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THE SUCCESSION TO THE DRAGON THRONE.
March 19-1906.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
administer his province than embark on the was the subject of general comment. uncertain waters of rebellion. It was not of the Press organs, we are informed, indeed till his Imperial master had kicked to regard General TERAUCHt's alle him out of the Palace that he made up his remarks as bumiliating to England mind to open sedition, and then it took the blow to her pride. There was form of lending himself to the private concensus of opinion in Berlin that Gothlig designs of the EMPRESS DOWAGER, which he short of compulsory military service orn certainly influenced for evil. But if such bring the British army to what 18 - be the position with regular officials, there described as the Continental level, are others whose attitude is at beat anom- was concluded from the Tokyo telegram that alous, and who apparently have every army reform was the wedge which would interest in prolonging the present state of split up the structure of the Anglo-Japanese uncertainty. Foremost amongst these is, Alliance, as Japan will not consent for of course, the eunuch LI LIEN-YING, known long to any one-sided bargain," It is only to the Chinese as the "False Eunuch." It necessary to offer upon this comment the is notorious that of all the Emperor's sub criticism that the two Powers solely con- jects LI LIEN-YING has been the most cerned were fully cognisant of the organ, successful in gaining the personal favour of isation of each other's forces when the com- the DowAGER: his position entitles him to pact was made, and it may moreover be access to the most private apartments of the safely affirmed that neither Power con Palace, and being au ambitious and clever ceive any desire to interfere in
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(Daily Press, 10th March) THAT there has been serious trouble within the precincts of the Imperial Palace at Pek- Ing there is, not withstanding officials denials, no room for doubt. The DOWAGER EMPRESS, who succeeded so ably in getting hold of the reins of government, and who notwith- standing the difficulties inherent to her originally inferior position in the Household, has made her private wishes law throughout the empire of China, and has well passed her seventieth year, must soon in the natural outcome of things begin to lose that power of initiative which up to the present has carried her in safety through the multi- farious plots and intrigues of which Chinese human nature even more than that of other races, after an experience of upwards of twenty centuries, has shown itself so pro- man he at an early date contrived to gain military administrative arrangemente
lific, That the DOWAGER EMPRESS is be- ginning to feel her declining vigour is pretty evident from her declared wish to have the succession to the throne put on some stable basis, but the very mention of this has had the effect of arousing all the dangerous elements which are sure to surround a disputed succession. A short time ago, in commenting on the advisibility of settling this difficult affair in advance, we gave a sketch so far as outside information was available of the princes of the blood nearest of kin to the Throne; but it seems that so apparently simple a problem is not so easy of solution as at first sight it would appear. Much of this difficulty has, of course, pro- ceeded from the former attempts of the EMPRESS DOWAGER to interfere with the succession, the most serious of which was the choice o an agnate in the same generation to succeed the deceased EMPEROR TUNG-CHI, and the consquent persecution of his ill-fated widow, the EMPRESS ALUTIA, who there is good reason to believe was at the time pregnant. The details of all this have been carefully screened from the out- side world; but in order to do so unusual precautions had to be taken, and the very taking of these precautious, which could not naturally be concealed from the sharp eyes of the Peking populace, has been prolific in raising a crop of more or less crude surmises, none having any authentic foundation; but of some slight importance as indicating, like feathers, the current of popular thought. The apparently authentic discovery of some carefully manufactured bombs on the rail- way premises outside the city would indicate that some plot was being hatched which would need for its accomplishment resort to violence, but no evidence to connect them with any individual or party has as yet appeared, and the secret, for China at least, where such things generally leak out long before they are ripe for execution, has been well kept on both sides. Rumours have been current Amongst the Chinese that actual officials of high rank are prepared to take advantage of the position, and are even aiming at the but all such rumours must be Throne, received with caution. It is a fact that nerveless as s the Chinese system of adminis. tration seems to be, no high officer of the throne, with a few rare examples, notably at the close of the Eastern Han, has ever found himself in a position to openly claim the Throne. One of the chief reasons is, of course, that in the main the high officials. who are always carefully selected for administrative ability, are well affected and possessed of sufficient power to prevent any one of their number actually taking up Even the late Li HuNG-CHANG, who certainly was restrained by no scruples of conscience, found it more profitable to
arms.
