Evening Star Newspaper, August 11, 1894, Page 18

@ assassination. Business was su 18 THE EVENING STAR, 8 ATURDAY, AU GUST 11, 1894-TWENTY PAGES. 5 ween 5 = r THE KILLING OF KI Its Ourious Effect Upon the Corean Rebellion. A GREAT HISTORICAL TRAGEDY He Was Either a Patriot or a Traitor. STORY OF THE ASSASSIN (Copyrighted, 1594, by Frank G. Carpenter.) SEOUL, Corea, July 10, 1894. NE oF THE causes of the trouble between Japan and China, and the+be- ginning, in fact, of the present rebellion in Corea, was the as- sassination of Kim Ox Kilun at Shang- hat. Kim Ox Kiun after his famous con- splrecy in Corea fied to Japan, and he was for a long time under | the protectioa of the Japanese government. He wes inveigled ever to Shanghal, cnd was there assassinat- ed by a friend of the King of Corea. janan almost claimed him as a subject, and she thought that his murderer and his remains ehould have been carried to Tokio. Li Hung Chang aided the Coreans in trangpurting them to this place, and the maltreatment of the body of Kim was probably foreseen by Li Hung Chang when he gave the order for the Chinese vessel of war to carry the bedy to Corea. This country ts a stry mixture of barbarism and civilization. It is almost incredible that these people whose souls are full of poetry, whose tastes are, I believe, naturally refined, and wad pride themselves on being discipies of Confucius should act in the way they did with Kim Ok Kiun. His body was brought here to Corea. It was cut inte pieces and the dit- ferent parts of it have been carried over the country and hung up as a warning to traitors above the biggest gates of the largest of the Corean cities. weat mad with joy when the news came of the pented,and ‘asung and the court devoted itself to fe dancing. I am told that 150 of those frail Qfefessional maidens known as gesang or dancing girls were brought into the palace in a single night, and when I came here the other day from Chemulpo [ passed one | of these almond-eyed beauties going back | home after. her carousal at the capital. She | was on horseback, riding astride, and she | had a couple of servants with her. The tale of Kim Ok Kiun's life and death reads more like a romance of the dark ages than the story of actual doings in this year of our Lord eighteen ninety-four. It will have a xreat weinencs on cr Cocoa's future, and in it are comprised events which have materialy affected the govern- ments of this part of the world. China and , Japan are mixed up fn it, and It ts largely the cause of the war clouds which are now hovering over Asia. Russia ts deeply con- Kin Ok Kian. cerned by {t, and England ts now trembling St the possibility of {ts results upon her dian empire. This litile land of Corea is key to Eastern Asia. If the czar gets his hold upon it, Chima will probably be subjugated by the Russians, and a door wiil be opened for a Russian army into Hin- Zoostan and Burmah. Corea is within only @ few hours’ sail of Japan. It is separated from China by a wall of stakes. The lower ndary of Siberia touches it, and Russia, japan and China would all be glad to call sorea theirs. The most famous statesmen of the Japanese empire were, it is said, be- Yind Kim Ox Kiun’'s rebellion, and it is charged that a Japanese led the rebels in jhe fights with the king’s troops of a few Gays ago. To Corea’s Advantage. The rebellion of ten years ago and the rebellion of today are in the interests of modern progress, as far as the Japanese are concerned, and there fs no doubt but that Corea will come out of the fight in a better condition than she has ever been in the past. Kim Ok Kiun got his idea of charging the Corean government and of the introduction of western ctvilization through his residence in Japan. He saw wha: had been done there, and he tried to play the same game in Corea. Less than ®@ generation ago Japan was in.almost as barbarous a condition as China is today. It was ruled by feudal lords, and their soldiers went about maitreating the common people as they pleased. The mikado was merely a puppet in the hands of the army, and the real ruler was the commander-in- chief of the troops. Now Japan is one of the civilized lands of the face of the globe. It has a postal system a® good as ours. It bas adopted the national banking system. Its common schools and universities are everywhere. Its people have their parlia- ment and every Japanese has his rights. ‘The cities turn out newspapers by the mil- Hen a year, and property {s safe. The country is making money. It is one of the Fichest on the globe, and {ts public debt 1g practically nothing. The story of its change is the most wonderful page of his- tery. There ts nothing like it. In the space of less than thirty years it has jumped further on the road to civilization than any other nation has done in centuries, and today it is more civilized than any country outside of Europe,except the United States. It has a fine army and a powerful navy, and it is a giant which may make China, notwithstanding her millions, kneel. This revolution was accomplished by Jap- anese statesmen, men who held such posi- tions as Kim Ok Kiun held in Corea, and it was from them that Kim got his idea of revolutionizing bis own country. Cores, like Japan, was for years shut out from the rest of the world. Foreigners dared not land upon its shores. No one knew anything about the land, in fact, until, twelve years ago, when our own Admiral Shufeidt made the first treaty and cpened the country to the civilized world. Commodore Perry, you know,opened Japan, and the fact that America was the first to open Corea and that it has always been | friendly to the country ts one of the rea- sons why the king would like to have the United States step in and help him in his present fore Corea had been opened, Kim Ok Klun had told the ki the wonderful changes that were going on in Japan. He had fled there secretly in order tudy its civilization, and, in _cor.nection th another Corean named So Kwang Pom, had spent some years in the country. They came back ‘with the Idea of inducing the king to adopt the new civilizatiom At this time, how- ever, the king’s father