Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-31

night tonight can be summed
I'D IN one grim word of three
letters-war
\,,f .,n,r the close of the Russian-Jap-
..,,..., ~ has the world .resounded with
so much lighting. And not IN 1ho"-
IN Times. with the exception ot
,,, Boxer war relief expedition in lUo.
nave 80 many millions OF the earth IN
hsbiiants been directly connected with
and invol, ed in the appeals to arms In
lie Chinese empire, IN Italy, in the Turh-
ish empire. in Mexico, in Persia and III
the various smaller SUBDIVISIONS or the
rarth's surface which have engaged IN
war during 1911 live at the very least
fifty millions more than one-third of the
worlds one and a half billions OF IN
labltants.
With actual warfare there have been
rumors of war more alarming than for
several wears past. The revival OF tne
Moroccan affair brought the great pow
ers of Europe to the verge OF armed con-
fict during the past summer-how near
to the verge was not generally realized
until the closing weeks or the year
Then it became known that the CHANGER
leries of Europe had. as was said, gaz-
ed into the abyss, and recoiled IN nor
ror"
Like TAPPING Rebellion.
Since the TAPPING rebellion of fifty
years ago, which was estimated to have
cost twenty million lives, there has not
been such an upheaval in China as the
revolutionary rising which began last
September Like that great rebellion. the
revolutionary movement of this year was
inspired by hatred Of the yoke OF the
Manchu dynasty which has ruled CHINA
for 267 years But II Is much more than
Ooin CT a a
protest against miSrule. 1t Is an attempt
of the new China-the China that has
awakened to the value of western ideas
and has acquired a sense of nationality
TO take charge of the destinies of its
country: an uprising of more than four
hundred millions of people to throw on
the rule of six million and come into
their own at last.
Early i'm September the dislike Of the
government policy with reference to
the Matchmaking of the railroads, involv-
ing large foreign loans. found vent In
The province OF Sze-Chuan in rioting and
disorder. The government resorted to
expressive measures. There were exc
cutions. Then troops mutinied, and pres
entity the province was af1ame-
The revolt spread quickly to the neigh
boring provinces of Hu-peh and Human.
Early i'm October the revolutionists cap
IUred Wu-chang, the capital of Hu-peh.
and occupied Hankow. which has been
called the Chicago of China, as we'll as
these successes. the revolutionists pro-
claimed their intention of establishing
Il federal republic modelled after the
United States OF America. 1t had be-
iutionary movement had been carefully
Planned and was well organized and
financed. The insurgents seized the
treasures i'm the cities which they Occu
ioca. governments. They protected for.
"lGners, Of whom they merely demanded
That neutrality should be observed.
Manchus Panicstricken.
The Manchu dynasty became panic.
stricken: il was ready to concede every
reform demanded in order to save itself
In the name of the boy emperor edict:
we're issued which amounted To prac
;ical abdication OF power The establish
ment OF Il constitutional form of mon
archy was promised. and other promise:
made were to the effect that the pen
Sicns of the Manchus would be cut of
md Chinese. not Nanchus would b,
placed in the responsible imperial gov
eminent positions-that Is, in the cabinet
But the revolution continued. Their,
was rising in Marking, the capital o
the province OF Kwangsi, on October 20
hree Weeks later Canton, the capital o
kWang-tung province, declared its in
feV"lutionists captured Foochow. tia
capital of Fu-kien province, and &c
iuired complete control in Shanghai
Al the same time. the reyolutionists
met with reverses at Marking Tn
Manchu general. Chang Chun. intrenched
with about 10000 troops at Purple
mountain, overlooking the city. refused
10 accede to the reyolutionists demands
They were attacked. but were compelled
10 retire because of lack of ammuni
tion. T..
The next day the Manchu soldiers de
seconded from their trenches upon Nan
king and massacred thousands OF the in
iahitants. men, women and children, al
who were suspected of progressive Ter
tencies. while twenty thousand revoIu
uonary soldiers. waiting the arrival Of
ammunition from Shanghai looked or
hclpiessly.
Meanwhile. the revoiutionists. or th
rcpublcans, as they call themselves, ha,
Established Il cabinet form of govern
rnent with WI Ting-fang, formerl
1i';''ess minister TO the United State:
as minister of foreign affairs Mean
While. too. the dynasty, which had sen
Yuan Shi Raj. former grand council
81 and commander-in-chief of the arm
and navy, into disgrace few years be
fore. frsntically summoned him to &C
cept the premiership and save III
dynasty After much hanging bacl
Yuan accepted the post, proceeded I
form the first Chinese blooded cabinc
the empire had ever had, a sop to I'll
revolutionists. and began negotiation
with them looking toward the cessatio
Of hostilitfes and the recognition OF
liberal constitutional form OF govern
ment with the Manchu dynasty nom
naily at the head of 1t.
Soon Overcome Defeat.
In the latter part OF November the il
perial troops retook from the rebels Z
eityso Hanyang after severe fighting, 4
fevolutionists n reating In confusio
TINS victory, he ger, was speedily ft
lowed by a new I'd determined alta.
of the revoiutionis,s upon Marking al
the capture of the ancient Chinese cal