The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-12-02

0v4B ~O -
in upon me fresh from China. spok.
OF Tuan Fang and asked what had be-
come Of him. He replied:
His enemies have cut him shorter
by a head"
Such was the fate Of a man who IN
many respects was like Gladstone. and
who was as much of a patriot as was
jefferson or Washington.
I am told that Ii Hung Chang
name grows greater in China as The
years go on. A memorial tablet has
been put up for him in Peking and
temples have been erected in his hon
or in the many cities where he ruled
as An Official l visited the temple in
Ttentsin. 1t is in the heart OF the new
! section of the city, surrounded by
great schools and factories. Two
mighty marble lions, larger than life.
guard the entrance: it has a high wan
about it, and also huge gates with
tiled roofs. The temple grounds
! cover acres. A wide stone pavement
leads from the front gate to the main
building, in which is a great table,
Of stone bearing an inscription com
memorating Lii Hung Chang's great
ness and services. The temple is
large; 1t is beautifully carved and
magniAcently decorated with red and
gold. On the road leading to it stand
twelve marble tablets, each about four
feet wide and twice as tall as a man.
Upon them is inscribed a short history
of Ii. In this building is an altar
upon which sacrifices are offered.
There is a statue Of Lii at Shanghai.
and he has a temple at Canton / am
told that he could have made himself
Emperor Of China at almost any time
during the last twenty years OF his life.
and that even before that Gen. Chi
nese' Gordon planned to do this. Cor
don had asked Ii for the use of his
army for a month. and Ii had con
sented, supposing he intended to put
down some minor rebelIions nearby.
He was about to start When Ii asked
where he was going. Gen. Gordon re
piled that he was about to march on
Picking and proclaim him Emperor OF
China. LII at once cOuntermanded his
promise, and the plot fell through.
have had a half dozen interviews
with Ii Hung Chang during my sew
eral visits to Asia Before l first went
to see him in 1888, when he was vice
roy of Chilli. | was warned by our
counsel that it was foolish to try to
get a newspaper story. Said the IN
sui:
You will not have a chance to ask
a question. The old viceroy will turn
you inside out like a glove. He Will
ask you about everything under the
sun and will keep talking while he
himself says nothing"
7. Forewarned in this way. I decided
to tack a question to my every an
swer, and did SO. The plan worked
like a charm. Lis brain was q dyna-
mo which could not help throwing
out sparks If anything struck it, and
as a result my questions gave me three
columns Of excellent stuff. pursued
the same policy in future converse
tons and was always successful.
3 My last interview with Prince Ii
: was at Canton in the yea 1900. The
conversation covered a wide range,
among other personal questions
= his excellency asked me how much
money l made in my newspaper work
My answer was evasive, but l tackled
: 1t is currently reported in the United
1 States that you are the richest man
!. in the world. Our papers say you are
i worth one. ndr million dollars
s I have wondered whether that is true"
0 The old viceroy laughed and replied:
Most of my riches are in American
u newspapers. Indeed / am 80 poor
: here he chuckled-that think you
rich American editors ought to raise a
e fund for me-"
When Ii died he left an estate
which was actually worth over $12.
Gee, 000. He owned pAwnShops in al
e most every city Of the empire, and ha
had millions lent out in that way
One-third of his money was in pawn
e shops. He owned poppy farms and
opium factories, although he wa.
O avowedly an opponent Of the opium
evil. He had a great zeal Of STOCK
> In the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank
was interested in other banks
and In railroad and steamship com
a p4nlea. He was a man Of great bust
II ness ability; and had he been one Q
,e our princes of finance he would hav.
d led in the money market.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.
Is cHARi 0TTE AtlRnEP