Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-30

FE==z1 EkING-So 1ar as lhe oueSipS
III AW world Is concerned, the
IN most important action OF tie
Ia s4I prince regent of China In tae
lN kk& early days of his rule was
EgA7z1 the dismissal and degrada-
ton of Yuan Shih-kai-a
man regarded by disinterested foreign
ers as the hope of China and by self
seeking uitlanders as the curse OF their
lives. This incident recalled what was
perhaps the most famous political car
toon of the last century-that one
which appeared in Punch over the
title Dropping the Pilot" depicting
the young German emperor on the
bridge of the ship of state and the
pilot, Prince Bismarck, the iron chah-
cellor, going down the ladder.
When Prince Chun, finding himself
at the age of q burdened with the sole
responsibility of the government OF the
great Chinese empire, saw mt TO dls-
miss Yuan Shih-kai from the public
service the diplomatic world was
shocked into expressions of regret, and
even of remonstrance. The British and
American ministers in Picking did not
actually protest against the action, but
they expressed their regret and dis
approval by alphabetically suggesting
that II the removal of Yuan was TO
change the foreign policy of the gov
ernment, international complications
might be expected Yuan had been
president of the Waiwupu, the board
of foreign affairs, and was practlcally
! the foreign minister. Sir John Jordan
and Mr.. Rockhll were told that the
policy of Waiwupu would not be
! changed. That ended the diplomatic
incident"
! Yet the conviction still obtains that
| Yuan Shih-kai is the strongest ana
ablest man in China, and some well-ln-
formed persons still hope that he VIII
| be restored to power, even as was the
| great Ii Hung Chang after his COM
| plete degradation and humiliation. one
of the most prominent diplomatists ac-
credited to Peking goes so far as to
predict with confidence that the day OF
Yuan's restoration is not far distant.
! However the opinion of the majority
| is that his day is done.
! The story of the rise and fall of Yuan
| Shih-kai is not only an enhancing do
! graphical romance, but 1t Is also an
! Illuminating commentary upon the un-
| certainties of politics-of Chinese poll
ties In particular. Yuan was born nifty
years ago in the province of Honon,
| that part of China which is subject to
! the destructive overflow floods OF
! "China's Sorrow" as the Yellow river
is called. He was of humble origin
| and poor, but he was possessed OF un-
| limited ambition. China is an essentlai
| democracy, and, with the exception of
! BARRIERS and actors and their children
| unto the third generation, any man
may aspire to the highest position in
| the land. The only aristocracy is that
| of scholarship. But of all professions
not actually under the ban, as BARRIERS
and actors, that of the soldier is lowest
/ in the esteem of the people. Yuan OBJ
tanned only a mediocre education, TAX
! ing but the bachelors degree in the
! classics. That implies a lack of learn
| ing which, in China, would seal the
| doors of high office against all but the
/ genius. Further to his political disad-
| van tage, Yuan adopted the army as
| profession. Even in China times change
| and men change also, and in the full
ness of days it was found that Yuan
! Shih-kai and his military skill must be
recognized. He held many high offices,
and in the year 1898 he was In COM
mand of an army of 1880 well-driltsd
| troops quartered near Tientsin.
! At that time the young emperor had
| Welded almost entirely to the influence
! of his tutor and friend Kang Yu-wei,
| the radical reformer and dreamer OF
! dreams. Under Kang influence,
edicts promulgating the most radical
| and startling reforms were being is
| sued wholesale from the throne. The
! dowager empress was earnest in her
! opposition, but the emperor did not
| heed her warnings. Then eunuch OF
| the palace, so the accepted story runs
told the emperor that the empress
| dowager was plotting to murder him
| 1t was known that she had the sup
port of the powerful viceroy of Chill
Yung Lu.
The emperor and Kang Yu-wei re-
solved to take bold action, and they
called Yuan Shih-kai into their conf
dence. They told him that they would
! imprison the empress dowager in the
summer palace, where she was ther
! living, and that he must take his army
! and kill Viceroy Yung Lu. OF course
| there were liberal promises of reward
| Yuan bowed in obedience to his EN-
peror and left Peking. On the way tc
his army command he dropped in fol
a social call on Viceroy Yung Lu ant
casually remarked that he hoped the
! viceroy would be at home for the mex
| two or three days, as he had an en-
gagement to murder him.
Yung Lu was not exactly fool. He
dispatched a messenger post haste Il
the empress dowager to warn her o.
the plot and took himself to place o.
safety. The empress dowager heard
the news, arose in the night, armed
| her eunuchs and retainers, and start
ed from the summer palace for Peking
She surprised the emperor at dawr
and gave him such a scolding as h