El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-02-05
An ASIATIC GLADSTONE

in his stead. The result was that no
bombs were thrown.
Behind the scenes With VicerOy.
1t was shortly after this that 1 met
Tuan Fang at Marking. He was then
ruling from go to 100 million people,
and the machinery of his palaces was
somewhat like that of the white house.
He was working harder than president
Taft and dispatching his business al
most as promptly. He used the tele-
graph for his business correspondence.
The reports from his officials were
sent in by wire and his answers went
the same way. He was daily receiving
dispatches from all over the globe, the
news Of the Associated Press coming
TO him before it went to the newspa-
pers. He worked at his correspondence
with a stencgrapher. and had his trans
latOrs, who gave him extracts from the
foreign papers in Chinese.
He began to work at o'clock in
the morning and seldom went 10 bed
before Midnight He was particular
as to his eating, though he used simple
fare. He ate breakfast at T. luncheon
at and dinner at nightfau. His cook
ing was done by a Peking chef, and
thoroughly systematized. and he had
enough time in connection with it 10
carry on literary hobbies and to make
archaeological Investigations. \
Shortly before Tuan Fang was ap-
pointed viceroy he made tour around
the world. visiting Egypt on the way.
He studied the civilization of the Nile
and brought back tons of statues and
half dozen mummies. Some of these
| saw during M visit, as we'll as other
curios and archaeological objects relat-
ing to China, upon which he had spent
more than half q million dollars.
A Warning TO Grafters.
But let me tell you something about
these vice regal palaces. 1 have been
in many of them since I came TO China.
Every viceroy has his official home,
which covers acres, and is composed of
enormous Chinese buildings with gar
dens about them. In these palaces are
hundreds of officials and servants
There are soldiers and clerks and all
the machinery of government.
The palace here at Marking is en-
tered by several gates, on the walls
near which is painted a warning to
grafters. This is in the shape of a
hideous animal 40 feet long, with a
body as big around as a hogshead and
a neck the size of my wrist The head
is like the Ebody. enormous. The ami
NAL looks something like a hippopota-
mus, with the neck of a snake Ac-
cording TO the legend. this beast once
tried to swallow a great quantity of
silver, but it burst its neck and died
in the act Its picture is, therefore,
placed at the entrance to every vice
regal palace to warn the officers with
in against overextOrtion. It is TO let
the viceroy know that if he takes too
big brides or squeezes too much he
will probably bite off more than he
can chew and die in the attempt
China's New Constitution.
During my audience with Tuan Fang
was received in a large parlor furnish !
ed in Chinese style. His excellency and |
myself sat side by side at a big black !
table. upon which We're refreshments OF /
various kinds. Tea was brought in as /
we talked together, and our audience |
fas terminated with a glass of cham !
payne
The first subject of conversation was
Tuan Fang's trip around the world He /
was sent abroad 10 study modern poll !
ties and to plan a constitutional govern |
ment for China. Upon his return he !
wrote the memorial which formed the I
basis of the changes now taking place |
all over this country. He was the au- /
thor of the new constitution and might /
NC ScbAACN IAAC 1eitlACA VI the ucW OuAliet-
1 asked him whether he thought that |
China would actually install a modern |
government He replied:
Undoubtedly il viii. Our people have /
come TO appreciate that we mast adapt |
ourselves to modern conditions and he |
ruled along modern lines. We relieve
that our old methods are good, bHt.We
would add To them the good that the
western world has discovered. We are
modern politics, and within a
short time we shall have a constitution !
and parliament. According to our pres
ant program that time will come within
eight years"
viii not this make great changes in
Gilman"
YES. It will make us by far the