New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-05
Hsu Shih- Chang, aScholaf, utBoy
Emperor Back on China Throne
Sworn Brother of Yuan Shh-kai and Former Guardian OF
Baby Monarch the Real Brains Behind Republics Over
throw-Gen. Chang I4sun Figures Only Soldier

will soon win him the love of his men
and the retrd Of his acquaintance"
Like an American Boss
In short, quite a typical woolly
Western American boss. He has not
won the regard of his European and
American newspaper acquaintance.
But there is not the remotest doubt
that he has succeeded in winning the
hearts Of his own men. Well-to-do
merchants of Hsuchow may look upon
him as a highway robber and whisper
in the innermost cells of their own
hearts of the highway robbery origin
Of Chang Hsun, but his soldiers would
bear testimony early and late TO how
free and liberal he is with the goods
and treasures he takes away from the
merchants. All Of which proves that
he has mastered the one cardinal secret
Of commanding the absolute and whole
hearted devotion Of the Chinese SOL
der
Moreover, this man has risen from
the ranks literally he was a private
when young. lie is now about sixty
two years Of age. but he has never lost
the contempt of the soldier for the
brocade and the ceremony. At the time
of the revolution which overthrow the
Manchu dynasty he became famous for
his stubborn defence of Nankin
Yuan Shh-kai. with whom Chang
stood on the footing Of comrade,
thought a good deal of Chang when he
came to power.
Hsu Shih-chang the Power
But Chang Hsun is not and never
was the brain of the present restora-
tion movement which put the boy En-
peror on the throne. General Chang is
all hands and feet. Chang Hsun, the
dictator, will dictate mighty little. The
brain of the movement is elsewhere.
Hsu Shih-chang is the brain OF the
fighting men Of the Peiyang party. He
is one of the greatest scholars of the
empire; as a statesman he ranks at the
very top; in China or elsewhere II
would be difficult to find a man more
polished in short, he is as far from
Chang Hsun, the soldier, as east is
from west. He came from an old fam
lily famous throughout the land for it's
scholarship and early in life he distin-
guished himself in letters.
lie lost his father when mere child
and was reared by the father OF Yuan
Shih-kai, and grew up with him. And
when Yuan became the President OF the
republic Hsu Shih-chang was the one
upon whom Yuan leaned; he was
known as the "sworn brother" Of Yuan
and took the Office of Secretary of State
under him in 1915.
At the overthrow of the Manchu dy-
nasty he WAS the grand guardian Of
the baby Emperor with Shin Hsu. He
is more than sixty years old, and for
years has steadily declined to take an
active part in the political turmoils at
Picking. There is no other statesman
in all China to-day who would COM
mand as wide and as profound re-
ST. ct of the country at large as Hsu
Shih-chang.
Equal to an Army Corps
His mere presence with the imperial
rarity would mean more than many an
army corps as far as political China
is concerned. But Hsu Shihchang IS
a scholar of the old school. There is
no hint of an astute and aggressive
politician of the late Yuan Shih-kai
type. This element is supplied by ex-
Premier Tuan and his more or less as
piring colleagues in quite a generous
measure.
Another man of the North China
party who has come into the llmellgnt
OF late is General Mich Shih-chun'
Provincial Chief of Anhui. Up to the
conference of the military governors
at Chang Hsuns town. Hsu-chow,
which has been handed down TO fame
as the Hsu-chow conference, General
Mich was an almost unknown hgure
outside of China. He was known as
one of Yuan Shih-kai's lieutenants.
When the panicstricken Mancnu
court summoned Yuan out OF ms
Honan home General Mich served
under Yuan as the commander OF the
left wing of Yuan's army. When
Yuan was dreaming OF the imperial
throne for himself Mich was promised
the dignity of a prince of the empire
in company with such men as General
Feng Ku-chang. -.
He is reported to be extremely init
mate with ex-Premier Tuan since the
davs Of the Hsu-Chow conference. 30
much so in fact that Chang Hsun IS
somewhat Jealous of him. He is one
OF the three or four active leaders VINO
have brought the restoration move
ment out of foggy dream into the
light of substantial and established
fact And we shall hear good deal
more Of him. no doubt. as the situation
develops. as he is a soldier like Chang
Hsun. but, unlike him. he is politician
after the heart OF Tuan Chi-Jul.