine chance to exercise their tai
ents over the remains of Ii Hung
Chang. All the papers, in referring To
his death. use very complicated char
acter signifying that a prince has died.
1t is the same character used in con-
nection with the death of Queen Vic
toria, the editors being very careful in
both cases not to employ the highest
character. dencting the death of an
emperor.
Nearly all the native papers l have
seen eulogize the late premier in glow
ing terms to start with, and then pro-
ceed- to state what they really think
OF him. The Universal Gazette. the
Tung Wen Ho Pao the Sin Wan Pao
and the Su Pao all accuse him of sell
ing out his country to Russia, and as
scrt that his vast wealth must nave
been derived from some power in eN-
change for favors granted in his oiti-
cial capacity. But even in the tii.e
OF ConfuCius." the Gazette adds, there
We're not wanting critics of great ana
worthy men" The Sin Wan Pao groH.s
upon the talents" possessed by Ii.
The rottenness of his administration
was shown, ii says. by the Japanese
war. His brothers and descendants
We're enriched by him, and his immense
wealth was not bestowed upon him by
the government he was supposed To
serve. The damage wrought by the
Taipings and Nienfel whom II
crushed, was not equal to the damage
he inflicted with his three hundred mill
lions of indemnity to Japan.
OF more Importance. however. than
these reflections upon LIS life and
charac ter is the inquiry as to his sue
cessor or successors. The real powers
behind the throne are to be Yung Lu
and Prince Ching. Yung I-u labors
under the disadvantage of having an
tagonized the foreign ministers by the
encouragement he gave. or is suspected
of having given, to the Boxers. Under
the circumstances his plan is to curry
favor with Russia. in order to recover
his position by the latter's aid. He
will. in short seek to step into the
shoes of Ii Hung Cnang. Prince
Ching, on the contrary. is in sympathy
with the YangtZe vioeroys. Until one
or the other OF these politicians be-
comes indisputably supreme the politi-
cal firmament viii be overcast.
H. e. Yuan Shih-kai was u protege of
Ii Hung Chang, and il is in accordance
with his patrons dying memorial TO
the throne that the protege has been
appointed to the highest provincial post
in China-that of Viceroy of Chihli-
The rise of Yuan Shih-lSai has been
phenoInenally rapid: he is now only in
his fo-ty-third year. He came into
prominence first as Chinese commits
sioner of Seoul, before the war be-
tween China and Japan, and the Brit
ish representatives in Corea have borne
unanimous testimony to the ability
and good sense which he displayed IN
that difficult position. In 1S9i-that is
only four years ago-he was promoted
from the rank of taotai to that of pro-
vincial judge of Chihli. in 1893 he va
Gated his post and was made expectaHt
vice president OF u board with the CON
troll of an army corps; and the story
has been told of how he failed his en-
peror at the critical moment just be-
fore the coup d'etat. and by his action
at that time made possible the anti
foreign plot of Yung Lu and his
friends. He was rewarded with the
governorship of Shan-tung, on which
he cut himself adrift from Yung Lu
and the reactionaries, Joined and ad-
hered faithfully TO the YangtZe com
pact, Kept order IN MS province during
the dark days of last year, ana has
shown every courtesy to such foreign
ers as have come in contact with him
at Chianfu, where he was projecting
and supervising the introduction of
many salutary reforms.
The appointment of Yuan Shih-kai,
like that of WangShao. the amiabie
and liberal. but very deaf, grand secre-
tary. to replace Ii as peace plenipoten-
rection on the part of the court; but
there is a general impression among
the Chinese that Yuan is inclined to be
rather subservient to stronger fnen
who are above him, and is anxious TO
keep on good terms with Yung Lu. He
has done SO well, however, in Shantung
that we must hope for the best, and so
far as the peace of Chihli is concerned.
it is satisfactory to know that Yuan
has by far the best drilled and disci-
pIined army in China That he is well
being given the high commissionershi3
of the Pelyang as well as the viceroy
atty There is reason to fear that
things at Shantung will not go as well
when Yuan goes, for his successor
Chang Jen-Chung, VINO was treasurer
of the province in 1898, is said to be
weak man, not at all competent to keep
order in such a turbulent population as
that of Shantung has been since the
evil days of Yu Hsien.
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