The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-15
k0REA'S EMPEROR.
The Most HopeIessIy Incompetent
Ruler in the World.

RuIer in the World.
From the Manchester Guardian.
If the report be true that the Emperor
of Korea is dead, then I am afraid it
must honestly be said that one Of the
most hopelessly incompetent rulers in
the world has departed. He was not
bad man. but he was so weak. so pill
able, so blown hither and thither by
every breath of those who had infiu-
ence over him for the moment that he
was led into doing many things from
which the most interruptions and aban-
doned person would shrink. His chief
Queen (for it is only quite recently that
he began to style himself Emperor),
who was, like many Oriental prineesses,
raised from the lowest rank to the
throne-like the Empress Dowager OF
China, for example, or the Rance of
Jhansi-a woman of amazing force Of
character and (for a Korean) states
manlike grasp of affairs guided him
steadily and safely for years through
the troubled waters of international in
tercourse. If ever there was a faith
full wife and counsellor she was one,
and her husband relied on her in all
things. A band of Japanese, counte-
nanced by their minister (who was aft
erwards disgraced for his share in the
atrocity), rose one night in Seoul, broke
into the palace, slaughtered all they
met, including the Queen, and after
wards burned her body with petroleum.
She had swayed her husband too much
to the Russian side, it was thought, and
the Japanese took this method of get
ting rid of her. A few days later, and
before her remains had been diScov-
cred, her faithful and affectionate hus-
band issued an edict denouncing her
conduct and counsels as if she had been
a common criminal He held up her
name to public eXecration and con-
tempt and officially degraded her in
rank as a traitress. little time pass
ed; her bones were discovered, and the
King gave them obsequies of such
splendor that for time the country
was in financial straits.
No doubt the wretched man was to
be pitied. What with Chinese. Japan
ese and Russians from outside pulling
him this way and that. and the great
families Staying each other and being
tern to pieces impartially by the mob
of Seoul, his lines had fallen in very
unpleasant places. Then there was his
uncle, the notorious Tai-Won Kun,
with a heart of stone and bowels of
iron, as Lord Curzon described him,
who was always busy trying to poison
all about him after the most ingenious
methods. so that the miserable King
at one time scarcely dared allow any
one around him to taste a sweetmeat.
The Tai was carried off into captivity
in China by the Chinese Resident at
Seoul after melting a revolt in the cap
ital whereupon the King gave the
Chinese government no peace with pit
iful petitions for the release of his dear
and honored relative. When the noble
captive was restored to his weeping
relative he promptly showed his graf
itude by trying to poison the Queen
with a box of comfits which he said
he brought from China on purpose for
her-as perhaps he did. The King
Emperor by that time-brought about
the war between Japan and China by
I calling on the latter. as his suzerain.
to help him to suppress rebellion by
sending troops and then declaring to
the Japanese that the Chinese were In
vading his country. His political vag-
aries were countless, and We're Droba-
bly, due to the perpetual changes in
forceful persons about him. Once he
ran away from his own palace in the
night, where he was guarded by Jap
anese he had himself called IN. and
found refuge in the Russian legation.
whence he issued a wholly new set of
edicts, contradicting all those he had
recently issued. and denouncins as
wretches those who advised him to is
sue them.