i
282
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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[October 6, 1900.
to a woman who for her crimes is a fugitive, and whose supposed authority has no stronger foundation than the acquiescence of the external Powers. The Dowager, who, however lacking in personal courage, cer- tainly does not lack audacity, has with no uncertain language expressed her intention of ridding herself of the persons of the two Yangtze Viceroys, and towards this end she has been quietly aiming at surrounding them with creatures devoted to her personal in- Uncertain how to act in the pre- terests. sence of the vacillating conduct of the foreign Powers, especially of England, who they suspect would not scruple to throw them overboard
THE CRISIS AND THE ELECTION. | the Government in South Africa, and not unnaturally it is trying to simplify this appeal, and reduce it as much as possible to the one issue. While there is a general con- sensus with regard to the policy to be carried out in the recent republics, men's minds are not so uniform as to the measures to be adopted in China; and Lord SALI8. BURY's Cabinet seek rather a general ap- proval of their attitude than any definite expression of opinion. The broad outline that its policy is to be opposed to annexation | and separate spheres has been sketched out, but of the measures proposed and the method intended of putting them in action
at the last moment, no word has been permitted to escape. Unfortunately Lord SALISBURY is felt to be they have hesitated in refusing to re- weak, his whole policy with regard to China ceive these emissaries of disorder. Grow- has been a mistaken one, and his entire ing bolder from her former immunity, the efforts have been devoted to getting a com- Empress Dowager has not scrupled to attempt As to place her minions even in the headquar- placent House to give him a free hand. far as can be judged from present appear-ters of foreign influence, with the evident in ances the Governmental majority in the tention of check-mating the Powers themsel- House is not unlikely to be even further ves; and the feeble remonstrances with which increased, and under certain circumstances this latest move has been met are an indica- this is a point for congratulation. The tion, of how little, evenat this eleventh hour, Opposition is hopelessly divided, but for the situation is comprehended. The natural tunately the strongest party amongst the course in such an event would be to inform many into which it is divided are. favourers the viceroys that no interference with the of a strong Imperial policy. Judging from internal administration of the provinces by previous experience the effect on the House the self-constituted government will be per will be to make a new division of parties, initted, and that they will be backed up in and will
lead not improbably
a any refusal on their part to admit any rapprochment between the more confirmed nominees of the insurgent government, till Imperialists of the Governmental party the Emperor himself is restored as the and the similar section of the Opposi- actual, and not the merely nominal head, of Such a course would only be the tion. Such, as long as Government is carried the State. on by party, must always be the fate of a logical outcome of the crimes committed in party which has attained any great pre- the Emperor's name and would go a long dominence, and such will doubtless be the way to convince the viceroys that the Powers case in the new Parliament. It is dangerous are really in earnest; and that the system to prophesy in such a case, but the indica- of terrorism which has been rampant for the tions point to some such modification, and last two years will be no longer permitted to the enforced retirement of the less active stand in the way of the restoration of order. members of the present Cabinet and their We have taken the trouble of expelling from replacement by one or more of their oppon. Peking the recalcitrant party; we have oc- ents, who have been gradually working to cupied the greater part of the metropolitan the front. The divisions of party have province, we have superseded the imperial ceased to be along the lines brought into powers in Shanghai, and practically in the being by the original Reform Party and interests of all undertaken to police the accentuated by a GLADSTONE. Matters which basin of the Yangtze; and yet with all the would have divided the old parties to their means in our hands of bringing about a lowermost depths have been decided in the settlement, we actually permit the Empress last Parliament without arousing a party and her crew a free hand in upsetting If we had an all our arrangements. feeling; and the most radical of measures
Us such oppose have been brought forward by, and warmly armed nation to
we encountered in the Orange territories in supported by, the most confirmed Tories. Such are the circumstances under which the Africa, the course we suggest would of fifteenth Parliament of Queen VICTORIA is course not be practicable; but circumstances being summoned, and we can only hope alter cases, and in China all the elements of that it will lead the way to a better judg-order are on our side in upsetting a clique, ment of the importance of the issues pending in the Far East.