was_ practically the ruler of Corea. He is a bud man, cnd|/ he hates Christianity and western methods. | He killed th nds of native Christi; and he charged Kim with trying to int duce Christianity into Corea. was that Kim came near lo: s 3 and he had to flee. The king’s father, in | fact. fomented a rebellion, and during this | the Chinese troops were called by him into | Corea nominaily to protect the kingdom. He had all along favored China, and dur. fog this rebclga be Wied to have the | for queen killed. He failed in this, and it was through her family and friends that the revolution did not succeed and the king was made the real ruler of the people. The king’s father was banished. He has since returned to Corea, and I saw him riding in state the other day through the main street of Seoul. After the rebellion was over Kim Ok Kiun and So Kwang Pom came back here. at aided, I think, in making the treaty wit! the United States, and began to plan for the introduction of modern civilization. Ambassadérs_ were sent to Washington, and they returned full of new ideas and schemes for the modernization of the coun- try. The chief of these ambassadors was Prince Min Yong Ik, who Is related to both king and queen, and who was one of the most influential of the progressionists. The foreigners from all the greatest nations es- tablished themselves at the capital, and Corea seemed to be on the same road as Japan. Kim had at this time the implicit confidence of his majesty. He was head of the colonization department, was vice pres- ident of the foreign office and had under- taken the establishment of a modern postal system for the country. He had begun to build a mint. Electric lights had been o1 Gcre% from America for the palace, and a body of Corean cadets had been sent to Japan and drilled by the soldiers there. They had come back, and the king had given them important positions in the palace. The Chinese instructors of the troops bad been dismirsed, and gatling guns were ordered from America. The Anti-Foreign larty. In the meantime, the anti-foreign ‘spirit began to rise. The Chinese saw that they and thelr civilization were losing ground every day. They felt that Corea was slip- ping away from them, and they did all they could to foment trouble. They soon had a party in their favor. Prince Min Yong Ik changed his policy, and leaned toward the Chinese, and the country was in a short time divided upon the lines of progress and anti-pregress, or, in other words, upon those of China and Japan. It is divided in the same wey today. China represents the old regime, Japan stands in the place of modern progress aad civilization. There are two parties now, as there were then, and it ay be said that these parties are headed by the families of the king and queen. The queen's family is very strong in Core. The chief officials who have been squeezing the country io ¢ nd Iam told that they fa " . They did so ten years ago, and it was through them that a large t of the king’s revenues went to the paying of Chinese troops, who traveled about the country acting in the most impudent way. Kim Ok Kiun saw with alarm the growth of this Chinese ele- ment. As Vice president of the foreign of- fice, he had to pay the bills of many con- -| tracts which were made with the Japanese, bat there was no money in the treasury. He decided to overthrow the existing gov- ernment, to seize the king, and, through him, rule Corea atter modern methods. He had influential friends to help him, and his conspiracy came to a head just about ten years ago. It was the night of December 4, 1894. The new postal service had just been open- ed. The first mail had been sent that day from here to the seesoast at Chemulpo and the new postmaster general was giving a dinner in honor of the event. The leading forvigners had rushad in 4d taken up their residence in Seoul as soon the country was opened, and a party of these noble Coreans and generals were at the table doing justice to the feast. The din- ner was at its height, when an alarm of fire was raised and it wes reported that the house of the croWn prince was in flames. Now, according to the custom of this country one of the two generals-in- chief of the army has to go to every fire that occurs in the capital. He organizes the forces for its suppression and reports upon it to the king. Gen. Min Yong Ik rose from the table and rushed for his horse. A few moments later he was brought back with his body covered with blood. He had a saber cut across his face and a half dozen serious wounds upon his person. Dr. H. N» Allen, an Ohio man, then connected with the Presbyterian Med- ieai Mission here, was called in. He took cha: of him, and it was by his skill that en almcst miraculous cure was effected. No Corean could have saved him, and it was through this treatment that Dr. Allen became the most influential foreigner in Corea. The king and queen treat him al- most as one of their family, and it is through him that the American missions have so prospered, and that the influence of the United States is today superior to that of any other ration in the world—but that is another story. In the meantime, while this was going on, Kim Ok Kiun ard one of his confederates ran to the palace. _ They stationed the Japanese cadets at the gates and per- mitted no one but their friends to enter. They told the king that the Chinese sol- diers were going to overthrow the govern- ment and capture him. They charged some of the officials with being in the plot and urged him to flee with them. Gen. Han was present. He objected to the king's go- ing with Kim, whereupon Kim kicked hinr and told him he was a traitor to the king. His majesty believed Kim’s story and he gave him his royal seal. Kim took this and sent for the most influential of his enemies. As soon as they arrived at the palace they were told to go to a certain room, where the king was, and as they entered the door Kim's cadets sliced off their heads. The king had before this been taken to another part of the palace, and word was sent to the Japanese legation asking for its troops to come to the palace to protect the king. In the