The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-18
The Chinese CRATER
Beats Them All
And Of All the Peerless Grafters Of the Middle
Kingdom, TsI-Hze, the Dowaser Empress,
Ranks as First and Foremost.
BY ANTHONY HENSON.


Dowager of China the other day de-
creeing that henceforth graft must
stop throughout the empire over which
she rules. Mandarins were given to
understand that they must live with
in their salaries and not squeeze" the
people; justice must no longer be
bought and sold.
The news of the PRONUNCIATION of
this edict made people who know China
smile. 1t was as if the Evil One should
rebuke sin. China stands without a
serious rival as the land of graft. The
boss" of an American city, the pres
ident of a third-rate Latin American
republic, the Arab dragoman in Pales-
tine, the smoking room steward on an
Atlantic liner-all are mere amateurs
in the gentle art of transferring other
peoples money to their own pockets.
They ought to take course of study
in ways that are dark and tricks
that are vain under the heather Chi
nee.
Empress DOwagcr Heads the List.
And of all the peerless grafters of
the Middle Kingdom, Tsi-Hze, the
Empress Dowager, ranks as the first
and foremost. The British ambassador
had cause to complain to his govern
ment, in an official dispatch written
shortly after the return of that au-
gust lady to Pekin at the end of the
Boxer outbreak, that the limited funds
at his command did not permit him to
compete with his Russian rival in
making the costly presents constantly
demanded by Tsi-Hze and her entou-
rage as the price of transacting the
most ordinary business.
All the governors of provinces and
other high officials are expected to
squeeze money out of the people under
their control by every possible means,
legal or illegal. In a word, it is their
business to bleed the pig white"
They. can live magnificently and even
accumulate huge fortunes, provided
they remain in power; but the bulk of
the loot has always to be sent to Pc
kin. In view of these facts, well known
to anyone who is familiar with China,
it may be judged how passionate is
the Empress Dowager's craving for
reform.
WheH tne AedpOEu Chan&cs MS
Spots.
when she leopard changes his spots
and the Ethiopian his skin, then the
administration of China may become
pure and honest, but not before" de-
clared an American missionary who
has spent many years in that coun-
try.
There are over three millions of
people in China who draw money from
the imperial customs without doing
stroke of work in return for it." said
Tong Chew, who is editor of the Chi
nese Reform News, a paper published
in New York. and also a leading spirit
of the Pow Wong Wey" Chinese re-
form movement.)
This may seem a startling state
ment, but it is absolutely true" he
continued. "All of the descendants
and connections of the imperial family,
legitimate and illegitimate. are en-
titled to pensions from the customs
receipts: and there are over three
millions of them altogether OF course,
most get small amounts, but others are
very handsomely provided for. Prac-
tically speaking the Chinese customs
are maintained for their benefit.
Chfna's Paper Army.
do you know that there is an
army of over 100000 men in China
that exist only on paper? This army
was recruited over a hundred and
fiftey years ago, an it naturally fol-
lows that all its members are dead.
Their places were never filled as they
died off, but their names were still
carried on the rolls, and are carried to
this day.
when a man has money to invest
in China, instead of starting in bust
ness, he may buy few names on this
roll from a mandarin. 1t is regarded
as legitimate form of investment.
The mandarin, of course, gets as big
a bride as he can, and the buyer pays
as little as possible. When the pay
day of the long-defunct soldiers comes
around he draws their money in their
names.
"Of course, everybody knows of
this system, most of all the Govern
ment officials who profit by it. But
now and then the Government grows
serious for a moment and decides that
1t must make a bluff at being efficient.
So it orders review of it's paper
army.
'You might think this would put the
buyers of the names in a hole Not
a bit of it! They simply go out into
the streets of the city and gather in as
many coolies and begg'ars as they
have purchased names. These men
5-"N W PSSS % 9OANiSAS a. bhS
review of five cents or an even small
er sum. The Government swells its
chest with pride as 1t looks upon an
army composed of the lame, the halt,
the blind and the leprous and every
body is perfectly satisfied"
CRATER Priests.
Even the priests in the Buddhist
temples Of China are the victims of
the national passion for grating. It
was stated by the "Hupao," a vernac-
ular newspaper, that the priest in
charge of the chief temple of Canton
has to pay from 1000 to 10000 taels for
MS post to the people higher up" He
recoups himself by selling incense
stick and candles 10 the worshippers
.ancTETTeh,. m 4 E health isnie