The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-06-06
Yuan Shi-KOi Died in Pekin
Today After Illness of
Few Days
DEATH HELPS SOLVE
POLITICAL CRISIS
Had Been Most Conspicuous Figure i'll
the Orient in Recent Years - Held
High Post at Seoul When Only 26
Years oId-Helped Reorganize Army.

PEKIN, China, June 6.-Yuan Shi-kai,
president OF the Chinese republic, died
today. Prince Tuan Chi-Jui Immediately
advised Li-Yuan-Hung, the vice president,
of his succession to the presidency Yuan
Shi-kai had been i'll several days with
nervous breakdown
Quiet prevails today in the capital, the
death of the president apparently solving
the Pekin political crisis.
In recent years Yuan Shi-kai had become
the most conspicuous personality of the
Orient through his efforts to bring his
400, 900, 900 fellow yellow men into line as
citizens of the new Republic of China
The task of turning this most ancient and
backward of Kingdoms into a republic
within whose confines there was a fifth OF
the worlds inhabitants-a republic four
times as large as the United States-was
obviously no easy one and the man who
attempted it did not escape storms of crit
icisms from those who held that he was a
dictator, virtually founding new dynas-
ty. But among foreigners generally Yuan
Shi-kai was given credit for as able an ad-
ministration as could be expected under
the circumstances.
Long before Yuan Shi-llai was widely
known abroad he had been accepted by
the Manchus, the Chinese, and the for
eigners in China as a coming man.
Born in 1859, the son of district gov
ernor in the province of Honan, Yuan
Shi-kai aspired to an official position. but
the rule was that official life was open
only to those who passed in ancient clas-
sizes. Yuan utterly failed in one of those
government tests at which thousands of
laspirants are closeted for three days un-
dergoing examination.
He went into Korea as secretary with
the army, and there rose rapidly through
his display of military and diplomatic abil-
ity. The famous Grand Chancellor Ii
Hung-chang recognized in him man OF
action and appointed him Chinese resident
at Seoul. This was the highest post in
| the empire, and Yuan held it when he was
only 26 years old When the japanese
! drove the Chinese out of Korea, he was
one of the few to return to Peking still
/ in the favor of the court.
! He rose to great prominence through his
effective reorganization of the army after
t the war with Japan had shown its weak
nesses. 1t is generally held that he as
sisted the Empress Dowager in effectin;
a coup d'etat in 1898 10y which she wrestet
the throne from the Emperor Kuan.
i Shu, and he was popularity accused of he
traying the emperor. The dowager ap
! pointed him governor Of Shantung where
during the Boxer rebellion, he displayed
his astuteness.
i With the death of the Empress Dowage
!, and the Emperor Kuang Hsu. almost coin
r cidently, and possibly each by poison a
| the hands of the other. the child empero
Huan Tung, came to the throne under tin
: regency of Prince Chun. Yuan, presum
ably because he had gained such a contro
| of the army, was dismissed in disgrace, al
though nominally on pretcXt of curing
I sore leg"
Z When the anti-Manchu rebellion brok
4 out in October 1911, the Manchu regency
J in despair urged Yuan to return. Th
latter replied that his leg was not We
Il well, but when given authority as suprem
+ commander of all forces Of the North, h
T accepted. He also became the first pr
mier of the Irresponsible cabinet whie
s the regency offered the rebels as conce
d sion of peace. But neither the rebels nc
e Yuan were satisfied. The abdication
|. the Manchu rulers was forced, and tt
s boy emperor, at the dictation Of Gua
|, Shi-kai authorized the premier to organ
y ze with the rebel leaders at Nanking
e Republican form of government.
y Sun Yat-sen, the provisional president
l. the southern rebels, was forced to rcti
n and Yuan Shi-kai was elected provision
d president of the Chinese Republic at Ma
n king on February Is, 1912. He took Il
4 oath of office at Peking the followil
ID month