meantime the Chinese legation saw what was going on. They were, I think, under the same man who is now minister to Corea, and who, by the way, is one of the shrewdest diplo- mets of the world, and who has, I am told, all the arrogance and the impudence that the Chinaman shows whenever he gets the upper hand. With his troops he at- tempted to take the palace. The Coreans came to his assistance and Kim saw that the game was up. He fled first with the king to a temple back of the palace, but the next day he allowed the Chinese to get possession of his majesty, and surrounded by his Japanese guard, fled to Chemulpo and sailed for Japan. Since then he has been under the protection of the Japanese government, and it is only through them that his life has been preserved so long. The Assassination. The true story of Kim &k Kiun's off has not been told. I get it almost direct frm his assassin. He is now nominally in prison and he cannot be brought into the presence of the kirg until thirty days from the time when his hands have touched a dead body. This is according to Corean custom. He fs well treated, however, aud when @ month has passed every one ex- ects that he will be called to court and re- ceive a high official position for his bloody murder. This man's life would inake a plot dime novel, and his assassination of Kim was done, not because he hated him, but in order that he might carry out a pet scheme of vengeance, which has, I am told, been the mainspring of his actions for years, The m2 who gfve me my information ts rean official from the northern part of e country taking 2 Who Is @ Clase Lsleng af the as- jai? to me yesterday sassin and who vas in Seoul at the time of Kim's rebellion, He came to me almost directly after a talk with the assassin, and the maa told him just how he had killed Kim at Shanghai and glcated over it as he elated why he did it. A more villainous act I never heard described. ‘The assassin'’s rame is Hong Chong Woo, He is a man of about forty years of age. He was born-near here, and when he was stijl young his father moved to the Island of Quelpart, Here Hong got an office. He was a very unjust official and he levied all sorts of unfair taxes. He squeezed the people until they were almost starving, and at last they arose in rebellion and mobbed him. In the melee Hong's mother was killed. The story of his oppressions getting out Hong raw that he could no longer stay in Quelpart and he went away, vowing vengeance = the peo- ple whom he had oppressed. He told his friends that he was going to Japan and that he proposed to learn all about modern civill- zation. He would come back in the course of yeors to Seoul and get an appointment under the king. By the aid of his knowledge he would work his way up to such a post- tion as would eventually give him the con- trol of his old tax district at Quelpart and he would then squeeze the life out of the PeopJe who had killed his mother. This story will sound like a tale of Munchausen’s when read in the United States. It does not sound so strange here. At any rate, Hong went to Japan. He studied French and Japanese there until he became a good enough French scholar to translate Corean books into the French and to make money out of them. With this money he went to Paris, and he landed there with only $12 in his pocket. His knowledge of French and Corean gave him work with the missionary societies of the Catholic church and he also did work and became the friend of Pere Hyacinthe. He eceumulated money and after a time returned to Japan. In the meantime the rebellion of Kim Ok Kiun had occurred. Kim was staying in Yokohama, protected by Japanese guards. Hong saw that through killing him he might gain the favor of the king and get the office which would accomplish his scheme of vengeance. He sought Kim out. He wormed his way into his confidence. He pretended to want to overthrow the Corean governnent. At the same time he privately told the minister from Corea zo Tokio that he thought Kim ought to be killed and that he was ready to do It. The legation became convinced of his sincerity and they first at- tempted with him to take Kim io Corea alive. They gave him a dinner at a tea house in Yokohama, where there were plenty of geishas ard plenty of wine. The scheme Was to get him drunk, propose a ride to cool cf, to capture him during the tide, carry him to a ship and iake him to Corea. Everything went well up to the time of Bet- ting into jinrikishas for the ride. Here it failed, because the men from the Corean legation were rot on time. Then Hong planned the assassination at Shanghal. He had great trouble in getting Kim to leave Japan, and it was only through pers im that he had the he could organize another revolvtion in Corea that he got him to go. Kim thought that if he had ten thousand dollars he could get enough Japanese troy; to go with him to Corea to co rth count He knew that the Corean sol- diers were no geod and realized that the people were on the verge of rebellion. Hong pretended he bad. the money, in, a French bank at Shanghai, and he showed Kim a forged check upon this bank for five thousand dollars. He toid Kim that thers were many ‘Hogsians in Shanghai, and that during his stay in France ite learned many thirgs about the | Ru He said that the R | building the Trans-Siberian ratirc jder to take Corea | China. He said that {about for a good str | | help them, and that sians at $ ability have the com |In this and other ways he at last. per: suaded him to leave Japan. He acted so that Kim had full faith.in him, going so far as to even present him with a sword She Rode Astride. cane, and telling him he must have this always with him, so that he could use it if attacked by any Coreans at Shanghat. On the trip Hong paid al! the bilis and he furnished Kim with money for his ex. penses at Shanghal. The two had rooms at one of the good hotels, and it was in Kim's own room that Hong shot him. Kim was lying down In his chair reading and Hong walking up and down the room pretend During the walk he got behind Kim's chair and then pulled a revolver and shot him -again and again, killing him at the third