A CHINESE BISMARCK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 197, 29 July 1881, Page 4

A CHINESE BISMARCK.

State cabals in China come to us softened into a whisper by the thickness of the globe between us, but just now in Pekin they are savage and bitter enough. The Empress of the West having died, the peace party under Prince L Hung Chaug have come into direct conflict with the war party. It is precisely the same struggle that is going on in' England "between Conservatives : an3 ; Liberals, and here between the two factions of the Administration party. In China, however, the pi ogressive Liberals are led by the man who personally has pro-, bably more influence" over the masses than any other — the great General Tsb-Tsun-Tjfflg. He has returned from his post in the ; North-west, where -he ruledthe people and army with the- iron force! of Napoleon, to the capita^ where he has" been appointed Minister . of War. He will be sure to have afinger'in every' department of Chinese policy, and~to make Pekin unpleasant for : 'atybodyV Prince or Empress, who differs with him J He is the leader in the new attempt to' manufacture wool without ; the<aid of foreign capital, but with the : aid of' European skill and machinery.; H^ha^ imported German- operatives to teach '■ the -Chinese the mysteries of spinnings and weaving with thenewest inventions ip mills.- It is he who is directmg>the : anti[- - opium movement with such tremendouV force. No soldier in his service is permitted r to use either . the Indian opium or the native, _ which is now being largely raised in the West. It was the same GeneraL Tao who. prompted the leading points in the late treaties with Eussia and this country. In short, he is likely to be for some time to come as important a power in Chinese diplomacy as he has been; ia Chinese arms. This Eastern Bismarck possesses all the popular features of a hero. He is of low birth, ia honest, downright, truthful to brutality. He takes his course after careful consideration^ but allows no power to turn him out of it. He dresses shabbily, sleeps on an iron cot, fares as hardly as the common soldier, but spends his money in buying Krupp cannon and ./European machinery to ■ help his countrymen. He is, of course, idolised by his soldiers, who are never weary of telling anecdotes of his eccentricities, especially how he tried marriage and a luxurious life for two weeks, and then sent back his bride to her parents, saying he "had enough of that sort of foolishness " and then returned to his tent and hard fare. His habit of chopping off the head of any inferor who displeases him does not lessen the popular affection for him. The average man, whether Chinese or American, can pardon a good deal of brutality in his hero, provided it is based on real brute courage. General Tso, as well as his rival leader^ Prince Li, has pressed upon the Chinese the necessity of railways. The 'China Telegraph ' ; cays '< Two lines of railway will b 6 Milt daring ;' the coming

year if Tso-Tsun-Tang approves of the proposed routes." He is also said to advocate the establishment of news- , papers throughout China. Several have been started lately on the European plan, besides the Government organ Kertg-pao." Each party has its journal, and even the lower orders in in China begin to feel that thirst for news which only a daily paper will satisfy. On the whole this Chinese leader seems fairly to deserve the applause due to the great original human force in the world. He is the motive power at present of millions of men, and is incontestably trying to move them up to a higher standpoint. He may make mistakes, but they will be mistakes of honest ignorance, not selfish fraud. — < New York Tribune.' |