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Show A Prince in His Line. . JHE death of Li Hung Chang leaves 1 China without a statesman of the first rank. For nearly -half a century cen-tury he has stood between China and the land-hungry powers of Europe His crafty and masterly diplomacy averted he apparently inevitable partition of the ancient empire. Time and time again his marvelous skill in intrigue Plucked the fruit of victory from the nettles of defeat. He was the prince of prevaricators, says the Anaconda Standard. The world has never known a greater master of the art of deceit-he deceit-he made it a science. When Japan had China by the throat; when her victorious troops swept the Celestial armies from their path like chaff; when Pekin, like a ripe plum, was ready to fall into the' Mikado's hand, it was Li Hung Chang who turned Japan's victory into defeat. He appealed to France. Russia nnri Germany, and as a result Japan was kicked off the mainland, robbed of the spoils of victory and forced into a position po-sition of perpetual hostility with Russia. Rus-sia. Machlavelli himself could not have played the game better. Whipped to a standstill, China was yet the victor. vic-tor. ' ;' Again when English aggression seemed seem-ed destined to reduce China to the position po-sition of a second India; whei) English trade and influence were pushed like a wedge into the heart of the Chinese empire, Li Hung Chang turned to Russia. Rus-sia. Banking and railway concessions were made to the czar, to check the growing power of England, and the "two great hostile nations were left snarling at each other like two hyenas 'over a carcass. China was saved again. I When Russia began playing the master, mas-ter, when with the decay of English ' influence the time seemed ripe to make I Russia's overlordship a fact, there came ' the Kaio Chou affair, and Germany threw her forces straight across the line of Russian advance a fatal checkmate to ambitious plans. Li j Hung Chang of course is credited with the coup; which, costly as it was, saved I China from being made a Russian pro- . vince. Li's part in the settlement of the ' Boxer troubles is too recent to need reviewing. Craftily and cleverly one European land-grabber was played off against another until out of the strife China was able to emerge unscathed, save for the payment of indemnity and the promise of trade concessions. Li Hung Chang was an individualized Tammany Hall. His systematic blackmail black-mail and jobbery made him the richest man in Asia, and one of the wealthiest wealthi-est in the world. It is t'he. Chinese ; way. But in spite of it, or because of , it, the fact still remains that he was the greatest intellectual force Asia has known, and there is no one able to rick up his burden of statecraft. |