or fourth shot. You have all read how the Chinese authorities protected him, and how by Li Hung Chang's order both he and the dead remains of Kim were take to Corea All this was barbarous enough, but per- haps the most barbarous of all remains ta be told. A Horrible Sto: I refer to the treatment of Kim Ok Kiun's body. It was landed in Corea shortly be- fore I reached here, and I sailed up the Han river the other day past the spot 1 which he was mutilated. The body was taken by the Chinese vessel of war to a up this river by a depuiation from the king. There is a point about three miles from Seoul, where Kim cr: during his flight from the rebellion. In a hut beside this place the body was left over night. The next day it was taken from its coffin, stripped of its clothes, and laid face downward upon the ground. Then a murderer—murdercrs al- ways perform the part of executioners in Corea—cut the corpse into six pieces with a blunt sword. “An eye witness has told me how it was done,” said he. First the head was chopped off, then the left hand was cut off at the wrist, next the right hand at the wrist, and then the left and right feet. The hair was unloosed from the top knot, which ornaments every Corean crown, and ‘ue heal was tied by the hair with’ the fect and hands to the crossings of three poles,which were proppel against cach other Ike those of a tent. trunk The bloody was left iying on the ground below these. Then upon the coffin, which stood nearby, and upon the poles, were fastened strips of paper, bearing in large Corean characters the crime of Kim and a denunciation of his deed. For three days the remains were left in this condition, and the Japanese photographer of Seowl took a picture of them, Which lies before me, and I have had a sketch made by my Corean artist from the photograph. At the end of the three days the remains were taken down, and they are now well on their way through all < of Covea. They are carried by the king's royal courlers and six of these men have each a plece which they are bearing to and from the governors of the six iead- ing provinces of the country. Each zov- ernor will receive his portign of the dead body with fitting ceremonies, and for threc days it will be hung over the main gate of his capital city as 9 warning to craitors. After this time 't will be taken down and will be given back to tha courier, who wih carry it to the mountain of Cho Pi San This mountain ts about sixty miles from Secul. Here the different couriers will meet from now and derosit the re- ich time, decay and the birds , left of the body. They will throw it on the spot, which is considered the most disgraceful of this dishonorable mountain. have It is, I am told, the only mountain tn Corea which does not potat Its head toward Seoul, and this lack of consideration for the majesty of the king probably causes It to be the place upon which the remains of all executed rebels are thrown. One of the most curlous things that I heve heard in connection with Kim Ol Kiun’s execution, and one which gives a good insight into Corean character and the condition of the country, was in relation to the couriers who are carrying about this dead human fiesh. A prominent Korean ‘These couriers will eed ing that he was much interested in a book. | earn a great deal of money by carrying Kim's body ffon place to place.” “How so?” said' I. “I suppose the king Pays them wall.” + “No,” was the veply. “They don’t get it from the king, The king will know nothing about it, but they, will earn it on the road. Each céurier' is, $ou krow, on the king's business, and according to law, it would be almost death to retard him. The couriers will travel very slgwly and they will levy a tax on every man they meet. Take, for instance, thé man who is carrying the bloody and now half-decomposed head. He has to take it to one of the southern pro- vinces, and he could go there in ten days. It will probably take him a month, and he will earn money all the way. Suppose he comes to the: dcor of a rich man’s house. He will stop there, knock on the door, and tell the rich man that he fs tired, and that he would like to rest in the nefghborhood for a day or so. He will lay the bloody head down on the man’s parlor floor, and will order him to keep it for him until he is ready to go. The man will not dare to strike him, for he is the King’s courier. He will cry, ‘Oh, take it away! Take it away!’ and he will earn much money from that man. A Uttle further on he may meet a peddler with a pack on his back.. He: wiil ask the peddier to carry the head for him, and the peddler will be glad to pay to get free. You. know, one of the best businesses in this country {s in salt. There are salt merchants in all the villages. The salt is kept in big bags, and as it pays taxes, ft is very high. When the courier comes to a town he will enter such a store, perhaps, and say to the merchant, “I find this head is not keeping well, and I will leave it here for a day to preserve it.” He will there- upon thrust it well down into one of the merchant's salt bags, and he has ¢o earn a good deal of money if he takes it away. He thus goes on earning money from every man he me-ts, and he will do better on the return trip than at the outset. The more decayed the head gets, the more he will earn, and at the end of the journey he will have a fortune.” I give this mcn’s conversation in nearly his own words. Such blackmailing sceme? to him perfectly legitimate, and if is throug: blackmailing schemes that a large part of the money of Corea is “earned.” Famk 4, Careentt Hiram Maxim's flying machine has been gaining much notoriety this week. On ‘Tuesday the inventor with two assistants in a machine weighing 8,000 pounds succeeded in flying 500 yards. The experiment ended in an accident, because the maciiine insist- ed on fiying higher than Maxim wished. It siarted along the track, but broke loose trom the check rail, which was intended to hold it within a few inches of the ground, und when the engineer shut off steam it dropped on the turf. The machine with its four side sails and “aeroplanes” set is 10) feet wide and looks like a huge white bird | with four wings instead of two. It is pro- pelled by tw. e two-bladed scre' mbling the a ship. ws are d | proportion to. theli | Powerful ever | Lorse power fe | weight. con "The: r The boiler sts of many tin is force | Toesday Maxim s ! 