Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-01
CHINA IS GRATEFUL
Prince Will Bring the Empress
DoWager's Thanks.
REMISSION OF INDEMNITY
Sir Cheng-tung to Manage Canton
Hankow Railway.
NEW DELIBERAT1vE COUNCIL
Proposed Preliminary Parliament
Educating the People for the
Exercise Of Their Suffrages.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

Herald
Private letters from China bring the
interesting news that Sir Liang Cheng-
tung, recently minister at Washington,
was received with unusual honors upon
his arrival at Picking. He had several
audiences with the empress dowager who
raised him to the first rank of diplo-
natists, bestowed upon him one of the
most highly-prized decorations and gave
him several valuable presents. This was
a recognition of his services as minister
10 the United States, and particularly be-
cause he brought to his imperial mistress
the news that the government of the
United States would waive its claims to
he balance of, the indemnity granted to
his country for damages suffered by
American citizens in China during the
Boxer troubles.
1t will be remembered that after every
claim was adjusted the sum Of $24, OOO, 600
If the indemnity remained, which had not
,een demanded by the United States,
out was allotted by an international COM
mission at Peking. The amounts granted
arger and were demanded by them, but
rom the beginning the President and
he officials of the Department of State
lave felt that we could not rightfully re-
ain the full amount. and Secretary Hay
made the first overtures for it's return to
China. The matter was finally settled
Turing the last days of Sir Cheng-tungs
service in Washington, and he was al
owed n carry home the gratifying news.
Imperial Thanks to Be Sent.
The empress dowager appreciates the
justice and fairness of the United States
so highly that she will appoint a special
NJ xx,ifh Of Of
at its head, to convey an autograph let
Ter of thanks to President Roosevelt and
he customary gifts which orientals send
With such messages. The prince who is
to bring the message has not yet been
selected, but he will be of high rank and
will be attended by a splendid retinue.
1t Is expected that he will sail for San
Francisco early in January.
1t was expected that Sir Cheng-tung
would become a member of the board of
foreign affairs at Picking, but the ancient
etiquette requiring officials to retire from
court for period of years after the
Heath of their parents will be applied to
i'm. 1t will be remembered that he lost
lis mother a little more than a year ago
Ind withdrew from all social functions
.uring the remainder of his stay in Wash
ngton. He has, therefore, been assigned
the position of general manager of the
ailway now being constructed between
dankow, the commercial metropolis of
central China, and Canton. his native
place and the home of his family. This
8 the railroad that was commenced by
IN American syndicate under the late
Senator Brice, and of which William Bar
lay Parsons of New York was chief
engineer. A route was surveyed and
twenty-seven miles of track were built
when the American syndicate stopped
work and showed a shameful disregard for
their personal reputation and our nationa!
honor. The concession and the property
have since been sold to the governments
of the provinces through which the line
resumed by the Chinese. Although
Cheng-tung is not a practical railroad
man, he has a great deal of executive
"bility. and his knowledge of how things
should be done will enable him to con-
duct the affairs Of the corporation and
ton work with success He will, there
fore, continue to reside in Canton in
stead of Picking. as he expected.
Council of Deliberation.
1t is more than a coincidence tat a few
days after the audiences of Sir Cheng-
tung with the empress dowager her
majesty issued an imperial edict directing
Prince Pu Lun. who was the representa-
tive of China at the st. Louis exposition,
and other officials to prepare a plan for
the organization and regulation for the
conduct of "a council of deliberation," to
he called the Tzu-Chan-yuan. It is
Intended to serve as a sort of preliminary
parliament for the enactment of laws
until the people of the empire are quail
fed to elect their own resentatives.
You will remember that memorials from
several important officials for a consti-
tutional government three years ago were
followed by the appointment of a COM
mission to visit the United States and
several Of the European countries and re-
port upon the forms of administration
that would be best adapted to conditions
in China. That commission came here to
Washington. 1t visited all the principal
capitals of Europe. 1t collected vast
quantity of valuable information and
mending the adoption of a constitution
and the election of a parliament to make
the laws of the empire as soon as the
people were educated UP to a point which
would permit them to exercise the fran
chise intelligently.
power, and the next step was an edict
establishing a system of free schools
throughout the empire to prepare the peo-
pie for suffrage. There are several me-
MORALS before the empress dowager urg-
ing the adoption of compulsory educat ton
but that proposition has been necessarily
postponed for very good reasons. There
are so few schools and so few teachers
competent to instruct the youth that it is
impracticable.
Popular Education.
There are said to be 5000 Japanese
school teachers now in the employ of the
Chinese government. and between $4,000
and 1900 young men have been sent to
Japan by the provincial authorities Of
China to be educated and trained for
teachers and for official positions under
the government. AS fast as these young
men are qualified to instruct. schools are
organized for them and they are placed
in charge. But it is necessarily slow
process to establish system of modern