The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-15
POLICY OF DowAcER
INTRIGUE AND CORRUPTION
 AGAIN RIFE.
suficent Time Has Not Elapsed for One to Judge the Depth of the
 Pretended Reform in China.

Pelin, Jan. A.-The first week of tht rehabilitation of the Chinese court and of its resumption of authority at th' capital has been q yestod of intense in l terest for all classes of Chinese ant | foreigners.
 But the work has hardly sufficed tt | furnish proofs from which deductions re- garding the policy of the Empress Dowager under the new conditions car
 be drawn That she governs as abso'
 luteIy as before the attempt to crush
 progress and that she recognizes thai
 foreign interests and opinions must be
 respected, is apparent. That considera' tions other than the fear inspired by the
 evidence of foreign dominance actuate
 her will continue to be questioned by the Chinese officials nearest the throne and by foreigners, unless time proves the contrary.
 Two powers are gaining ascendancy oi the council of the Dowager Empress.
 The first of these Is Yuan Shi kai, who is pro-foreign to the extent of appreciat' ing the strength of foreign nations and the necessity for China's adoption of the instruments by which such strength was atIaine0. 1uc SeCOn0 POWOA ID uho @~Ni the imperial treasurer, who is the most influential among the advisers of the Elm
 press Dowager. who is bitterly hostile to foreigners, but who is temporarily im- pressed with the advisability or con- ciliating them.
 Yuan Shi Kai, the Governor of Chi Ll province having ten or twelve thousand
 of the best troops in China in and about
 the capital, is the parsonage the Em- press Dowager must consider. It has not yet appeared that the modernization of the court is more than
 skin deep All the old methods of cor ruption and intrigue for office, the pur- chase of favors and bribery to secure audiences, have been resumed with a vigor indicating that ofiicialdom is try ing to make up for lost time. Two edicts, which are largely the re- suit of the insistence of M. Beau, the
 French minister at Pekin. for the rights of the missionaries, appeared today. The first, in strong terms, admonishes all or hciaIs to protect and maintain the rights
 of native Christians and forbids discrimi- nations against Christians.
 The second edict dismisses from ofhce A number of officials for complicity in
 the Boxer movement. Among those thus dismissed Is the vice-president of
 the censorate, whose name was on the
 black list of the foreign ministers.
 NJ. Beau will probably present his ere dentials at the same time the Yr1tlsh' German, Russian and Japanese Ministers present theirs. The Chinese Foreign ot- flee has suggested that this ceremony oc- cur Sunday Sir Ernest Satow, the | British representative, will. however suggest another day, believing that the Chinese should respect the customs or Christian nations in such matters. Au- dIences have frequently been held on Sundays heretofore, and no minister ever
 made any objection to the custom. Foreigners and the Chinese reformers are strongly criticizing the acceptance by l the ladies of the various legations here Of an invitation from the Empress Dowager | to an audience. as they believe the Chl- nese will construe this acceptance as | recognition of the claims of the Empress | Dowager to supremacy.
 If is also argued that the ladies in ques- lion should sacrifice their pleasure and | the indulgence of their curiosity to pub ! lie interests.
 The suppression of two Liberal papers, conducted by young reformers, and the | stifling of a project for the establish ment of a third such paper is causing dis | satisfaction among the reformers. This | action, however, does not evince re- actionary policy, as the Government must | have progressed amazingly before 1t | woud permit individuals to criticize and advise it publicly.
 The Yokahama specie bank was estab- ushed here today. The Japanese, with | their customary regard for national in- | terests DroVide the bank with quarters | on the grounds of the Japanese legation. | Jananese trade and influence here are 1 growing rapidly