310 pounds, which had traverse: vere i is of novel tubes throu re reviation of wa sa lifting 7 therefu: New Stree¢ Names in Paris. yondent of the London Datly News, tism of old ones. Three new streets be called after Schoelcher, Eugene F and Victor Considerant, a mathematic! of the Polytechnic School who tried to form a “Harmony” settlement in Texas accord- Three others near La Muette naines of Edmund About, Guy de sant and Octave Feuillet, and on: bear the .upa: new new street behind the Pantheon will bear Taine’s name. One of the two Rues Car- paux is to be cailed after the engraver Ou- known as the Rue Chapu. Gen. Lasalle, J. B. Dumas, Admiral Mouchez, Regnier Brillat-Savarin, Charcot, Ulysse ‘Trelat, Lagache, who founded a hospital; Gaston Bauchat, the fireman who perished in the fire at Reuilly; Rampal, who left his for- tune to the ct and Marie Deraismes, the champion of “equal rights,” are also to be remembered in the nomenclature of the streets of Paris. woe The Motorman's Right Boot. From the Bostoa Herald. “It's an ill wind that blows nobody good,” quoth th shoen | on the motorman’s right boot. “Why co?” asked his ronagererian visi- tor, who establiched bis loafing headquar- ters In the shoemake:’s shop. “Wel id the repairer of heels soles, “the electric ca: | for mé, th dealers wi gong on the cars under the motor- | man’s right foot, erd i erder to strike it the motorman must hit an iron attachment with the sole of his right beot. stant dripping of stone, so the const | gong causes the sole right beot to w the amount of r | and nt hammer of th 1 do ig business for cz men that [ cid old horse railroad days, IL repair two hi soles for every left sole. In mak'ng a pair of sh wan T put twice as x ; boot as I dil in his left, and still nine imes in n the right boot is the first to wear out “Ah, the world ts getting queerer every day," ‘said the nonagenarian, and | his happy boyhood hours. see | From Life. “Stop, you bwute, or I'll soak you one.” ~~ al to. 4 if There will soon be in Paris, says the cor- | grand baptism of new streets and a rebap- | ing to the method of the Socialist Fournier. | the Trocadero of Gustave Nadaud. A short, dry. A new street in the Ternes is to be | r, as he’ tacked a sole | e lighted | his T. D. to see the smoke curi and think of POLITICS AND TRADE! What the Business Man Can Do in the Halls of Congress. RED TAPE AND ROUTINE Bringing Business Methods to Bear on National Legislation. CIVIL SERVICE REFORM Congressman Michael D. Harter of Ohio talked with a reporter of The Star in the members’ ‘lobby for half an hour the other day on the “business man In politics.” He was weil qualified to discuss the sub- ject, as his life has been a patch-work of managing extersive business industries and of mingling in public and political life. The business side of his character is shown by the success of the mammoth agricultural implement factories at Mansfield, Ohio, and the politico-public phase ts indicated by his membership in the famous Cobden Club of Engiand and in the prominence he has attained as one of the leaders of the House of. Representatives, although his congres- sional service has not been long. Mr. Harter was asked to give his views on the business man in politics. “L-am not certain,” said he, “that a man who from the age of sixteen has made his recreation and his leisure a means of fol- lowing the problems of human government, and who has for twenty years or more, by written article, public speech, circular let- ter, In campaign seasons and out, at con- ventions and in private gatherings, given his time and efforts to furthering certain definite ideas he entertained, can be cited as the business man in politics. The ques- tion arises as to whether such a man might not be considered rather more of a politician than anything else. How over, if the fact that a man for thirty years has kept himself for twelve hours each day actively at work in exacting commercial | and manufacturing pursuits entities him to be quotel as one of t then, of cours nd if 1 know for it is at y | ¢ Husiness Men's K | not a perversion | from thelr | » polities?” was a | “If a bus ness m polities, no I nee of B90 out of the i hold Socle has no natural tas ing for the study of tae nmeat and gets no p t A man would al ness m hapd the ear out, {3 | dent of t , an observer of the li g@etion ani a ¢ 1 figure: 1 which great the mo werk of his Congr If, how money he will, « | ought io know beforehand, be oughly unsuccessful. Lawyers and Business Men, It was scggested at th's point that there were n e lawyers than business men be done [here tor ‘and if instead of nine out legislators being drawn from the | lesal profession but one became a recruit | | from Blackstone, and the others were en- listed from the ranks of the skillful, studi- ous merchants, bankers, farmers, mana- | facturers an{ railroad men of the country, 1 do mot question the enormous advantage it would be. On the other hand if Con- gress were to Le recruited und filled from the class of business men who pas tent to polit pool and step | Congress, it would } for the | country r the mea making ef ccecup on.” Business Me “Is nods in Congress. of business asked, business man man finds few customs ad methods in Congress which ob: control in busine: and | deloysof degislation. He | wasted to worgy, annoy, rb him, but aft atcustemel to these imself to them. it is not tong before nds that most of the legislation is tri . f it is of the greatest weight tance, and it do for him to b nh the two ck usual) he wil there not and disco s ore room for him to app hi reading, his study and whatever ability Ae po: in the discussion and settle- tof the ma re to taik Wil be to ce little as possible, but sult nt he does well tions. He will not nk his inclination me of Congress as ith the natural re- ty is Nkely to be w } princtples in | 8 ives before he ga a multitude of