(Daily Press, 1st October.) What with the dissolution of Parliament and the opening of a direct cable line from Tientsin to Gutzlaff, we in China are left to outside indications for our knowledge of the progress of affairs in the North. From those indications we seem to be justified in the conclusion that the difference of opinion between the Powers has now amounted to un open divergence. On the one side stand Germany, England, and apparently Japan we say, apparently, because Japan has been seeking to pursue a course of her own in minor matters-and on the other, more or less united, Russia, France, and the United States. The other Powers according to their private sympathies are prepared to follow the lead of one or other of these divisions. Of course we should be wrong were we to affirm that the United States were conscious- ly following the lead given by Russia, and the Government at Washington would be the first to repudiate such a suggestion; but the fact remains that, explain the cause however it may, Russia is certainly taking advan- tage of the position in America to advance her own altogether selfish aims. The United States have an enormous constituency, and all the defects of a large constituency are enor mously developed. Every voter in the Union is supposed to have a definite knowledge on every subject of interest to the country, and on no subject is the ordinary citizen more thoroughly convinced of his ability to form an opinion than on this of the relations of the Union with all foreign nations. The class of men who have practical experience in the very complicated foreign relations of the country are unfortunately very limited, more 60 than in most Euro- pean nations, because the States have not yet seen the necessity of training a diplomatic service; and the consequence is that every fourth year, pending the Presidential election, the foreign relations of the nation are left for a term to the blind instigations of the mere politician. How ever well the President and his Secretary of State may comprehend the position, in the ordinary course they are for some four months in the han. 8 of the wire-pullers, and have to obey their more or less despotic orders. A comparatively small section of the people really controls the issue of the election, and it is to catch the waverers, rather than the men of sound judgment, that every effort has to be made. America, equally with England, suffers under the tyranny of party cries, and the cry most frequently heard is that of the "anti-im- perialists," that is of men who honestly fear that the extension of the foreign posses- sions of the States may result in such an alteration of the institutions of the nation as to seriously jeopardise its stability. This cry is sure to be heard at the hustings, and the attempt is being widely made to associate a forward policy in China with the results of the Spanish war in the Philippines. At another time this feeling would lead to make America join hands with England and Germany in opposing the policy of partition, but in the present instance, through want of reasoning power amongst the masses, it actually is tending to strengthen the op- posite party. While this is undoubtedly the actuating motive in America, a very similar position in England induces the British Government to delay exposing its policy. As in the States a Election takes place within a few weeks through the United Kingdom, and the Government is concerned to meet the country under the most favourable terms. The appeal is confessedly on the policy of
General
|
to
THE POWERS AND CHINA.
we
are content
to
|
(Daily Press, 3rd October.) The foreign Powers seem to be very need- lessly exercised over the flight of the insurgent court to Shensi, and talk of the necessity of columns of troops to scour the country. Really, it has always seemed to us that this scare of the ability of the insurgent party is very much the creature of the imaginations of the Powers concerned. The Dowager Empress and her crew are just as strong, and no stronger, as make them. Lately this woman, who is not wanting in the spirit of bravado, has been essaying to make appointments through the Empire, and has had the effrontery even to include Shanghai, to which place she proposes to send a taotai devoted to her own interests. The idea seems to have taken away the breath of our officials, and we hear in the old style of protests being offered. Protests to whom? Apparently
as
which, except that it happens to possess the body of the Emperor, is, save for its crimes, a farce. In refusing to accept the Dowager's nominees we are in no respect contravening the independence of China; as neither by Chinese nor international law can the body of conspirators who hold the Emperor's person in bondage be looked upon as the legitimate rulers of the state. So long as we, in the face of these facts, continue to give countenance to the pre- tended edicts proceeding from the fugitives from justice, so long must we expect to be met by similar travesties; and so long as we show ourselves alarmed by these preposter- ous missives, so long will the viceroys have justification for respecting them. This is really the position. An outrageous woman, in open rebellion against the head of the state, but presuming on the unfortunate fact that she happens to hold the Emperor's person, issuca in his name proclamations pretending to bo Imperial Edicts; in the ordinary course of events these proclama- tions would be disregarded; but we in oue feebleness, though the woman is a fugitivr