Iditarod pioneer., 1916-07-15
PASSING OF YUAN SEiI KAI,
 FIRST CHINESE PRESIDENT

Yuqn Shi Kai, first president of the Chinese republic, whose death was an nounced on June 6, was reported May 2S to have been taken seriously ill. At that time dispatches from China said 1t was be fieved in Pcking that the president had been poisoned. bat this report was demtu bv the Chinese ambassador at Washing ton who insisted that tbc president was not even ill.
 Yuan Shi llai died while the storms of revolution were gathering in increasing strength. The revolt broke out in l9l9, when the president announced his Intenucn of establishing monarchy and ascending the throne as the first emperor ot new dynasty. His coronation was set for early in February of this year, but was post noncd indefinitely, owing to the eXtra0rdi- nary ralidity with which the revolt spread through Southern China. Several attempts were made upon the presidents life, and 4 bomb ulot was discovered in the imperial palace.
 The establishment of a monarchy was strenuously opposed hy Japan, and the hnaI abandonment of the plan was largely cred ited to the representations made ny iokIo.
 The revolt progressed however, and in March the governors of the Chinese prov irces demanded the resignation of the N"e-'- dent h May the provinces ot NhaN,l ana shantung announced their independence, and provisional goyerEucnt was c-saD- li.hed by the general, commanding the rev olutionary forces in the south.
 = ',,. tFE,N- 24 his intention to resign when suitable successor was chosen. 1t was reported a little later that the president intended to take rcfuce in Japan, and dispatches from ToLio said that he was negotiating for q residence in the Japanese capital.
 In recent years Yuan Shj kai had be come the mos- conspicuous parsonage ct the Orient thrauch hi efforts to bring his 40o eco coo fellow yej ow men Iyo Ina &. citizens of the new republic of Ca"4. h." task If tmn,1- this mos. anclen. en" back ward of king .o"- iEjo a 1'r'.io "'JhI: whose confines there was nth ol lh" world, inhabitants republic four t'm as large a> the Julr"j States was obNo",lE no ea.y one. and the man who at,en."'5: n GiG moi cscanc storm, of criticism from
 hose who held that he was a dictator, NF- tr=l}v founding ns" dynasty But among foreigucrs e,ueally Yuan Shi Tai wa given credit for a~ able an administrator .5 c.u,u be expected under the clrcu" 5.arce-.
 Long h,fara Yuan Sh kaj WA. widely known abroad ho hal been accepted by tie Mauch.~ the ChiHc,e and the foreigners n China a+ a coming man.
 E,rn in lS5Q. tha s,n of r district gov cynar iu the province oi Us&aa lua@ Sn Kai 4~nfr.I to an oai@.aI position. but the rule wa< that official life w4s open oal. to those who passed cNa-oin4,;ons .n aa- cirn; classics Yuan utterly f.loa n one if the-a goverHHent tests, af winch th"@- sand, ol a.nraat- are cIosated :ar three days undergoing examination.
 IT, ven. into Korea a, a secretary with .he army. end there rose rapidly 1hrouh tle Nli.- of military md linl'ma.:c 2a3 iv. Iha famous granI chancellor. !l il.n- "han~. recognized A him q man "f action and appointed him Chinese re .,jeu- a Seoul TI..s was the highest post ill th4 .mrira. aaI Yuan lei i. when he wa~ on'y -G ytars sIL When the JapaHe~a ,.raTa ,ao C1lnea out of Korea he WIS one Of .Ic t.a - return to Feking still ln the iaror of inc court.
 IT, Iy.e tp greet prominence through h'. effective r,aT.aui.a-.pu uf tae army aitre he var with ,Ea. .a had shown is weak !s,-cs. t is garorglly held that Eo as ~:.-75 inc e.a"ra:s 3a"a a" in eacr.HT q coup de otat in ISoS by which she wro.,o% the nryua from the Emperor N@ang lja& .ot h. W,s poa oaul@gly aecu>ed of betr3E4ng the emperor. The aowaecr appointed him goyc,..r of ~h44trng. where, during the Boxer raheIliou, he di.pIayeI his astvte- ness. Invited to join the Boxer sect. he dared not frankly refuse. although he ha. no svn..4thy with their fanaglols'5s. H. agreed to join the Boxer movement if it- l.a1.lz weld prove to him their ceatsn- t:,u that those of their -c-s ~eJe inm@nc 10 f,re.en bullets. He ta!d them he hat one of tho foreign guns in his own house and that if eEe leaders would meet him 1T his garden thn next day he WovI. stand them up against the wall and try the for ci.n Gcv:l% magic on them If the bull !et- did not hurt, Yuan woUh! become > Boxer. So sublime vas the faith Of on. leader that he submitted to the test and, uccc. ding to the story, ieH dead at the first bullet, which pierced his heart.
 Yuan Shi Xxi was thus freed from any obligation to join the f4natlcaI movement of the Boxers. As matter of fact, he was given credit fer material assistance |" the foreigners during the warfare which the aIle~ Uaged in China.
 With the death of the empress dowagcr
 md the Emperor kuans Isu, almost coin ci@cutaIly and possibly each by poison 2t tLc hand~ of inc other the chdi emperor E-Ju Tung, came to the throne under the regency of Prince Chan. Yuan. presum- ably because he had gained such control of the army was dismisssd in disgrace, I- though noninalIy on prstezt of curing sore leg"
 When the Manchu rebellion broke cut in October, 1911. the lianchu regency, in despair, urged Yuan to return. The lat ter replied that his leg was not ye; well but when given authority aS supreme com Inandsr of all forces of the north he ac- ccrtcd. lie also became the first premier of the Irresponsible cabinet which the re