kindred s over the covntry, into contact House of rs around him aArits scattered all nd in this way Le comes ty and by correspond- at ence with a g many of the ablest, purest. and om distinguished of his fel? low- a man who has been of commercial q stions, a seeker after tcuth on social lines and est explorer of history finds all k of his years outside of Congres: immediate benefit at Washington. F pot depend upon others for his opinions, he does not hay> to look to his district for instructions or inspiration, but, on the contrary a rule, sees his course as an hovest nd patriotic representa- tive very clear before him.” “Then, as a rule, the business men in Conger make good legislators on great questions, such as finance and tariff.” “Yes, they are the safe men. Take the bisiness men in Congress during the past four years, and how seldom have they blundered upon any great question. It is likely the Inside nistory of the great finan- clal struggle.” Red Tape and Routine. “Is there not so much red tape in con- gressional procedure that it Is practl:ally impossible to carry out a plain and obvious reform? “That red tape, routine, formality and all manner of delays embarrass legislation goes without saying, and It 4s also certain that they are annoying {n the extreme, but after all, one gets accustomed to them and after awhile, in a certain sense, cblivious of them, except to note with regret how long it takes to bring about much needed reforms or pass wholesome and tmportant laws. The duties of a legislative body are, rourdly speaking, divided {nto enacting good laws and preventing the passage of bad ones, and no business man can feel that his ‘honest efforts in elther of these directions are entirely unrewsrded with success. After all, principles control in Congress just as conscience holds sway everywhere in morals, and the business man who comes here well grounded in economic law, who comprehends the science of government, who is familiar with the Jaw here and in Europe rarely finds tt hard to be on the right side of every issue that comes up, and it Is not often he discovers any reason for shifting the position he has taken on any really great public question.” Easy to Be Useful. “Of course, every man cannot become prominent in Congress, prominence ts large- ly a matter of accident, but it is an easy matter to be useful, and, in the long run, with usefulness comes reputation and to a certain gxtent fame. Ip other words, the m such surroundings into | growth of nations and the formation of | man who seeks notoriety can get it easier and cheaper out of Congress, but he who wishes to serve his day and generation modestly, patiently and worthily, and who is content first with the feeling that he has done his duty and more than content with the knowledge that those who Lappen to know him credit him with ail he cvuld reasonably ask, will enjoy a congressional career.” Civil Service Reform. “Are there any drawbacks which the bus- inees man feels in serving in Congress?” “The real trouble and the most cbjection- able thing in public life in Washington is the condition of the civil service, and it is a disgrace to a great people, and until a change is mademnd the civil service is pat- terned more upon the management of a great railway, inswrance corporation, or other important business, a place in Con- Sress will never be extremely sttractive to a business man. He will, no doubt, come here as a. matter of duty, but he is not likely to care togemain long, when three- quariers of his time is occupied in office brekerage instead of legislation. With a genuine and thotough reform.in the civil service it seems to me one of the most useful and agreeable places in which to spend a large part of his life a studious, earnest business man would find in the House of Representative” “A patriotic man would be willing to spend lis life there, but under the present systein one, two or three continuous terms are apt to make any ordinary man cry out enough, and seek at least a temporary respite from the importunities of those who would turn out every man and wemaa of experienc® in all the departments in order to fill them with these who have never had experience or training, but who beleve, body and soul, ip the pernicious doctrine that “to the victor belong the spoils." making of the public service merchandise and spoils, where the very highest standard of duty and capacity should obiat No American System of Politicos. Wil. we ever have a system of American table and uniform, and based ess, Father than party considera- ; 1 do not think there will ever be any American system of political economy, any more than there will he an American Bible, an American multiplication table or an American law of gravitatlon—political econ- omy is male up of natucal and universal laws, and devotes itself to explaining their operation, so that given the same circum- stances these laws will show the same re- sults, whether they are applied in China, Africa, In Russia or America, in Jerusalem or New York.” A jingle of bells announced that there was a roll call, and Mr. Harter returned to | the floor of the Hovse, to be in at the life or death of some ireasure. SHE WOULD BE His. Ihenny Finally Asked Macalister ™ exny had $4 tn his pocket, st time marry, so he donned his best an@ eailied forth. There was Ster Mclikenny would have given his right anm to have as his own, and bai not enceuraged him to propose be- she k he w browe must of . Many an evening had she sat up ing to the tender wonls of Mac in a arfor, when just around the corner i fee cream resert; and oft merry veices of youths ana ther way to and frum the piace. Hister asciihenny never chce said “ice cream” to the dry and parched ubject ot his zffections. t sion herein chronicied he found eul Maca j one the . | her just starung out with her motwer, and | as nioiters don't ep | Uhat excuse for lea evilawie and A bey jerae, “b Ask your ice creamery occured to me to go there Macalister diclinenny plished and versatile Har, “at would be pleasapter there than here, i i, she CoUid OUT Mane hg lum, and Witu a alc resigued hersell to ue t- your