The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-01-11
Dowager Of China May Retire.


PIlItIS. jan. The leaiiiig Chi
Iness stat srnen have presented i Joint
memorial 70 the throne urging the re,
tirement Of the empress dowager from
the control Of the administration after
the next Chinese New Year. Thls -
looked upon as most extraordinary
event in China's modern history, but
1t has wholly failed to carry conyic-
ton among the Chinese populace and
the foreign residents. The empress
dowager has certainly right to he
weary of the cares of state il ever a
sovereign had. but there have not yet
been any indications of such weart-
ness.
The time when foreign residents
found difficulty in mentioning the
name OF the empress dowager without
vehement setracdon has passed, and
1t is now generally recognized that
few wiser heads have supported a
crown. It is admitted that there may
be among the reforms recently under
taken By China sore features which
suggest the advisabtlity Of the empress
dowager's retirement, but the fact that
such reforms have been tnaugurated
under her regime completely dtsposes
Of the charges that used to be brought
against her on the ground of conserya-
tism.
Ever since the empress dowager's
sad flight to HsIyang after the Boxer
affair-which. by the way, was much
more discreditable to Europeans than
to the Chinese-and ever since her
still sadder return to capital half
dilapidated and a palace wholly desc
Grated by foreign soldiers and mission
aries, she has shown that the bitter
lessons of that time have brought to
her. mind worldly visions instead of
inspiring a desire for retaliation and
revenge, as would have been humanity
natural. She has apparently realized
that to be prepared for war is the only
way to preserve peace, and has deter
mined to make China modern ma
ton, 80 far as military measures are
concerned
The empress dowager. once denounc-
ed as q conservative. is now being
criticised as too progressive. 1t is
not likely that the empress win resign
at the request of the elder statesmen,
who prefer that China should stay in
the same old rut of conservatism. She
is apparently not reyengeful, but, as
has been said. she has learned worldly
wisdom. Slowly and without ostenta-
ton, she is engaged in training an
army of hundreds of thousands of Chi
nese in the methods of modern war.
fare. If there should be another Box
er uprising, she hopes to be able to
attend to It without intervention of
the foreign powers. If the latter should
interfere. it will be at their peril. The
modern Chinese army, commanded by
European and American officers and
supplied with the most modern ma
chimes of destruction, is not to be
trifed with in defense of its own
country.
Paris expert" Talks War.
PARIS, Jan. 1.-THE probable re-
suit of war between the United
States and Japan is the subject of a
series of articles just published in LIE
Petit Journal by an anonymous naval
expert. While admitting that the fleet
Of Admiral Evans is superior to that
of the Japanese, the writer maintains
that the moral value of the Japanese
crews is much superior to that of the
Americans. He declares that the Jap,
anese sailors have shown themselves
vastly superior to the Americans, and,
indeed. to those OF all other nations,
He accounts for this by the intense
patriotism of the soldiers of the mi
kado, coupled with their phtlosophic
and fatalIstic bravery. The strategic
position of the Japanese is also super
Tor. declares the writer. They are in
position to seize Hawaii easily and
thus prevent Admiral Evans from
reaching the Philippines. The recall
of Ambassador Aoki, he alleges, is
merely a preliminary to such action
and the insults" offered to the Jap
anese in California, willgserve las an
excuse. !.
The French writer declares that the
japanese despise the American navy,
and believe that the japanese feet
will be able to send 1t to the bottom
as easily as it did the armada of the
Russians. The French critic does not
agree with this, and gives it as his
opinion that Admiral Evans would be
victorious except for the strategic odds
against him. The resuscitated Russian
ships. instead of beings an advantage
to the Japanese navy, he believes will
bepa positive hIndrance TO the success
of the projects OF Japan.