Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1915-12-13
President of China Accepts
The Throne rendered By The
Council of State In Nation

PEKIN, Dec. 13.-The council Of
state has rendered the throne Of
China to Yuan Shi-Kai, president OF
the Chinese Republic, and he has ac-
cepted the honor.
In recent years Yuan Shi-Kai has
Lecome the most conspicuous person
atty of the Orient through his effort9
to bring his 100000 fellow yellow men
into line as citizens of the new Re
Lublic of China The task of turning
this most ancient and backward king
dom into a republic within whose cor
fines there was fifth of all the in =
habitants of the world-a republic
four times as large as the United
States-was obviously no easy one and
the man who attempted it did not es-
cape storms of criticism from those
who held that he was dictator, vir-
actually came into being today. But
aually founding a new dynasty, which
among foreigners generally Yuan Shi-
kai was given credit for an able ad.
ministration as could be expected un-
der tha nirpum sfapaoo
Long before Yuan Shi-kai was wide
ly known abroad he had been accept
ed by the Manchus, the Chinese, and
the foreigners in China as a coming
man.
Born in 1859, the son of district
governor in the province of Honar,
Yuan Shi-kai aspired to an official DO
sition, but the rule was that official
life was open only to those who pass
ed in ancient classics. Yuan utterly
failed in one of those government tesrs
ct which thousands of aspirants are
oloseted for three days undergoing
examination.
He went into Korea as a secretary
with the army and there rose rapid
ly through his display of military and
diplomatic ability. The famous grand
chancellor, Lii Hung Chang recogniz-
ed in him man Of action and ap-
pointed him Chinese resident at Seoul.
This was the highest post in the en-
pire and Yuan held it when he was
only 26 years old. When the Japan
csc drove the Chinese out of Korea, he
was one of the few to return to Pekin
still in the favor of the court.
He rose to great prominence
through his effective reorganization
CT the army after the war with Japan
had shown its weaknesses. 1t is gen
orally held that he assisted the En-
press Dowager in effecting a coup
detat in 1898 by which she wrested
the throne from the Emperor Kuang
Shu, and he was popularity accused OF
betraying the emperor The dowager
appointed him governor of Shang tung
province, where during the Boxer re-
bellion he displayed his astutenes5.
Invited to join the Boxer sect, he dar
ed not frankly refuse, although he ha
no sympathy for their fanaticism. He
agreed to join the Boxer movement If
its leaders would prove to him their
contention that those of their sect
were immune to foreign bullets. He
told them he had one of the foreign
guns in his own house and that if the
leaders would meet him in the gar
dens the next day he would stand
them up against the wall and try the
foreign devils magic" on them. If
the bullets did not hurt, Yuan would
become Boxer. So sublime was the
faith of one leader that he submitted
10 the test, according to the story, and
fell dead at the first rifle bullet which
pierced his heart. Yuan Shi-kai was
thus freed from any obligation to join
the fanatic movement of the Boxers.
AS matter of fact he was given cred
it for material assistance to the for
eigners during the warfare which the
Allies waged in China.
With the death of the empress dow
ager and the emperor, Kuang Hsu,