paruen,”” he said, with easy why should we stay in hee. ther and we will adjourn to We Don't you Know, it has never 5 was an accom- think,” and she called, “Oh, mamma,” in a tone which somehow ‘sounded rat more Suseesuve than he Hked. At any event (ney ai went to the resort at Macallisier s espense, and when once more they had re- turned home end the mother had disap- peered Mac felt that the opportaricy of bis ligeume had come and he embrace it. “You know, Miss O'Harrier,” he said, afier half an hour of preliminary guff, “that I have long held you In the very highest es- teem.” “£ alw Jinenny nin “I have—I assure you I have,” he gurgted, “and this evening I thought I might ask you a question I have long wanted to ask you. May 1?” and he took her litte hand in his. “What is the question?” she inquired, with a charming hesitancy, ently withdrawii her hand. = “se! “Will you be mine?” he asked, Dlumply, for she was a plump kind of a girl, “Yours? © Mr. Melihenny rose to hér feet, trembling. “Yes, mine,” he exclaimed, ms grab at her. ne held up her pretty har tection, hoped so, I am eure, Mr. Me- she said, hanging her head ang a is as if for she said, firmly and Then he made another wild grab at her. “My own? My e?" he ejaculated, ques- tioningly, as if he needed her sweet Teas- Well, no, she Inughed, with ero scorn, “not wife, but your sister, And, too late, Macalister Meithenny 4 covered that the possessive case Coesn't | always agree with what a fellow w | to agree with, re coo TEACHING THE CAT A LESSON. His Wife is Not Likely to Forget the Experience. | From the New York Tribune, ‘The man who always has a cure for every ill and a remedy for every evil showed one of his strokes of genius the other day. His wife's cat had acquired a fondness for one of the bath tubs in the house. of course, this tub was in the next room to the dressing room of the master of the house. Of course, the master of the house doesn't like cats, “Fannie,” he said, found that cat snoozing in my bath tub again today.” “I'm sorry, dear,” she said. “I have tried to break her of that habit, but I don’t seem to succeed.” “Well, we must have that cat drowned,” he said, fiercely, His wife protested mildly, “That is the only annoying trick she ha: she said. “It would be a pity to kill phen,” said the man take this thing into my own hands. Now 1° just explain to you how I'll do ft. You know how she gets into the tub. She takes 4 run, leaps to the edge and goes in without a stop. I’m going to run about three inches of water into the tub, let it stand there and let her get a sousing. You know how @ cat likes water,” he added signiticantly. He put his plan into operation at. vnce. That afternoon pussy did her little hurdle race, as usual, over the side of the bath= | tub.” The plan’ worked to perfection. There | was a loud cry, a streak of cat through the dressing room and a wet flash into the sew. ing room. Near the door of this room Stood a perch on which rested in peaceful | sleepiness a dignified parrot. ‘The cat tried this hurdie, but missed it, and the parrot, Knocked to the floor, added to the force of | the cyclone which went raging arovnd the house. A table was knocked over and a | statue of the Venus of Milo, already short |of arms, was made legless. The adored | baby of the house was frightened jut spasms, the parrot scolded and screamed herself into a fit and afterward the drip- ping cat, having made a lightning tour of | the house, was found, trembling and sub- dued, on her mistress” jacket, price $63. “I hope,” said the ‘lord of the when he had surveyed the sceve of wreck- age, “that this will teach your cat a les- —- of the house, “I'l I hope so,” said his wife, soothing the baby and looking at her et with mournful eyes, “There {3 only one way to go about such things,” said the husband, with satis- faction. “I pride myself on be able to handle animals.” And his w ectly sald nothing. With but Little care and no troudie, the beard and mustache can be kept a u a Wwown or binck color by using Buckimsbaw's Lie ior tho up his great mind that | = NDS, MARRIAGE IN MANY La’ Carlous Facts Collected From thé British House of Commons. Last September the British house of come Mons expressed, by means of an addrest its desire to be furniehed with « a giving details of the marriage and divoi laws prevailing in the most important colonies and foreign countries, Circular’ asking for information were sent by Lord Rosebery to the queen’s representatives abroad, while the colonial office made stmi- lar requests, the result of which has been already embodied in a return presented parliament. The reports from foreign coun tries are now being issued in a blue book, which contains some curious and novel facts relating to this subject. One of the questions especially asked, says an article in the London Daily Tele- sraph, was as to the age at which mar- riage can be contracted. It seems that In Austria the ability to marry commences with the fourteentn year, but up to the age of twenty-four the consent of father or guardian ha: the bridegroom may not be younger th: elghteen, nor the bride younger than #ixs teex. Persons over eighty are prohibited from marrying at all, while no person 18 _ permitted to contmect a fourth marriage. ‘The further north we go the later becomes the marriageable age, till, in Sweden and orway, the law is that a man cannot wed tll he is twenty-one, nor a woman till she is eighteen. In America very curl- ous differences exist in different states. “It is extremely difficult “to give even an outline of the marriage laws prevailing in this country,” remarks our representative, as there are forty-seven sovereign states, matter of the marriage of its citizens, Hence it comes that in Montana and Wash- ington twenty-one is the earliest marrying age for a man.and eighteen for a woman, while in New Jersey and Connecticut the ages are respectively fourteen and twelve. All that a schoolboy in Washington, there- fore, has to do in crder to wed a school girl friend is to induce her to lay her skipping rope aside for a time and fly wtih him over the border into a more complais- ant state. As to the