an ascendancy over the mind of his imperious mistress such as no one else possesses. The ancient ballad, well known to every Chinese scholar, sings:-
"Who learn no right, know no remorse,
Are woman and her unsexed crew,”
and the imperial eunuch is the most despis. ed of all about the Court; but this by no means deprives him of power, and a eunuch more clever than usual may, as LI LIEN-YING, make himself an influence in the State who cannot be disregarded by the highest official. But Li LIEN-YING, besides being ambitious, is acquisitive, and turns the tables on those that profess to look down on him by making then the butt of his exactions. He has thus, even beyond
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the other are embodied in Army Reform Schemes propounded in England both before and since the Treaty was signed. It seems to us that only in ignorance of the intention, could the reference made by the exact terms of the Treaty, or with ironic
Japanese War Minister be taken to con- cern the British War Office schemes for re-organisation. So far as the English papers we have seen disclose public feeling with regard to what was later ascertained to be a misleading announcement, we observe that where it was not received with caution prompted by a belief that the Minister's remarks had been strued or misinterpreted, it was treated the favour of his its humorous bearing upon the imperial mistress, a very substantial | Army Reform schemes of the late Govern. basis of power in the back ground in meut. A cartoon in the Tribune, the new being enormously wealthy; so that in Liberal organ, pictures Joan BULL sitting popular imagination LI LIEN-YING is at the at his desk surprised by the intrusion of a beginning and end of every story connected Japanese officer with a message in his baud with the Palace. It is thus no matter of bearing the words "Terms of Anglo-Japan- surprise that he should be popularly con- ese Alliance." In a capacious waste-paper nected with every movement about the basket beside JOHN BULL'S desk are to be Imperial residence. LI LIEN-YING's move- observed documents representing the Army ments have, therefore, a significance, such as schemes of Mr. ARNOLD FOSTER, Mr. does not appear with regard to those of any BRODRICK and others and Japan is repre- other individual however highly placed, and sented as saying to JOHN BULL, who is the mere rumour of his having been dis- looking up in amazement at the intruder : missed by the EMPRESS DOWAGER flew like " wildfire; and his apparent return to the Palace gave birth to all manner of sinister reports. With his Imperial mistress be possesses one thing in common, and that is the faculty of keeping his own counsel. Who are his friends, and who his enemies, and in whose favour he utilises, whether for himself or someone else, his influence is practically an unknown factor, and this aggravates the uncertainty of the situation.
Still the fact remains that affairs in the Imperial Palace at Peking are by no means in à satisfactory condition, and any day we may hear of an explosion which will affect the Empire, or even lead to European complications.
JAPAN AND BRITISH ARMY
REFORM.
(Daily Press, 12th March.)
The London papers which arrived by the English mail reflect the flutter created last month in British Army circles by a telegram which REUTER'S correspondent sent from Japan affirming that General TERAUCHI, the Minister of War, had announced in the Diet that having regard to the obligations of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance he would urge the British Government to reform its ariny organisation at some future date. In military circles, of course, susceptibilities were hurt by the telegram. In Berlin it
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May your abject servant venture to enquire if my most estimable friend has yet got his army in a state of active efficiency ?"
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Japan at the time heard only of the resentment General TERAUCHI's alleged remark had aroused, and nobody was more distressed about it than the GENERAL him- self, who speedily set to work to correct the erroneous impression created by imperfect translation. Article VII. of the Treaty of Alliance reads: "The conditions under which armed assistance shall be afforded by either Power to the other in the circum- stances mentioned in the present agreement, and the means by which such assistance is to be made available, will be arranged by the Naval and Military authorities of the contracting parties, who will from time to time consult one another fully and freely, upon all questions of mutual interest. In this Diet on January 31st an interpellation was: addressed on this clause of the agreement the WAR MINISTER, who was asked whether such negotiations as the clause, contem. plates had already commenced. General TERAUCHI replied that he was aware of the terms of the Treaty of Alliance, and that the stipulation referred to would be acted upon, but the Government had not yet entered into any discussion on the subject. In the translation and condensation for purposes this was made to read that WAR MINISTER had announced his at some future date to urge upon tisk Government the necessity of reformin