Evening star., 1923-10-14
CHINA'S NEW PRESIDENT
STARTEDLIFE ASPEDDLER
Personality and Willingness to Be Fig
urehead Has Raised Tsao From
>Coolie to Head of Republic.

, teacher in the institution. Five years
later he was made director Of q SOL
diers' training school at the place
where Yuan Shih-kai, then trusted
and later to be selected by fate as the
, first president of the republic was
training an army on the same lines
that are used in this country. China
was at war with Japan, war which
resulted most disastrously for China.
and Yuan Shih-kai gFasped the need
of discarding outworn methods of
warfare, of throwing aside the javelin
and the bow to take up the rife and
the machine gun. In his task of re-
constructing the army of the empire
he chose the young military teacher
as an assistant.
Invited By MaRchu.
Tsao Kun, the peddler of dry goods
who became n foot soldier and then
an instructor of other soldiers, who
/ is the man who has now been elected
president OF the republic was fortu-
nate in attracting the attention of
his superiors and in gaining their
good graces. After the Boxer rising
OF 1900 had been quelled by the troops
of this country, of Great Britain. Ger
many. Russia and the other allies
who went to the relief of the be-
d
general Invited Tsao Kun to Poating-
fu, the capital of the province of
Chill. to assist in the training Of
new troops in western methods of
warfare.
1t was an important move for Tsao
The little village Of Paotingfu, not
far from the great capital of Peking,
was destined to play an important
part In his life. and it is from his
palatial home in Paotingfu that he
I1n
of the republic. He was made a regi-
mental commander. with 1900 troops
under him. His rise was rapid, and
by 1903 he had become full general
In command OF 10000 soldiers.
At this time he was sent north of
the capital of Manchuria, the home
land of the reigning house. He was
still in Manchuria, although not in
the city OF Mukden, at the outbreak
of the revolution by the republicans
! in the fall of 1911 and was ordered
to move southwark to suppress the
rebellion. Being successful near the
coast, he was dispatched to the in
ferior province of Shansi and then
farther south to the valley of the
upper Yangtze.
Loyalty to his old commander, Yuan
/ Shih-kai, decided his course when
Yuan compromised with the revolu-
tionists. forsaking the imperial fam
lily UcSoHiiHS CSioOhI VI tHC
newly born republic. In 1915, when
Yuan sought TO found new imperial
dynasty, with himself as emperor,
Tsao Kun still supported him, for
which he was rewarded with the mil
itary governorship of the immensely
, important metropolitan province of
Chilli, a post which Yuan himself had
| held in former days. Two years later
he was made commander-in-chtef of
| the troops sent to Human and Hupeh
| to put down a rebellion in the south
land, but failed miserably in his post.
His. command was later enlarged to
include two additional provinces, a
command which was only nominal,
since both provinces were then and
still are entirely Independent Of the
Peking government.
! Is Not Large Man.
Tsao Kun is moi a largo man
physically, although the son of North
China is often. six feet or more. He
| is practically bald. but wears heavy.
| fiercly bristling mustache. His eyes
are the typical eyes of China, mex
pressiyR.and an enigra to the man
4