Marriage Fee. In the matter of charges an‘ fees there is a delightful lack of unanimity among civilized nations. In Sweden and Norway, for example, time and place are quite op- Uonal, weddings in church being excep- Uonal, and you are not bound to give the officiating clergyman any fee whatever, In Switzerland the only fee ts Gne to cover expense of the publication of notice of mare riage in a local newspaper and registration, and you can be married at any hour you please. In Greece a bishop's Neense coste % drachmas, or half a crown, and the re; tration 5 drachmas. In Belgium they make tle charge for a “marriage pamphiet presented to ihe parties, and for stamps, but even these are dispensed with if the Parties make declaration of poverty. On the subject of the grounds of diverce very great divergences occur between the | lass of different nagions, Jn France g0.call | & wife “‘canailie” before her children jast |} fies a decree of, divorce, as also dors a "s “refusal t6 obey her husband when a question of a theatrical engag A husband can also be divorced f ating his mother-in-law or his ® en. In spite of the proverb about the ntages of commencing nfatrimony with tle aversion, it is the law of Germany “insuperable aversion” may become ound of divorce if both partie: there are no children. Rouman ishes itself by an enactment ree can be pronounced if the tribune’ are satisfied that “existence in tom: impossible.” In Massachusetts and Missis- sippt “the habitual use of optum or like | drug” is held a sufficient excuse for unty- ing the marriage knot; and in some states, as West Virginia, marriage will be annull- e2 if one of the parties ts a negro and the other a white person. As to the cost of di- vorce, the cheapest and simplest kind in the States costs about $10; in Germany it varies from i7 1s. up to £4. In Russia consistorial courts pronounce in divorce cases, and the experse is great. modest figure is from £2 10s. up to Some Cerious Regulations. There are other remarkable regulations disclosed in the reports furnished to our government. Thus, in Portugal, “it is the duty of @ married woman to accompany -her husband everywhere, except to a fore eign country,” and in France the civil code has the same law without the exception. A Pogvuguese married woman also “may not publish her literary works without her husband's consent.” Parties divorced may not remarry in Roumania. In Italy there is no divorce at all, marriage being an’ nulled only by the death of one of the pariies; while in America the only sta! that has a similar law ts South Carolina. a BRIDEGROOM. A MISSING He Was Locked in by His Mother and There Was No Wedding. While pretty Anrie Sloan waited anxious ly Thursday evening at her uncle's home, in Elizabeth avenue, Elizabeth, N. J., suré rounded by her brik aids and a houseful of guests, the bridegroom, Mr. John Beattie, was desperately endeavoring to effect hig etreet, where he was held a prisoner. His mother, with the key in her pocket, stood guard in the hall opposite his room, determined that he should not marry con. trary to her wishes. Police persuasion fail. ing to change her determination, the young man remained a prisoner until yesterday, so, for once at least, love falled to laugh at lccksmiths and a long anticipated wedding was postponed, Miss Sloan, who fs the nineteen-yearold niece of John W. Orr, a grocer, of Eliza. beth, lives in Brooklyn, lowa, and has, since last fall, been a visitor at her uncle's house. -Among the clerks in Orr's store was young Beattie, who has paesed his twen- tieth birthday. He and Miss Sioan fell in lcve at once, and Thursday evening was th time set for the wedding. The house of the urcle was tastefully decorated for the occa. sion, and the Rev, A. Henry of this city, an old friend of the family, had journeyed to New Jersey to perform the ceremony, At 8 o'clock the bride went to the room ad. joining the parior to await the coming of the bridegroom. Her anxiety increased ag minute after minute passed, and still he did Pot appear. After waiting an hour, the aiarmed family sent to ascertain the cause of John's delay. Soon the messenger re- turned, and the stsrtling story he told caused the bride to fall in a swoon. Held John tn Duress. After a hurried consultation police assist. ance wes sought to obtain the young mane freedom. The policemen who visited the Beattie home were met at the door by the determined mother, who said: “John ts rot yet of age and ts still my boy, and as such sball not marry without my .copsent.” Although the policemen pleaded for the release of the bridegroom, whom they heard in the upper part of the house desperatel; attempting to force his way out ef the room, his mother remained obdurate, and was backed up in her decision by her two other sons and a weeping daughter. Finding argument useless the rescuing party returned to the Orr residence, where the maids were endeavoring to console the weep ng bride. The guests were dismissed and the clergyman forced to return to his home without fulfilling his errand. uca sympathy is expressed for Miss Sioan, who Is an estimable young woman, the daughter of wealthy parents. The only reason Mrs. Beattie would offer for her ace tion fs that she considered John too young to marry. She declares she knew nothing of the co:ftemplated marriage until Jo erme home to dress himself for the o: sion. Then, ascertaining his pu: determined to prevent it, ‘The young man gave his visitors to under. stand yesterday morning that M would soon become Mrs. John Bes mother to the contrary nothwiths:a she y nding, Afier Beattle got out of his roor ich his mother had locked hi im a prisoner so that the marr! t take place Thursday night at pointed time, he set to work to « his part of the n arriase agreement not want to take any chances of hi mother interfere a out of town with evering and went to the house of R 8. Meitleship, a Presbyterian | Osborn terrace, Plesrant Towns quested his to perform the cerer f es were p Tied the couple and er ma wark, mint | to Ne A morbus, on bra cured by St each claiming exclusive control over the gf escape from a room in his home, in Reid «am