Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-27
CHINA'S REPUBLIC 10000 YEARS.

But / could really convince you n YOU
are open TO conviction that the Chinese
are more like ourselves than we are like
any other race on the face or the earth.
No emperor ever had. nor unless they
change radically In their characteristics
ever will control them. DO YOU know
that there is more local self government
and has been for centuries In practice
in the empire of China than has ever
been known elsewhere on the face OF
the earth"
There will be- as there have been. for
eign advisers 10 the government OF China.
DR. Sun Vat Sen IL per-
Foreign manent president Of chi
Al- ma might have dispensed
3 with such an important Of
fetal. but not Yuan Shi Kai. who knows
nothing OF the art OF diplomacy or OF
foreign policies.
Such matters have hitherto had no con-
sideration or weight at our State Depart
ment. because ignorant of the great slg-
nihcance OF such place. In Korea. FOR
example. we were permitted to blunder.
not because of minister who knew
nothing OF the interests OF our govern
ment. only hts own personal interests.
but especially because the foreign ad-
wiser was an American wholly attached
terests and against the interests OF China.
The American foreign adviser was not
appointed by the influence OF the United
States. but by the influence OF Russia.
Yuan Shi kai was at that time ClSs0
his imperial Chinese majestys commits
sioner resident I'm Seoul. and Tang Shao
vi was his secretary. MIR. de Waeher.
the Russian charge daffaires. was > Z -
lomat of distinction and. havin-
through all the subordinate
poEi he unl1 al saA
nese men and methods and was c.y..,. te
master OF the king and court al Seoul.
1t was Mr.. de Waeber who used the
United States as cat's-paw TO draw
chestnuts out of the Korean fire. IL was
Mr.. de Waeber who suggested the send
ing of Korean ministers 10 Washington
and 81. Petersburg. and the consequent
recognition OF the independence of Korea.
until then the undisputed and recognized
vassal of China. What followed was sim
ply logical. The Korean minister 10
Washington. with a dozen or more con-
cubines. was returned unit: the min
lister for ST. Petersburg got no farther ON
his way than Shanghai.
The government at Washington suffered
in an affront TO its dignity. but. more
than this. il suffered in
Cause of loss of prestige at Picking.
Two wars This might have heen
A"o passed over. but the un-
fortunate incident of our interference led
up to and provoked the Chino-Japanese
war in 1894. the Russo-Japanese conflict
in 1905 and finally the peace OF Ports
mouth, which releeated Korea hopelessly
to Japan.
The role of the United States in that
affair was not creditable. As for Yuan
Shi Kai and Tang Shao vi. the same
may be said. Both OF these. however.
have profted by the unusual lesson in
diplomacy. Yuan is provisional president
of China and Tang. when last heard
from. was again slated for the office or
premier and also for the presidency of
the parliament.
Great Britain has never lost sight or
the powerful aid given her regular diplo-
matte representatives in China by the
functionary known as foreign adviser.
In June 1908. Sir Walter Hitler, a diplo-
mat by profession. was appointed. Since
then the British government has selected
for the post DR.. G.. E. Morrison. the
well known correspondent of the London
work are acknowledged. The United States
will find It difficult to associate its min
lister at Picking with such an all-seeing
argos as this intelligent journalist
The revolution in China has caused the
curtain to fall upon many of the actors
who have retired from the stage. The
only two who have reappeared are Yuan
Shi kai and Tang Shao vi. Just what
DIR. Sun Vat Sen is doing We have no
means OF knowing at this moment
We know that DIR. Sun Vat San landed
in Shanghai December 90 1911. accom-
panied by the American. Homer Lea. Who
held the rank of major general in the
revolutionary army Gen Lea was the
military and political adviser of the revo-
lutionary government and WAS well quail
fled for that difficult post by long resi-
dence and familiarity with the Chinese
language and literature. This remarka-
BILE man accompanied DIR. Sun Vat Sen.
who was elected president of the pro-
visional government on Christmas day to
Marking, where DIR. Sun was installed
In office January =, 1912.
Gen. Lea lived to see the establishment
OF the republic. when by reason of ex-
posture tperhaps the de-
Homer Lea's ceptions growing out Of
rnar conspiracies which have
been carefully concealed
he suffered a shock of paralysis, return
ing to his home at Los Angeles where he
died few months ago. Gen. Lea ii
should be added, has left a widow. who
was with him in China and who returned
with him to Los Angeles This dis
tinguished American wrote an important
book. The Valor of Ignorance" in which
the author warns the United States
against invasion by Japan.
Gen. Ii Yuan Hung, vice president OF
the republic, was elected February ~.
1912. by the Marking assembly. He il
forty-eight years OF age and was born in
Hupeh. near Hankow, being the son of
colonel i'm the Chinese army. Hung grad
uated at the naval college and command
ed the guns OF the cruiser Chenyuan in
the Chino-Japanese war. Gen. Hung at
tended a course of military lectures AT
Toxic prepared himself for army service,
entered that service as ma jor and subse-
quently was made colonel. In the revo-
lutionary army he was considered hero.
tives Of fourteen provinces commander
in-chief.
Neither in parliament nor in the field
of politics do We hear more of many inn
pOrtant actors in the recent revolution.
There is no mention, for example. OF
Prince Chun, regent, of Gen. Yin Chang,
former minister at Berlin: of kang Yu
Wei, nor OF our old friend. WI Ting
fang, whom Yuan Shi kai promised To
make minister of foreign affairs. but
failed to keep his promise
Tang Shao vi fits across the stage
spasmodically. We know he served Yuan.
to whom he is the devoted Achates in
the negotiations at Marking. where Tang
showed the parliament there that Yuan
would go there il hidden. but could not.
because handicapped by a bad kneecap.
Then Tang was made premier. His last
appearance was June Is, when the dis
Patches reported him as having fled TO
Ifentsin TO escape the clutches of the