Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-10
UNFAIR STATEMENTS
Consul General Goodnow Defends
Some Chinese Officials
SHENG WAS FRIENDLY TO US
Words of Praise for Ii Hung
Chang.
SAVED FOREIGNERS LIVES

personal relationship with many of the
most prominent men of affairs in the Chi
nese empire, and being directly and diplo
matically associated with them, there is
probably no one in the United States to-
day more thoroughly and Interestingly ac
Guainted with conditions in the celestial
kingdom than Mr. John Goodnow, the
American consul general at Shanghai. Mr..
Goodnow is not alone well versed in mat
tiers of state in China, but he has made
study of the Chinese character and has
gained a keen insight into it. He has also
had occasion to judge many of the officials,
whose views and actions, he declares, have
been grossly misrepresented in the dis
patches sent to this country by correspond
ents.
1t will be remembered that during the
nervous days when Pekin entirely cut
off from the outside world the man who
came in for the blacklist of adJectlVeS the
world was Sheng, the imperial d-
rector of telegraphs and railways. On the
other hand, Consul General Goodnow, who
was in communication with that official al
most daily, holds him in highest regard. Mr..
GoodnOw goes further and declares that
while Sheng was being bitterly attacked
by the foreign press he was actually in
danger of being assassinated for the pro-,
foreign views he so literally expressed. Mr..
Goodnow will be in Washington a few days
longer and Will then go to his home in Min
neapolis. He has a leave of absence cover
ing sixty days, but expects to return to his
post some time before the expiration of
that period.
Despite the reports to the contrary"
said Mr.. Goodnow this morning, when in
tervewed on the subject, there was never
any immediate danger of an outbreak in
Shanghai. There was. however serious
ly tense feeling existing during the days
Fekin was a closed chapter. We We're 1000
foreigners, including women and children,
in the midst of three-quarters of a million
Cinnamon. The foreigners felt little I'M
easy, but did not manifest it in any way.
The Chinese, numberless though they
were, also had secret fear of the foreign
settlement Such a feeling sometimes leads
to trouble, but nothing came Of it in this
instance, happily.
The foreigners drove out among the
Chinese daily just as If nothing had hap
pened In the north. My reception the 4th
of last July was attended, as usual, by all
the Chinese officials and everything passed
off without the slightest embarrassment or
annoyance on the part of any one.
Ii Hung Chang.
Lii Hung Chang came to Shanghai early
in August. Those who saw him during his
visit to the United States several years
ago would be surprised at the feebleness
which has overtaken the distinguished old
man. He is now about seventy-eight years
assistance Of two coolies enc on either
arm He still carries the cane given HIN
by Mrs Grant. 1t was used by President
Grant, and Ii takes great care of it. His
once tall, erect stature is now stopped.
but mentally he is as keen, as astute as
ever, and that means he is one of the most
brilliant of minds in the worlds affairs
today.
My last visit to Ii was a. most pleasant
one. We had learned in Shanghai that
eight English missionaries were imprisoned
in Chilli province of which l.. was wee
roy. The Britains were IN desperate straits,
we were told, and nothing short of tire
speediest action could save them. The
English consul general, it so happened. was
not on the best of terms with Ii Hung
Chang at the time. and SO l was asked to
ntercede. ] asked Ii to telegraph mme-
diate'y to Chilli that he would hold the
captors Of the Englishmen personally re-
sponsible with their heads If anything be-
fell the missionaries. Ii sent the tele-
gram gladly. The condition of the mission
aries was at once relieved and in due time
they were sent to Tien Tsin: So my last
impression of Ii was that he had saved
the lives Of eight white men,
This was my last interview with L. and.
by the way it was the consultation which
led to the wild story telegraphed to this
country to the effect that the American
government had made bargain win III
whereby he was to be escorted to Pekin
with an American guard and Warshlps ana
afforded all protection. Such matter was
never discussed between US. Diplomatic
courtesies prevented my saying anything
al the time to the purport of my visit
with the eminent Viceroy. SO you see how
enormously history is sometimes made
A Mistaken Character.
Speaking of the muchmalgned Sheng,
Mr.. Goodnow said:
THE man who is most deeply concerned
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 L
has a sound nearly like D, and the j has
the sound of r. Sheng is the son-in-law of
Ii Hung Chang, ard is the viceroy's finan-
cial adviser. He is director general of rail-
ways and telegraph. is president of the
Chinese Merchants Steam Navigation Com
pany, operating many lines OF steamers;
owns large cotton mills, and In short Las
more to do with the semi-foreign enter
prises than any other man in the empire.
He represents the greatest investment of
Chinese money in enterprises 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 a man of about fifty years of
age, strong in physique and able of brain.
He is and has always been, particularly
the trouble of last summer was distinctly
pro-American. He was SO free in express
Ing his views to that end that there was
constant fear of his assassination by order
of the anti-foreign leaders. Some of the
papers Of the world attacked Sheng most
bitterly. and accused him Of lying and sup
pressing the dreadful news of wholesale
ma ssacre in Pekin 1t may be true that
Sheng did not tell us all he knew. but sub
sequent events have proved that what in
formation he did give out was correct in